The Alhambra Cinema was closed in 1977 and stood derelict until it was demolished in 1994 to make way for the new A50 Road which cut through Normacot ,Stoke-on-Trent,Staffordshire.
My first known visit to the Alhambra was when I was taken there to see “Calamity Jane” in March, 1955, a month or so before my eighth birthday. Little did I realise at that time that in less than another eight years, I would be helping out in the projection room there. The story of how this came about is an unusual one. In October, 1962, at the age of 15 and a half, I started work at the Plaza, Fenton, as a trainee projectionist under Chief Projectionist Arthur Shea and Second Projectionist Alan Mason. Benny Norcott was the manager and he ran it for brothers Levison and Arthur Myatt, who owned both the Alhambra and the Plaza. Well, Friday was Arthur's day off and on Friday, December 7th, 1962, he was asked if he could do a bit of overtime by going to run the show at the Alhambra on projectionist Richard Smith's day off as the usual relief projectionist couldn't make it in that day and, as Arthur lived in Eversley Road, Normacot, only 200 yards from the Alhambra, that was easy for him to do. While Alan Mason ran the show at the Plaza, I was sent on an errand to the Alhambra to take something to Arthur. I caught a Meir Square bus from the bus stop near the Plaza and got off at Upper Normacot Road and went into the Alhambra and told a woman in the Pay Box that I was David from the Plaza and I had been sent with something for Arthur and was given directions to the projection room upstairs. When I got up there, I stayed for the rest of the night, helping Arthur to run the show, to lace up the projectors and rewind the reels of film as they came off the machines. The main feature showing that day was an Italian sword and sandal epic in CinemaScope and colour starring Kerwin Mathews and Tina Louise entitled “The Warrior Empress”. When I was in the rewind room rewinding a part, Arthur said “Watch this”, and turned the light off in the rewind room. All of a sudden, it was lit up with flashing blue lights of static electricity coming off the film as I was rewinding it, I thought it was amazing, although it must have been a definite fire hazard in the earlier days of highly flammable nitrate film. After that, I paid periodic visits to the Alhambra projection room over the years. As I remember it, the last time I was up there was in April, 1970.
@@seanhurst4594 Arthur was a good workmate and a good friend. On the lunch time of Monday, October 29th, 1962, my first day working at the Plaza, he invited me to go and have lunch at his house at 25, Eversley Road, Normacot, to save me having to go all the way back to my then home on Coalville Estate in Weston Coyney. At his home, I met his mother, Sarah, who was a wonderful lady, and his sister, Kathleen, who was then around 22 and was either about to marry or had just married Geoff Amison, so she'd be 80 by now. Arthur's full name was John Arthur Shea, but everyone called him Arthur. He had a passion for tape recorders and he recorded my voice. My first words on tape were “Is it recording, Arthur?” This was the first time I'd heard my own voice. He lent me one of his reel to reel tape recorders which I used to record my family on. The tapes still survive, including one with Arthur on it, but I have no way of playing them now. Arthur used to visit us nearly every week on his day off at Weston Coyney (and years later at Trevor Drive in Caverswall) and in 1963, he bought a two seater Honda moped. I remember one night in August, 1963, when he and I were in the Plaza projection room showing Norman Wisdom in “On The Beat”, Benny Norcott called him down to his office as there was a phone call for him. He came back up the projection room all smiles and told me that Kath had just had a baby girl (that would have been Anne Amison, who would be 57 by now). Another highlight was in September, 1965, when for some reason now lost in the mists of time, Arthur had to go to Blackpool to see someone about something. I went with him all the way to Blackpool and back sitting behind him on the moped. It wasn't allowed on the M6 motorway, which hadn't long opened, so we went all the way there and back on the ordinary roads. We didn't get back to Weston Coyney until gone 11 pm. It was a hell of a long journey. In 1971, Arthur married a middle aged lady named Ethel and they went to live in Spoutfield Road, Cliff Vale, before later on moving to Sandhurst Place in Meir. Arthur passed away aged 81 in January, 2010 (he would have been 82 in June of that year), and I believe Ethel passed away long before him.
It’s sad when this happens. I’m from Wrexham N. Wales our picture house burned down mysteriously in the 90’s I spent many a happy Saturday morning there and saw many movies. Now I just have the memories of our Hippodrome 😊👍🏴
Remember this place, but more so as it stood derelict for several years. I think I only went see two films there, Snow White and Jaws…bit of a difference between the two 😂
I don't often return to my hometown nowadays. So much of what I remember is gone, replaced with faceless, homogeneous modern buildings. I lived in Northern Greece for a long time and my favourite treat to myself was to go, on a weekend, to a tiny Art Deco cinema near to the White Tower in Thessaloniki. I honestly think, in the head long rush for profit we have forgotten and lost the social and cultural value of these intimate venues. Just my humble opinion.
It is very sad. It's like the drive is to remove as much heritage, individuality and interesting things from a once characterful city. It seems their goal is to make it look like any other faceless place in the Midlands.
Clockwork Orange 1974.Memories of a great Cinema.
