Remembering diver's helmet on a Sunderland cinema's roof - and the upset caused to seafarers

This might have been one of the strangest sights ever seen at a Sunderland cinema.
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But it wasn’t on the big screen. It was on the roof of the Gaumont which was on the corner of High Street West and Fawcett Street.

Look up and you would see what looked like a diver’s helmet perched on top.

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Why? Philip Curtis from the Sunderland Antiquarian Society tells us more.

The weird and wonderful diver's helmet which dominated the skyline. Photo: Sunderland Antiquarian Society.The weird and wonderful diver's helmet which dominated the skyline. Photo: Sunderland Antiquarian Society.
The weird and wonderful diver's helmet which dominated the skyline. Photo: Sunderland Antiquarian Society.

The Gaumont Cinema had a rooftop oddity which might have gone unnoticed by many cinema goers.

It had a ‘diver’s helmet’ which you could only get to through the roof of the cinema and even then, there was no real clue as to why it was there.

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It was probably just a gimmick as the inside of the helmet used to be lit up and had a neon sign to bring a little piece of Hollywood to Sunderland.

The diver's helmet above the Gaumont. Photo: Sunderland Antiquarian Society.The diver's helmet above the Gaumont. Photo: Sunderland Antiquarian Society.
The diver's helmet above the Gaumont. Photo: Sunderland Antiquarian Society.
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The cinema was first built in 1915 when it was known as the Havelock.

The diver’s helmet which beamed light across Sunderland

It seated up to 1,700 in the circle and stalls and the staff included pageboys in blue uniforms and pill-box hats. It was also the only cinema in town which provided hearing aids which were attached to the end seats.

The Havelock first introduced talking pictures to Sunderland in 1929 with Al Jolson in The Singing Fool. It had its own cafeteria on the first floor and this immediately became very popular.

How it looked at night. Photo: Sunderland Antiquarian Society.How it looked at night. Photo: Sunderland Antiquarian Society.
How it looked at night. Photo: Sunderland Antiquarian Society.

A light was built on the very top of the cinema and at one time beams shone out of the four face-pieces of the helmet.

Sailors thought it was a lighthouse

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But all that changed when one of them was blocked following complaints from seafarers that it was misleading. They must have thought it was a lighthouse.

The other three apertures were blocked up during the Second World War when blackout regulations meant any form of outside lighting was forbidden. After the war the lights never re-appeared.

The stark outline of the Havelock Cinema (lately the Gaumont) which was demolished to make way for redevelopment in 1965.The stark outline of the Havelock Cinema (lately the Gaumont) which was demolished to make way for redevelopment in 1965.
The stark outline of the Havelock Cinema (lately the Gaumont) which was demolished to make way for redevelopment in 1965.

That was how things remained after the war with only the pigeons and starlings fully appreciating the helmet.

In the early 1960s the theatre was taken over by Gaumont British and The Havelock was re-named The Gaumont. The company was itself eventually taken over by Rank but the cinema retained its name.

It’s final film was 60 years ago

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The Gaumont closed its doors for the last time in 1963 after it had shown its final film, Taste of Fear and the building was re-developed into shopping units.

Our thanks to Philip for the story on the picture house which is included in the latest newsletter from Sunderland Antiquarian Society.

There is much more besides in a monthly newsletter which is full of facts about Wearside history.

The society, which was founded in 1900, holds extensive archives which were amassed and donated by the people of Sunderland.

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To find out more, interested people should visit the Antiquarian Society’s Facebook page or its website which is at http://www.sunderland-antiquarians.org

You could also get along to its Heritage Centre which is open in Douro Terrace on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9.30am to 12pm.

And to apply to become a member, email [email protected]

To share your own memories of the cinemas you loved in Sunderland in the past, email [email protected]

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