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The Paragon


mickjj

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This is the first cinema I remember going to as a kid with my family. After we would go across the road to the like named chippie and have threepenneth of chips with scraps to eat on the way home. It was demolished in the late sixties and a Fine Fare and Woolworths was built in its place.

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Undated

1940

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Guest melpemberton

This is the first cinema I remember going to as a kid with my family. After we would go across the road to the like named chippie and have threepenneth of chips with scraps to eat on the way home. It was demolished in the late sixties and a Fine Fare and Woolworths was built in its place.

Crumbs, being a seventies child but living at Firth Park I didn't even realise that a cinema was situated there. I suppose in the sixties with TV being ever more affordable, people simply stopped going to the cinema.

Tell you what though, the chippy across the road was very well thought of thoughout the eighties. Yum!

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Hi, I was born in 1944 on Hinde House Lane and as a youngster went to the Paragon many times - plus the Roxy at Page Hall, Victory on Upwell St., Essoldo at Lane Top and the Sunbeam ( I think it was called ) at Fir Vale.

Wonderful memories !!

Cheers, John

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The shop in the front was "Hibberts" sweet and tobacco shop. They moved to the other side of the road when the cinema was demolished.

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The saturday matinee was a must because alot of the films continued the following week and always finished on a cliff hanger.

Hiberts sweet shop used to have a hot roast peanut dispenser so i used to meet my dad of his bus from work so he would bye me a bag full, Happy days.

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Guest tsavo

Hi, I was born in 1944 on Hinde House Lane and as a youngster went to the Paragon many times - plus the Roxy at Page Hall, Victory on Upwell St., Essoldo at Lane Top and the Sunbeam ( I think it was called ) at Fir Vale.

Wonderful memories !!

Cheers, John

Seem to remember the Sunbeam being used by the ex servicemans club the Companions.

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Guest melpemberton

Hi, I was born in 1944 on Hinde House Lane and as a youngster went to the Paragon many times - plus the Roxy at Page Hall, Victory on Upwell St., Essoldo at Lane Top and the Sunbeam ( I think it was called ) at Fir Vale.

Wonderful memories !!

Cheers, John

Not that there is a link here, but would the Sunbeam at Fir Vale be next to where Esso garage was until recently, prehaps now a WMC called the Companions club (my granny used to go there in the 90's) .

Anyways the Sunbeam chippy used to be opposite this building.....

I reiterate that I am in no way a knowledge on chip shops, just a coincidence honest!

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Not that there is a link here, but would the Sunbeam at Fir Vale be next to where Esso garage was until recently, prehaps now a WMC called the Companions club (my granny used to go there in the 90's) .

Anyways the Sunbeam chippy used to be opposite this building.....

I reiterate that I am in no way a knowledge on chip shops, just a coincidence honest!

Yes that is the one. funny beacause the chippy opposite the Paragon was called " Paragon Fisheries" many years after the cinema had gone

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Guest tsavo

Not that there is a link here, but would the Sunbeam at Fir Vale be next to where Esso garage was until recently, prehaps now a WMC called the Companions club (my granny used to go there in the 90's) .

Anyways the Sunbeam chippy used to be opposite this building.....

I reiterate that I am in no way a knowledge on chip shops, just a coincidence honest!

I stand corrected. The Sunbeam it was. There was a chap called Lou (sorry forgotten the surname) who did a brilliant act based on the great Norman (over the garden wall) Evans there. Superb local entertainment.

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From "Banstand to Monkey Run" Voices from Firth Park"

"I remember the Paragon when it was built in 1934. I went to the first picture which was Spencer Tracy's Bottoms Up. The picture house was opened by the Dagenham Girls Pipers and I remember them marching around the streets of Firth Park. In those days it was 3d in the pit. 6d in the stalls and 9d in the balcony. You could guarantee queues up the road on pay nights. You could go to the Paragon twice a week as they changed the film on a Thursday. There was a kiddies programme on Saturday afternoon - the tuppenny rush it was called."

"The whole family went to the Paragon every Saturday night. We always booked and we always went upstairs. We would get dressed up and Dad would clean all the shoes. We went on the bus and walked back with Dad carrying a big torch as there wer no lights because of the blackout. The fils often seamed to be musicals and we would walk home singing, stopping off for chips from Mrs Hoskins opposite the Horseshoe"

"Fom where I lived I watched them build the Paragon and I also saw them kock it down. It was only up 25 years. On the day they knocked it down I saw this immense irder which was on thebalcony front and when they took it down the girder looked as new as when they'd put it up."

