Blyth, Northumberland
The Wallaw Cinema, Blyth
Last Updated:
30 May 2023
Blyth, Northumberland
This is a
Cinema
14 Union St, Blyth NE24 2DX
Founded in
Current status is
Extant
Designer (if known):
Percy Lindsay Browne
Cinema is now a Wetherspoons. Many of the seats are still in use at the pub. Grade II Listed.
'This building, which opened as a cinema in 1937, was designed by Percy Hedley Browne, Son and Harding of Newcastle upon Tyne and the job architect is believed to be Charles Alfred Harding. Research has shown that this firm and its forebears were a leading and prolific cinema practice in the north east of England. The plasterwork was by Webster Davison and Co Ltd. of Sunderland and the streamlined Moderne light fixtures are by Devereux Moody and Co Ltd of Newcastle. During the 1980s the rear of the stalls was subdivided to form two separate small auditoria. The cinema closed in 2004 with a final showing of Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ', and has remained empty since that time. The practice established by Percy Lindsay Browne in 1911 was one of the most prolific designers of cinemas to be found in the north east, and this is understood to be their best surviving work.' - Historic England
Listing Description (if available)
Above can be seen the Ordnance Survey maps pre- WWII and the 1960s. The map was illustrated just before the advent of the war, while it was being constructed. On the later edition, though unlabelled the building is represented. Blyth at this point is quite expansive, with vast terraces from one side to the other.
Photograph of the Wallaw during the 60s (The hint is the Morris in the foreground). The facade is still the same today.
Retrieved from Blyth Remembered, Facebook
Newspaper cutting of the Wallaw before its opening in the 1930s. This grainy image features the Wallaw with its original frontage, and workers still preparing for its opening. The coverings can be seen on the roadside to prevent any keen cinemagoers having a look inside.
Retrieved from Blyth Remembered, Facebook