Lost cinemas of Sunderland - and the parts of them you can see today
After the sudden collapse in 2023 of the Empire chain, Sunderland city centre was left without a single cinema.
The nearest one left at the time of writing is the Cineworld branch in Boldon.
It’s a far cry from the golden age of picture houses, when you could find one on almost every main street - and not just in the centre of what was, back then, a town.
Some were grand as you like, while others were affectionately regarded as ‘fleapits’.
Some leave remnants behind to this day - including the remarkable art deco ‘dancing ladies’ that can still be seen inside Mecca Bingo.
Others have vanished without trace, their sites changed beyond recognition by the passing years.
One is set for a new life that’s also an old life, as it’s reconstructed at Beamish.
Reporter Tony Gillan guides us through a lost era when Wearside was teeming with cinemas.