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Birmingham Cinemas

Based on the modern map, say somewhere to the right of the Chancellors Lake! A new students union will be built behind the lake next to the sports pitch. Coleshill Street was split in half around 2010.

 
Elmdon Boy said:
Can anybody help me. I remember going to a cinema in Aston in 1967 or 1968 to see Jane Fonda in Barberella.
As far as my memory goes it was down Corporation St, past Aston University, possibly in the area where the expressway is now although not sure. In my memory it was not a stand alone building, more like a tall building in a row of tall buildings. I think it had the name of the cinema in neon lights in a vertical direction, possibly an ABC cinema.
I'm sure the building is not around today as I worked in Aston in recent times and have been unable to locate it.
What I was doing going to the flicks in Aston when I lived in Solihull I'm not sure.
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I think the way you describe the cinema I think it's the Astoria cinema which was the old ATV studios which I believe was an ABC picture House
 
Are you thinking what later became BRMB radio studios Ray at Aston Cross. If so it wasn't that one as it was ATV studios in early 1960s as I went to a Thank Your Lucky Stars show there in about 1962.
No, I think it was the old ABC Coleshill St one.
 
A look at the former Tyseley Cinema on the Warwick Road in Tyseley (not far from Greet).







Tyseley Cinema on Cinema Treasures

Located in the east Birmingham district of Tyseley. The Tyseley Cinema was opened in 1916. It was built for S & E Cinemas Ltd. and County Cinemas Ltd. It was designed by well known Birmingham based architect Archibald Hurley Robinson.

In 1930, a balcony was added, which increased to seating capacity to 930. It was taken over by the Oscar Deutsch chain of Odeon Theatres Ltd. in September 1939. It was closed in December 1940 due to German bomb damage. It was re-opened by an independent operator in 1941.

In 1954 it was taken over by the Newcastle based Essoldo circuit. The Tyseley Cinema was closed on 29th November 1959 with Tony Curtis in “Six Bridges to Cross”.

It was converted into offices for a printing company. In recent years it has been used by a car body parts company DBP (Midlands) Ltd.
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This really does bring back memories from my childhood in the 1960s...The Orient in High St, Aston. The Malt Shovel can be clearly seen beside it.
31946979_10214956143084350_5389739667883032576_n.jpg
 
A couple more views of the Orient back in the day. It opened on August 4th 1930 and closed on February 2nd 1964 (I thought it was later than that), when full it held 1544 seated, Remember standing room at the back only?

Aston Orient Aston.jpg Aston Birchfield Rd The Orient.jpg
 
I think a few picture houses were short lived, I know the Mayfair on College Road was not all that old too.
 
Morturn, the Pavilion is another example of how the boundary hops about. It's shown as 'Birmingham's Suburbia' but is actually in Sutton. I'm not sure whether the boundary actually changed or people just thought it was in Birmingham, According to today's areas it's nowhere near Wylde Green but Wylde Green has always been in Sutton. Bewildered?
 
Lady P

According to Victor J Price in his book Birmingham Cinemas 1900-1960 The Wylde Green Pavilion on the corner of Gravelly Lane and Chester Road was in Birmingham. Well I suppose it was when his book was first printed in 1986.

Though if we look at the attached section of OS map for the 1930's it looks to me if the Birmingham boundary line is actually behind the cinema represented on the map by a dotted line. Also The Kelly's directory of the date it opened does not show that part of Chester Road as part of Birmingham.

wylde green.jpg
 
Spent most of my Saturday mornings at the Beaufort as a child , cheering on the goodies and hissing at the baddies with a few sweets,then again in my early teenage years, mostly in the back row ,thanks for the photo it bought back many memories
 
Lady Penelope said:
Morturn, the Pavilion is another example of how the boundary hops about. It's shown as 'Birmingham's Suburbia' but is actually in Sutton. I'm not sure whether the boundary actually changed or people just thought it was in Birmingham, According to today's areas it's nowhere near Wylde Green but Wylde Green has always been in Sutton. Bewildered?
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Lady P
Your thoughts, why was Wylde Green so large in general usage, when I were nobbut a lad, anywhere from Maney (at the Hose & Jockey) to the Yenton and back down towards Penns Hall, Boldmere Road to Church Road and yes Gravelly Lane to beyond Enstone Road and Bonsall Road to the pub on the right hand side going down were often stated as Wylde Green. This was usually by mothers of children who went to School in Sutton Coldfield. Was it just a snob thing, I had a friend who lived on the left hand side of Chester Road (coming from the Yenton) just up from the bridge whose Mother always used the Wylde Green nomenclature as part of her address. Do you have any maps showing th boundary? I always believed the Pavillion to be in Sutton Coldfield.

Bob

PS Read Lady P missed Phils map - DUH!!
 