The last time that I visited The Alhambra was in the early 70’s when I took my young son to see The Jungle Book. I loved the Alhambra 😢
My first known visit to the Alhambra was when I was taken there to see “Calamity Jane” in March, 1955, a month or so before my eighth birthday. Little did I realise at that time that in less than another eight years, I would be helping out in the projection room there. The story of how this came about is an unusual one. In October, 1962, at the age of 15 and a half, I started work at the Plaza, Fenton, as a trainee projectionist under Chief Projectionist Arthur Shea and Second Projectionist Alan Mason. Benny Norcott was the manager and he ran it for brothers Levison and Arthur Myatt, who owned both the Alhambra and the Plaza. Well, Friday was Arthur's day off and on Friday, December 7th, 1962, he was asked if he could do a bit of overtime by going to run the show at the Alhambra on projectionist Richard Smith's day off as the usual relief projectionist couldn't make it in that day and, as Arthur lived in Eversley Road, Normacot, only 200 yards from the Alhambra, that was easy for him to do. While Alan Mason ran the show at the Plaza, I was sent on an errand to the Alhambra to take something to Arthur. I caught a Meir Square bus from the bus stop near the Plaza and got off at Upper Normacot Road and went into the Alhambra and told a woman in the Pay Box that I was David from the Plaza and I had been sent with something for Arthur and was given directions to the projection room upstairs. When I got up there, I stayed for the rest of the night, helping Arthur to run the show, to lace up the projectors and rewind the reels of film as they came off the machines. The main feature showing that day was an Italian sword and sandal epic in CinemaScope and colour starring Kerwin Mathews and Tina Louise entitled “The Warrior Empress”. When I was in the rewind room rewinding a part, Arthur said “Watch this”, and turned the light off in the rewind room. All of a sudden, it was lit up with flashing blue lights of static electricity coming off the film as I was rewinding it, I thought it was amazing, although it must have been a definite fire hazard in the earlier days of highly flammable nitrate film. After that, I paid periodic visits to the Alhambra projection room over the years. As I remember it, the last time I was up there was in April, 1970.
What a fantastic story about the Alhambra , really enjoyed reading it, thanks very much
Hi David, do you have any other stories about Arthur, he was my great Uncle and have many happy memories, but any you could share would be great.
@@seanhurst4594 Arthur was a good workmate and a good friend. On the lunch time of Monday, October 29th, 1962, my first day working at the Plaza, he invited me to go and have lunch at his house at 25, Eversley Road, Normacot, to save me having to go all the way back to my then home on Coalville Estate in Weston Coyney. At his home, I met his mother, Sarah, who was a wonderful lady, and his sister, Kathleen, who was then around 22 and was either about to marry or had just married Geoff Amison, so she'd be 80 by now. Arthur's full name was John Arthur Shea, but everyone called him Arthur. He had a passion for tape recorders and he recorded my voice. My first words on tape were “Is it recording, Arthur?” This was the first time I'd heard my own voice. He lent me one of his reel to reel tape recorders which I used to record my family on. The tapes still survive, including one with Arthur on it, but I have no way of playing them now.
Arthur used to visit us nearly every week on his day off at Weston Coyney (and years later at Trevor Drive in Caverswall) and in 1963, he bought a two seater Honda moped. I remember one night in August, 1963, when he and I were in the Plaza projection room showing Norman Wisdom in “On The Beat”, Benny Norcott called him down to his office as there was a phone call for him. He came back up the projection room all smiles and told me that Kath had just had a baby girl (that would have been Anne Amison, who would be 57 by now).
Another highlight was in September, 1965, when for some reason now lost in the mists of time, Arthur had to go to Blackpool to see someone about something. I went with him all the way to Blackpool and back sitting behind him on the moped. It wasn't allowed on the M6 motorway, which hadn't long opened, so we went all the way there and back on the ordinary roads. We didn't get back to Weston Coyney until gone 11 pm. It was a hell of a long journey. In 1971, Arthur married a middle aged lady named Ethel and they went to live in Spoutfield Road, Cliff Vale, before later on moving to Sandhurst Place in Meir. Arthur passed away aged 81 in January, 2010 (he would have been 82 in June of that year), and I believe Ethel passed away long before him.
I went to school with Leveson Myatt...massive music fan the same as myself
@@lthmptr That must have been Leveson junior. His father was already an old man when I first met him sixty years ago.
It’s sad when this happens. I’m from Wrexham N. Wales our picture house burned down mysteriously in the 90’s I spent many a happy Saturday morning there and saw many movies. Now I just have the memories of our Hippodrome 😊👍🏴
WATCHED JUNGLE BOOK HERE, FIRST TRIP OUT ON MY OWN BEFORE IT SHUT DOWN......SAD....
My mother used to be an usherette there, she also worked at T C Kent pot bank
brilliant thanks for the vid, i worked for tc wild and didn't know they had the pic house built.
Remember this place, but more so as it stood derelict for several years. I think I only went see two films there, Snow White and Jaws…bit of a difference between the two 😂
I came here looking for the last location of Ray and Proctor, the Citroen Cars dealer, was over the road from the Alhambra.
I think we had a car or two from there over the years or at least looked at some, it's a long time ago!
Great video
I don't often return to my hometown nowadays. So much of what I remember is gone, replaced with faceless, homogeneous modern buildings. I lived in Northern Greece for a long time and my favourite treat to myself was to go, on a weekend, to a tiny Art Deco cinema near to the White Tower in Thessaloniki. I honestly think, in the head long rush for profit we have forgotten and lost the social and cultural value of these intimate venues. Just my humble opinion.
It is very sad. It's like the drive is to remove as much heritage, individuality and interesting things from a once characterful city.
It seems their goal is to make it look like any other faceless place in the Midlands.
By the way, the Alhambra didn't close in 1974, it closed on Saturday, September 24th, 1977, with Clint Eastwood in "Magnum Force".
it says 77 Dave
@@johnrobertson8263 Originally, he did put 1977, John, But he changed it to 1977 when he saw my comment.
Took my girlfriend to see confessions of a window cleaner , then my aunt and uncle sat next to us .We'll at least we got a lift home 😂
Can't remember how old I was when I went there but it was a unique experience. shame it's gone but totally unsustainable in a modern age