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Central Cinema


Stuart0742

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Where exactly on the Moor was the Central Cinema

All mention of it, has it being totally destroyed in the blitz, any clues anywhere as to its location.

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Where exactly on the Moor was the Central Cinema

All mention of it, has it being totally destroyed in the blitz, any clues anywhere as to its location.

From what I can make out and providing that Earl St has not been moved,

it was at the top of Earl St, next to where Pound Land now stands.

According to picturesheffield - No 69/71, South Street Hotel seen on the R/H side of the photo

later became the site of Central Picture House.

The lane where the rear of a cart can be seen is the long gone Alsop Lane.

picturesheffield

"Crowds waiting to see the first musical 'The Broadway Melody' at The Central Picture House, Nos 69/71, The Moor. First opened 30 January 1922. Ended as a cinema after damage in the Blitz of 1940. Demolished May 1961"

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From what I can make out and providing that Earl St has not been moved,

it was at the top of Earl St, next to where Pound Land now stands.

According to picturesheffield - No 69/71, South Street Hotel seen on the R/H side of the photo

later became the site of Central Picture House.

The lane where the rear of a cart can be seen is the long gone Alsop Lane.

picturesheffield

"Crowds waiting to see the first musical 'The Broadway Melody' at The Central Picture House, Nos 69/71, The Moor. First opened 30 January 1922. Ended as a cinema after damage in the Blitz of 1940. Demolished May 1961"

So let me get my head round this, is the photo taken looking down South St (towards London Rd), that would make the large chimney South St Brewery. That would then make the hotel/cinema on the other side of the Moor to Poundland.

Or is the photo looking up the Moor?

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So let me get my head round this, is the photo taken looking down South St (towards London Rd), that would make the large chimney South St Brewery. That would then make the hotel/cinema on the other side of the Moor to Poundland.

Or is the photo looking up the Moor?

Looking up the Moor/South St, odd numbers and Alsop Lane on the right hand side,

as is/was Earl Street.

The chimney could be Moorhead Brewery.

picturesheffield

"General view of The Moor, premises on left include No 72, Williams Deacon's Bank Ltd., premises on right include No 69-71, Central Picture House"

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Looking up the Moor/South St, odd numbers and Alsop Lane on the right hand side,

as is/was Earl Street.

The chimney could be Moorhead Brewery.

picturesheffield

"General view of The Moor, premises on left include No 72, Williams Deacon's Bank Ltd., premises on right include No 69-71, Central Picture House"

Ok

69/71 The Moor are the modern day Vodafone Shop and Holland & Barrets, it all fits together now, thanks

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I don't think that the cinema was totally destroyed in the blitz, only the back end. I seem to remember that the frontage up to the corner of Earl street was re-used as shop premises up to the demolition around 1960 ish. According to Picture Sheffield the premises were used by the bombed out Atkinsons store and later I think there was a gents outfitters (Weaver to Wearer perhaps) on the corner. I remember that that the new premises extending down Earl street were occupied by Proops ,the London based electronics hobbyists retailers (or was that at the corner of Cumberland Street ?), and then they became the East Midlands Gas Showrooms.

HD

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I don't think that the cinema was totally destroyed in the blitz, only the back end. I seem to remember that the frontage up to the corner of Earl street was re-used as shop premises up to the demolition around 1960 ish. According to Picture Sheffield the premises were used by the bombed out Atkinsons store and later I think there was a gents outfitters (Weaver to Wearer perhaps) on the corner. I remember that that the new premises extending down Earl street were occupied by Proops ,the London based electronics hobbyists retailers (or was that at the corner of Cumberland Street ?), and then they became the East Midlands Gas Showrooms.

HD

These must be the photo's you refer to

Picture Sheffield Link 1

Picture Sheffield Link 2

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And here is what was left of Central Picture House after the air raid.

