Visited with Mofo.
Wow! This was a pleasant surprise! It looked great from the outside and it was just as good on the inside. Access was extremely comedy and I can't believe the rozzers weren't waiting for us on the way out but it must have been our lucky day! As the history below says, it started out life as a grand cinema and then eventually met its fate as all cinemas do and became a bingo hall. Lots of pigeons, lots of seats, lots of holes in the floor! Sorry the photos are a bit garbage, I seem to be having a bad photo couple of months-meh!
A construction for a local consortium, the Astoria opened with 'The Private Life of Henry VIII'.
It had full stage facilities and a spectacular Art Deco interior decoration scheme. An illuminated Compton 3 manual organ was installed.
The stage was infrequently used for live shows up until 1958 when the theater closed for renovations which installed a vast 70mm screen in front of the old proscenium, removed the organ, and curtained the impressive auditorium.
The balcony steppings were altered and a new projection suite constructed at (and into) the rear balcony.
Long runs of such films as 'Earthquake' ensued and the cinema continued successfully until just after the other ABC house in town was quadrupled in 1976. The Astoria closed the following year and became a bingo casino.
This lasted until approximately 1996 after which the Astoria has stood empty and unused.
It has recently been bought for around 1 million pounds and is due to be restored (not known if to original design) and reopened as a live (mainly concert) venue.
The Astoria is a Grade II Listed building.
Hello you!!!!!
Oh matron!
Wow! This was a pleasant surprise! It looked great from the outside and it was just as good on the inside. Access was extremely comedy and I can't believe the rozzers weren't waiting for us on the way out but it must have been our lucky day! As the history below says, it started out life as a grand cinema and then eventually met its fate as all cinemas do and became a bingo hall. Lots of pigeons, lots of seats, lots of holes in the floor! Sorry the photos are a bit garbage, I seem to be having a bad photo couple of months-meh!
A construction for a local consortium, the Astoria opened with 'The Private Life of Henry VIII'.
It had full stage facilities and a spectacular Art Deco interior decoration scheme. An illuminated Compton 3 manual organ was installed.
The stage was infrequently used for live shows up until 1958 when the theater closed for renovations which installed a vast 70mm screen in front of the old proscenium, removed the organ, and curtained the impressive auditorium.
The balcony steppings were altered and a new projection suite constructed at (and into) the rear balcony.
Long runs of such films as 'Earthquake' ensued and the cinema continued successfully until just after the other ABC house in town was quadrupled in 1976. The Astoria closed the following year and became a bingo casino.
This lasted until approximately 1996 after which the Astoria has stood empty and unused.
It has recently been bought for around 1 million pounds and is due to be restored (not known if to original design) and reopened as a live (mainly concert) venue.
The Astoria is a Grade II Listed building.
Hello you!!!!!
Oh matron!
