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ASTORIA PICTURE HOUSE
- Thread starter Astoness
- Start date
Radiorails
master brummie
In Lichfield Road, Lyn, according to this site:
The photo reminds me of the Two Ronnies. 
Your initial post 1# shows the place getting a delivery from the railway, a mechanical horse is the vehicle used.
Astoria Cinema in Birmingham, GB - Cinema Treasures
Located in the Birmingham inner city suburb of Aston, just to the north of the city centre at Aston Cross. The New Theatre Royal was opened on 7th...
cinematreasures.org
Your initial post 1# shows the place getting a delivery from the railway, a mechanical horse is the vehicle used.
Brookfields Lad
master brummie
The film showing 'T-MEN' was released in 1947.
I thought that too, the row of arches were retained.
A Sparks
master brummie
Yes, it was!
Found this......
Theatre Royal, Aston Road North, Aston, BirminghamLater - The Astoria Cinema / Alpha Television StudiosBirmingham Index
The Theatre Royal, Aston was built at a cost of £6,500 and opened on the 7th of August 1893.
Just a year later the Theatre was sold to Charles Barnard and extensively refurbished.
The Theatre was again refurbished in 1912 at great expense and is stated to have had a capacity of 2000 at the time.
The Theatre closed for live entertainment in 1926 and was converted for Cinema use, reopening as the Astoria Cinema on the 12th of December 1927.
The Astoria Cinema itself closed on the 26th of November 1955 and the building was then converted into a Television Studio for ATV and ABC Television Limited, and renamed the Alpha Television Studios, opening on the 17th of February 1956.
ATV later moved into its own purpose built studios in Broad Street, Birmingham and sadly the former Theatre royal / Astoria Cinema was then demolished to make way for a new building on the site in 1973.
Found this......
Theatre Royal, Aston Road North, Aston, BirminghamLater - The Astoria Cinema / Alpha Television StudiosBirmingham Index
The Theatre Royal, Aston was built at a cost of £6,500 and opened on the 7th of August 1893.
Just a year later the Theatre was sold to Charles Barnard and extensively refurbished.
The Theatre was again refurbished in 1912 at great expense and is stated to have had a capacity of 2000 at the time.
The Theatre closed for live entertainment in 1926 and was converted for Cinema use, reopening as the Astoria Cinema on the 12th of December 1927.
The Astoria Cinema itself closed on the 26th of November 1955 and the building was then converted into a Television Studio for ATV and ABC Television Limited, and renamed the Alpha Television Studios, opening on the 17th of February 1956.
ATV later moved into its own purpose built studios in Broad Street, Birmingham and sadly the former Theatre royal / Astoria Cinema was then demolished to make way for a new building on the site in 1973.
jmadone
master brummie
Same info is in post #2
adap2it
master brummie
Yes that's definitely right Lyn...at the far right end to the left of the billboards were the exit doors from the bottom rows of the cinema...for us bad boys from Paddington St, it was the way in.
Dave A
Evening all, I am trying to trace some family history that is either related to the Astoria or Hippodrome. My Mom said that one of my distant relations was involved in the management of the theatre (I think it was the astoria) but they encountered an accident where they fell and caused themselves some brain damage, whilst at work in the theatre. I'd love to be able to put some flesh to the limited information. The family lived on Park lane. during the wars.
if the accident was reported some of our members maybe able to check the online newspapers for you but would need more info from you such as the name of the person and approximate year of accident
lyn
Hi Lyn thanks for the response.
Talking to my Mom, her Nan my late great grandmother Annie Elizabeth Greenwood (1887 - 1939) sang and acted on the stage when she was young. She even rode a horse on the stage but fell as it bolted. This may help ties down a timeframe. My Mom said it was Annie's Dad who fell from the balcony causing brain damage. If this is correct then his name was Lord Herbert Greenwood, (Born 1852) After the accident, my late Nan said she was told he could speak backwards, so never worked again. She also said he was a 'manager' there, but my Mom was never able to confirm this. The family for many years lived on Park lane. I appreciate the above is unsubstantiated, but I would love to see if I could verify any of it. Many thanks
Radiorails
master brummie
What is meant by 'speak backwards'? Was that an impediment due to his accident?
You do hear of people speaking with foreign accents from time to time. A woman in Plymouth suddenly found she spoke like someone Chinese and I read the other day someone coming out of a coma with an Italian sounding accent.
You do hear of people speaking with foreign accents from time to time. A woman in Plymouth suddenly found she spoke like someone Chinese and I read the other day someone coming out of a coma with an Italian sounding accent.
My Mom said my Nan said she had been told just that all his words come out backwards. It was after his fall from the teahre balcony.
john knight
signman
I used to go there every week when I was about 12-13, there was always talk of someone falling from a balcony, but that's all I know.
Many thanks for looking _ I will check that it was LH Greenwood with my Mom.
You comments did make me feel strange. My Family lived in the area for many years, (Geenwoods, Parsons, and Allen's) my Great Nan used to be the one who helped on all the births, and laying out the dead.
My Mom says if it was not her Great Grandad, whoever it was they lived at 156 Park Lane. for info my Mom says at one point Lord Herbert, was a joiner by trade.
I suspect he may have died, although as yet I've not located his year of death. I've not seen the 1935 roll myself so don't know who else it could have been I know my Great Nans Annie Elizabeth would have been there perhaps my Nan Beatrice Constance Parsons or her bother, James Parsons, even my Grandad George Philip Allen. My Great Grandad died at the Somme, and some point my Great Nan took in a lodger, and 2 children. The children's mother had died in child birth, (my Great Nan was the local unofficial midwife, and took them and their Father who my mom called Grandad ( Mr Sanderson) in. It was Mr Snaderson who told my Mom about the fall from the balcony, and that it was LHG. Thanks to everyone for having a look for me though
