Growing up in Sunderland: Lights, camera, action as we visit the Wearside picture houses of the past
With the 97th Academy Awards taking place this weekend, we wanted to take you back in time for a retro night at the movies!
So, which was your favourite Sunderland picture house from your younger days and can you remember the first one you ever visited? That’s what we have been talking about over on our retro Facebook community, Wearside Echoes. If you have never visited us before, why not join the conversation here.
While punters who remember the Grand Electric cinema at Ryhope can step back into their memories with a visit to the building’s recreation at Beamish, see how many of these other places strike a chord with you.
Did the majestic sight and sounds of the big screen have you gripped from the first moment? Do you recall who was starring in the first film you ever saw? And, how much was the ticket?
So, it’s lights, camera and action for some memories of your first-ever trip to the pictures. Did you visit any of these mentioned cinemas?
Carolann Brown: “Mine was at the Grand in Ryhope and my lovely Auntie Margaret took me to see The King and I. I would have been about 9-10, was awestruck.”
Michael Gaddass: “Bambi at Concord’s Fairworld Cinema, Washington. Around 1986 … or might have been He-Man in 1987.”
Colin Bonner: “Regent at Grangetown, Sunderland, I think it was a Roy Rodgers film.”
Lilian Loraine: “The Roker, I know it was Mario Lanza but can’t remember what film it was. I was only 5-6.”
Jean Potts - Atkinson: “Snow White at The Queens, Washington. About 1954.”