Piccadilly Picture Theatre
1 sound
Located in the heart of Piccadilly Gardens, the Piccadilly Picture Theatre was in operation between July 1922 and August 1937. On the site of a former hotel, the interior seating was provided in stalls, dress circle and upper circle levels. It showed a variety of films which were accompanied by an organ, as was common in those days.
As well as a screen, the site also had a 500-seat restaurant with a dance floor and a cafe. Due to the popularity of cinemas as multi-purpose entertainment venues at the time, the basement ballroom was enlarged to twice its size to accommodate more dancers keen to try the 'lindy hop', the 'peabody' or the 'charleston'.
Frank Molyneux remembers audience reaction to pioneering films in early cinemas during his time as a confectionery seller and, later, a projectionist. The excitement of being part of this window into another world starkly contrasts modern behaviours in audiences today.
Image: Piccadilly Cinema Market Street, 1930 Ref: m09260
