Dunston, Gateshead
Albert Picture Palace
Last Updated:
18 Jul 2024
Dunston, Gateshead
This is a
Cinema, Bingo Hall
54.953497, -1.639472
Founded in
Current status is
Demolished
Designer (if known):
Now the site of residential properties
Given the self contained nature of settlements a century ago, most villages and towns could support their own cinema, perhaps two or three.
The same can be said of Dunston. The Albert Picture Palace stood on Ravensworth Road where these newer builds now reside.
It opened in 1912 with a capacity of 400 seats - a pretty sizeable venue riding the wave of this new technology just before the advent of war. It showed silent films, but also concerts and performances. Operas were very popular here between the 20s and 30s - the Dunston lot are classier than we realise 😉
It was eventually fitted with a sound system for “talkies” in 1930, but only carried on for another 30 years. Reflecting back on how these local pictures came to light the advent of faster transport, private car ownership and television did a number on them. In the 1960s, it was instead converted into a bingo club like many others. However, the hammer has since been struck on this site and new builds have replaced it.
It's also worth noting this was 1 of 2 picture houses in quite a small area. The other was the Imperial Picture Hall. That one was known as the "Bottom Hall" whereas this the "Top Hall". The Imperial was situated down at Railway Street. More info on both here - https://historyofdunston.weebly.com/cinemas.html. Thanks to @Trystanian on X for this.
Listing Description (if available)
Both Ordnance Survey maps illustrate Dunston in the first half of the 20th century, when the Picture House had already opened. You may notice the area was still going through the transition of suburbia. Residential developments were still scaling in the 1910s and 20s to the full extent we see today. Both picture houses were extant by the time of the first map. You may also notice other amenities too like the football ground and the United Methodist Church which has since been demolished (https://x.com/neheritagelib/status/1813516761163079900)
Going back in time a little bit to when Ravensworth Road was named Team Lane, a connection between the hamlet of Cowheel and the original Dunston on the Tyne. Cowheel is what we'd now see as Dunston Station.
The road comprised only of allotments and gardens at this time, and by the 1880s and 90s was consumed by the new terraces which housed workers from the brickworks, collieries and copious other industries on the river.
Site of the Albert Picture House in 2024
Postcard of “Dunston Casino”, undated and unknown original source.
Photograph of the picture house and a steam roller repairing the road. Undated, unknown original source.