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Birmingham Cinemas

This is the former Beacon Cinema at the Scott Arms in Great Barr.
Spent a lot of time here and the Clifton cinema down the road in the school holidays but had a soft spot for the beacon. This picture is the workmen finishing off the building before opening
 

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Sorry I forgot to say the cinema opened on 7th March 1938 with Will Hay in "Oh, Mister Porter"
 
Some of my memorable times at the cinema's 1962/3 I was in St John's Ambulance got in the Gaumont free as I was on duty
saw Lawrence of Arabia I enjoyed it that much I had anothe six duties there, I watch it every time it's on the TV . Embarrassing moment me and a mate thought London in The Raw would be a rather steamy movie on the Cinephone Bristol St , so off we trot . We get in the door over to the ticket office bang the young lady giving out the tickets lived around the corner from me and probably knew I was underage , we acknowledged each other she gave me the ticket , the film was useless . The headlines read for this film "Five Healthy Men from Five Different Cities Fainted" over this film . Well you could understand it when you've watched blokes having plugs taken from their head and new hair cells implanted . Then finally one Sunday afternoon 1965/66 we went to the Scala Superama Smallbrook Queensway and saw the whole fifteen episodes of the 1943 of Batman . With J Carroll Naish(Charlie Chan) as Dr Dakar
 
Then finally one Sunday afternoon 1965/66 we went to the Scala Superama Smallbrook Queensway and saw the whole fifteen episodes of the 1943 of Batman . With J Carroll Naish(Charlie Chan) as Dr Dakar
I might have seen that one in the same place (but not the same day). Was that the one that had an episode with an over-the-cliff ending in which the hero is seen to have escaped from the car in the next episode although he was visibly in there on the first?
 
I might have seen that one in the same place (but not the same day). Was that the one that had an episode with an over-the-cliff ending in which the hero is seen to have escaped from the car in the next episode although he was visibly in there on the first?

Thats the one Wam
 
On my exercise walk in and around the Jewellery Quarter area I’m taking my time to look in detail at things and am fascinated at the level of carved and moulded detail high up on many of the old buildings. I will do a walk based on these when we come out of this but the reason for this post is I wandered along Water Street this morning and at approx 80 to 86 it looks suspiciously like an old small cinema or theatre (but no doubt something else). Any info for me anyone? Cheers.
 
could you post a street view of the building brian i cant seem to get under the bridge via google

lyn
 
The City of Birmingham once had (until around 1947) an electrical facility building in Water Street, which was served with supplies from the canal. I wonder if that is the place you saw?
 
It's Constitution Hill end of the street. The stuff behind the frontage is typical factory but looks relatively modern compared to the frontage.
 

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It is marked as a warehouse on the c1950 large scale map. Kellys from pre WW2 show the building belonging to the electrical supply dept as being on the short length of Water st on the other side of Ludgate Hill, so not this building
 
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