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Granada |
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Once a proud super-cinema with stage and pit organ, the old Granada cinema in Castle Street is deteriorating as it waits for present owners , Weatherspoons, to rescue it from falling down. Opened in 1930, this was the first of Sidney Bernstein's luxury theatres. Provided with a 15 feet deep stage with proscenium arch, large enough for an orchestra or big band, the Granada was a popular venue in the 1950s and '60s with major pop groups drawing large crowds and popular acts such as the Billy Cotton Band, David Whitfield and Dave King making appearances. I recall seeing Lenny the Lion on one occasion! The console of the 3-manual, 7-rank Christie organ was mounted on a lift in the centre of the orchestra pit and would rise up from the floor during the intermission with the organist seated at the keyboard. The interior of the building was magnificently decorated, in contrast to the rather un-prepossessing exterior. In 1960 the name was changed to ABC and the organ was sold
to a private collector in Warwickshire, where it remained until around
2005, when the owner died and the collection was sold. No recordings
of the organ have been traced. |
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The circle seats were closed in the early 1970s, when cinema audiences
started to fall with the spread of television. The cinema finally
closed on 30th October 1982, despite suggestions to split it into a 2- or
3-screen multiplex to increase attendance. Its new use was a a night club,
but this was not successful. The red-brick building was painted in
silver and black - an eyesore! |
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Dover was without a cinema for several years, until the small screen was opened at the rear of the museum in Gaol Lane. |
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