I am sure there was a boundary marker in the vicinety of Chester Road Station. I think it may have been either in Knipersley Road maybe Bretby Grove
 
Morturn said:
I am sure there was a boundary marker in the vicinety of Chester Road Station. I think it may have been either in Knipersley Road maybe Bretby Grove
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In the 1958 Birmingham Post a lorry crashed into the rail bridge on Chester Rd, by the Station and states, “The Bridge runs over the Chester Road, just inside the SC Boundary.”
 
Morturn, Yes, you're right, there is a market halfway down Knipersley Road and there is also another inside Florence Road after the boundary has crossed the road.

Bob, I've been researching this area and it's a real mish-mash. On some documents Sheffield Road is in Erdington together with Anstey College. The boundary now appears to run along Bonsall Road!
 
Hi Pen, thanks I have found ot on Bing Maps. I think another boundary was on Florence Road too, right on the bend. The tarmac used to change there as did the lamp posts to the Sutton style with the mirrors and bulb
 

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Alf said:
Hercules Films
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1959 Hercules

1960 Hercules Against Rome

1960 Hercules Unchained

1961 Hercules in the Haunted World

1963 Hercules Against the Sons of Sam

1963 Hercules and the Captive Women

1964 Hercules Against the Moon Men

1965 Hercules Samson and Ulysses
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Just seen this Alf , You forgot to mention Hercules conquers Atlantis , Reg Parks lead character
 
As a child my local cinema was the Castle in Castle Bromwich. Many a happy time spent there. Saturday mornings was the ABC childrens’ cinema; Flash Gordon, The Invisible Man (scary!), The Three Stooges, Laurel & Hardy and a host of cartoons galore.

Other picture houses I regularly went to were the Capitol in Ward End, just over the bridge; the Rock at Alum Rock; the Beaufort; the Plaza; the Odeon, New St. to name a few. The Waldorf in Sparkhill was very memorable too because it was on the inner circle bus route, the No. 8.

Films I remember seeing in these cinemas: Calamity Jane (Doris Day), Sink the Bismarck (Kenneth More), The Bulldog Breed (Norman Wisdom), Butterfield 8 (Elizabeth Taylor), Dr. No (Sean Connery), To Hell and Back (Audie Murphy biopic), Day of the Triffids (Howard Keel), South Pacific (too many stars to name!), The Sound of Music (Julie Andrews), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Howard Keel again).

I can name others but need to get my thinking cap on!
 
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sylviasayers said:
I suppose most people growing up in the 50s and 60s were cinema addicts
I went to them all in Aston and district, as I got older and went to work we used to go to town and the Bristol Cinema on Sunday afternoons.

Cinemas I recall
Astoria,
Aston Cross
Globe
Orient
Victoria Playhouse
Newtown Palace - never went there, it was considered a flea pit.
Odeon - Perry Barr
Birchfield
Plaza -Stockland Green
Clifton - Great Barr

We used to go two or three times a week. Some cinemas had the same programme all week, others Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday, then changed for the rest of the week, but with a different film on Sundays, I think this was something to do with the archaic licensing laws in Brum.

I used to go to the Orient nearly every Sunday, I think they opened late afternoon because I used to come out of Sunday School at Christ Church,
Six Ways, take off my ankle socks, put on lipstick, and join the queue which ran down the side of the cinema into Rifle Crescent, there were usually three of four of us, and the queue was mainly made up of youngsters early teenagers upwards, we had a great time laughing and joking while we waited and it wasn't much better when we got inside, the films were very old like Jeannette McDonald & Nelson Eddy, Ida Lupino,
Jack Carson and Dennis Morgan, some of the stars I remember. In the interval we used to walk all round to see our friends, and try to catch the eye of any lads we were interested in. I bet the staff were glad to see the back of us.
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As a child my local cinema was the Castle in Castle Bromwich. Many a happy time spent there. Saturday mornings was the ABC childrens’ cinema; Flash Gordon, The Invisible Man (scary!) and a host of cartoons galore.

Other picture houses I regularly went to were the Capitol in Stechford, just over the bridge; the Rock at Alum Rock; the Beaufort; the Plaza; the Odeon, New St. to name a few. The Waldorf in Sparkhill was very memorable too because it was on the inner circle bus route, the No. 8.

Films I remember seeing in these cinemas: Calamity Jane (Doris Day), Sink the Bismarck (Kenneth More), The Bulldog Breed (Norman Wisdom), Butterfield 8 (Elizabeth Taylor), Dr. No (Sean Connery), To Hell and Back (Audie Murphy biopic), Day of the Triffids (Howard Keel), South Pacific (too many stars to name!), The Sound of Music (Julie Andrews), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Howard Keel again).

I can name others but need to get my thinking cap on!
 
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