They must have acted sharpish to get a roof back over the cinema auditorium because the photo's showing the building in use again for Atkinsons clearly show a good roof. I suppose that there wouldn't be a lot to burn in a cinema 'so the side walls would still be usable. It was obviously damaged by incendaries and not H.E.

A lot of the fire damaged premises were utilised by removing the upper stories and putting a flat roof on top of the ground floor. Examples include the Cossack pub and another pub who's name escapes me in St Mary's Road. Also Symington & Crofts building at the top of King Street and the National Westminster Bank in High Street. Needs must when building materials were in very short supply.

HD

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They must have acted sharpish to get a roof back over the cinema auditorium because the photo's showing the building in use again for Atkinsons clearly show a good roof. I suppose that there wouldn't be a lot to burn in a cinema 'so the side walls would still be usable. It was obviously damaged by incendaries and not H.E.

A lot of the fire damaged premises were utilised by removing the upper stories and putting a flat roof on top of the ground floor. Examples include the Cossack pub and another pub who's name escapes me in St Mary's Road. Also Symington & Crofts building at the top of King Street and the National Westminster Bank in High Street. Needs must when building materials were in very short supply.

HD

The pub on St Mary's Rd was the Montgomery

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According to picturesheffield - No 69/71, South Street Hotel seen on the R/H side of the photo

later became the site of Central Picture House.

The lane where the rear of a cart can be seen is the long gone Alsop Lane.

John Dickinson Eaton, Pawnbroker, 65-67 easily visible as is the sign.

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John Dickinson Eaton, Pawnbroker, 65-67 easily visible as is the sign.

Just noticed that you can also see his 'Balls'

hanging beneath the sign

lol

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Just noticed that you can also see his 'Balls'

hanging beneath the sign

lol

It was that Pawn-brokers "sign" that I was speaking of :rolleyes: I was just being polite !

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There is a mention of the Central Cinema House here ..

"I was four years old, so I don't know how much I remember or how much I was told.

We were certainly at the centre of the action.

We lived in Alsop Lane"

Story submitted to the 'WW2 People's War'

by 'Bill Ross , actiondesksheffield '

www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories

Also .. 'Cinema Treasures' - Central Picture House

"The Central Picture House became one of the first Sheffield cinemas to show talkies"

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Kelly's Directory for 1942

Alsop Lane

Atkinson John Draper (Central Stores)

73 & 75 Weaver to Wearer Tailor

Earl Street

HD

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I don't think that the cinema was totally destroyed in the blitz, only the back end. I seem to remember that the frontage up to the corner of Earl street was re-used as shop premises up to the demolition around 1960 ish. According to Picture Sheffield the premises were used by the bombed out Atkinsons store and later I think there was a gents outfitters (Weaver to Wearer perhaps) on the corner. I remember that that the new premises extending down Earl street were occupied by Proops ,the London based electronics hobbyists retailers (or was that at the corner of Cumberland Street ?), and then they became the East Midlands Gas Showrooms.

HD

I think Proops were at the end of Cumberland St corner of the Moor great shop but expensive. Nothing like the value of Bardwells.

jiginc

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I think Proops were at the end of Cumberland St corner of the Moor great shop but expensive. Nothing like the value of Bardwells.

jiginc

Thanks, but do you remember Bardwells on Sellers Street when he sold loads of WW2 government surplus. Electro-pneumatic bomb-sights and R107 navy radio receivers (brand new-boxed). Even pocket money would buy an aircraft landing light that could be rigged up to light the clouds. ,

Happy days,

Hilldweller.

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Thanks, but do you remember Bardwells on Sellers Street when he sold loads of WW2 government surplus. Electro-pneumatic bomb-sights and R107 navy radio receivers (brand new-boxed). Even pocket money would buy an aircraft landing light that could be rigged up to light the clouds. ,

Happy days,

Hilldweller.

Photographic "flash powder", basically uncompressed gunpowder mixed with powdered magnesium is, as I once found out, much more effective at lighting up the whole sky at night, albeit very briefly.

Not so sure about the legality of using it now though.

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