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I stand corrected. The Sunbeam it was. There was a chap called Lou (sorry forgotten the surname) who did a brilliant act based on the great Norman (over the garden wall) Evans there. Superb local entertainment.

The Esso Garage was actually on the site of The Sunbeam. The Companions Club was next door and is still there. You entered The Sunbeam's auditorium with your back to the screen.

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Guest tigerquoll

This is the first cinema I remember going to as a kid with my family. After we would go across the road to the like named chippie and have threepenneth of chips with scraps to eat on the way home. It was demolished in the late sixties and a Fine Fare and Woolworths was built in its place.

Links to pictures:

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/pi...ff.refno=s08078

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/pi...ff.refno=s19478

Hi all the Paragon was pulled down in the early 60s and the bowling alley and a department store maybe british home stores built on the site, this was done prior to 1964 as my parents and i emigrated to Australia in August of that year and i can remember going to the bowling alley a few times.

reguards,

tigerquoll

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Guest a woollen

This is the first cinema I remember going to as a kid with my family. After we would go across the road to the like named chippie and have threepenneth of chips with scraps to eat on the way home. It was demolished in the late sixties and a Fine Fare and Woolworths was built in its place.

Links to pictures:

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/pi...ff.refno=s08078

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/pi...ff.refno=s19478

I used to go there in the war years on saturday afternoon i had to deliver newspapers to get the money,

not like now days ask mam for a pound for ice cream

awoollen

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I used to go there in the war years on saturday afternoon i had to deliver newspapers to get the money,

not like now days ask mam for a pound for ice cream

awoollen

Hello and welcome to you 'a woollen'

That reminds me of what my late Dad use to say "Kids Don't Know There Born Now"

I'm sure you have lots more memories from the past that you can share with us.

Looking forward to hearing them,

Steve.

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I am new to this site and have been reading with interest. I used to go to the Paragon, Victory, Capitol Lane Top, and most remembered the Sunbeam where I met my wife over 50 years ago now. The cinemas in those days used to put out a whats on card which usually listed all the films they would be showing for a particular month. I still have some from 1957 namely the Paragon, Roxy and Victory.

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Guest Old Canny Street Kid

This is the first cinema I remember going to as a kid with my family. After we would go across the road to the like named chippie and have threepenneth of chips with scraps to eat on the way home. It was demolished in the late sixties and a Fine Fare and Woolworths was built in its place.

Links to pictures:

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/pi...ff.refno=s08078

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/pi...ff.refno=s19478

Would love to know what films were showing --and the dates.

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Guest Old Canny Street Kid

I am new to this site and have been reading with interest. I used to go to the Paragon, Victory, Capitol Lane Top, and most remembered the Sunbeam where I met my wife over 50 years ago now. The cinemas in those days used to put out a whats on card which usually listed all the films they would be showing for a particular month. I still have some from 1957 namely the Paragon, Roxy and Victory.

When I was a kid, the Victory was the one whre, if you walked in backwards, you could get in free. I don't remember a paybox.

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The book mentioned earlier 'From Bandstand to Monkey Run' was produced by the staff at Firth Park Library, then the old library down Firth Park Road where I worked in the early 1990s. I have one prized copy. It is quite invaluable as far as memories are concerned, as it consists of the recorded memories of the elderly residents of Firth Park.

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56 minutes ago, Stunmon said:

The book mentioned earlier 'From Bandstand to Monkey Run' was produced by the staff at Firth Park Library, then the old library down Firth Park Road where I worked in the early 1990s. I have one prized copy. It is quite invaluable as far as memories are concerned, as it consists of the recorded memories of the elderly residents of Firth Park.

Excuse me - I wasn't elderly when I gave them my memories! Go wash your mouth out. <_<

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OOOOps!!!!!! sorry!! Of course should have said 'recorded memories of residents of Firth Park!!!!! However, you certainly won't remember the Monkey Run then!!!!!

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I'll let you off.

Lived this end all my life and met my husband in the Paragon 56 yrs ago. Paragon much more cosy than the monkey run in Feb/March. Our first official date was at the Capitol at Lane Top.  

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The Paragon Cinema was owned, so I was told, by a group of local shopkeepers , including Mr Kenyon. The local "Premiere" of the film the "Cruel Sea" took place at the Paragon...with a full parade of Sea Scouts complete with their band....This took place on the Boys Brigade parade ground by the side of the Methodist Church.

Can't remember his name but there was an attendant who would gleefully shine his torch on young couples who were getting too close on the back row.

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I remember when Violet Carson (Ena Sharples) opened the Fine Fare Supermarket on the site of the Paragon. We didn't recognise her without her hairnet!!

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