Carlton cinema/theatre - tuebrook -

The Carlton Theatre is located in the Tuebrook district of Liverpool. It is located on a prominent corner site at Green Lane and West Derby Road and externally is an outstanding building, built with brick that has white stone trimmings over the windows.

It opened on 11th June 1932 with Gene Gerrard in "My Wife's Family". Built for an independent operator, at the time of opening it was Liverpool's largest purpose built cinema. Seating was provided for 1,280 in the stalls and 668 in the circle. The side-wall decoration was rather plain apart from plaster cast leaping stags above the circle level, a design which was copied on the original screen curtains. The proscenium arch had wings containing a series of vertical gold ribs on each side, which were lit by concealed lighting. The theatre was equipped with a stage, and dressing rooms, a Christie 3Manual theatre organ and a cafe, which had a Chinese decorative treatment.

It was taken over by Associated British Cinemas(ABC) from 12th June 1935. By the end of the 1950's the cafe had closed and the space became the district offices for ABC. The Christie organ, which was played regularly into the mid-1950's, had been sold and removed by the end of the decade. It was re-named ABC in December 1962 and continued until 22nd January 1972 when it closed for modernisation. The rear stalls under the circle was converted into a Painted Wagon pub, which had its own seperate entrance on West Derby Road. The circle was re-seated and re-opened with 636 luxury seats. The original proscenium and the side walls were covered with a curtain material and the front stalls area was left un-used.

It re-opened on 27th March 1972 with Ali McGraw in "Love Story". In 1975, the ABC was only open for evening performances and it closed on 9th July 1980 with a John Travolta double bill "Grease" and "Saturday Night Fever".

However all was not quite lost as it re-opened the following day under a new name Carlton Cinema by an independent operator. Unfortunately, this was not to last long and final closure came on 4th December 1982 with Nastassia Kinski in "Cat People".

explored this last yr (november) with a few chums

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...a/DSCF7516.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...a/DSCF7490.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...a/DSCF7488.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...a/DSCF7443.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...a/DSCF7435.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...a/DSCF7438.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...a/DSCF7449.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...a/DSCF7451.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...a/DSCF7459.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...a/DSCF7454.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...a/DSCF7466.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...a/DSCF7472.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...a/DSCF7463.jpg

How sad is that, used to go there in its heyday.
Thanks, for posting these pics Georgie.
Maert

That is proper sad, love the pics and report once again :) The poor place :sad:

I don't live far away from the Carlton and I'm astonished that you gained entry into this time capsule. The pictures are brilliant and your inclusion to this group is of great benefit to us all, (I am of course, including our colonial friends):)

To see the projector and auditorium in such a state of decay is sad and reflects on our attitude to walk away from a venture when the profits fall. I hope you kept the copy of the Film Review, that in itself is worth saving for posterity.
I saw the Godfather on here as well as other movies and I'm grateful to you for showing these photos.

As a postscript; We all have fond memories of Cinemas and Theatres have you done a shoot of the Forum interior.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Oddsocks

I don't live far away from the Carlton and I'm astonished that you gained entry into this time capsule. The pictures are brilliant and your inclusion to this group is of great benefit to us all, (I am of course, including our colonial friends):)

To see the projector and auditorium in such a state of decay is sad and reflects on our attitude to walk away from a venture when the profits fall. I hope you kept the copy of the Film Review, that in itself is worth saving for posterity.
I saw the Godfather on here as well as other movies and I'm grateful to you for showing these photos.

As a postscript; We all have fond memories of Cinemas and Theatres have you done a shoot of the Forum interior.

---

cheers m8 im glad to be sharing this kind of stuff with people on here its well damaged and ive heard its supposed to be getting knocked down but it is like a little time capsule and it is such a shame to see places like this

access was pretty straight forward at the time but ive heard its been recently sealed i would have loved to see this place in its heyday though

most stuff left lying round these places gets left i dont take anything from anywhere m8 i stick to a strict rule "take only photographs leave nothing but footprints"

as for the forum i was in there yrs ago only got a few pics as my camera at the time wasnt that good but i do plan to return to that place

Brilliant Georgie :handclap:

I was thinking the Pepsi bin would be worth something

Yes great shame, seen the pic,s before, also in the cinema thread you will
see my post as to what is happening to it, info from the planning dept

Steve

hi, georgie t, I wnt tj the carlton every saturday morning, I would sneck my brothers in thru the side door!!!. I went to lister drivr school,
left about 1956, lived on brelade road off green lane. have been trying to old buddies from tuebrook, Ronnie cook, Joey Crooks and
tommy Gardner, been in the US since 1965, now live in Las Vegas. Those fotos sure bring back memories, many thanks

I was born (1942) in the Swan and lived there until I was 12. Consequently I kept the friends that I grew up with when I left school and started work, we used to drink in and around the Swan.
One of the lads that I used to see at Anfield and have the occasional drink with in the Sandfield pub, Green Lane, was a Tommy Gardner (I think he played for the darts team), this would be 1960/62.
Was it the same lad, I'm wondering?

I live not too far away from there, and have been to that cinema lots of times years ago.

Drove past there today,the coconut grove next door fills my thoughts but after this thread the cinema on the corner often gets over looked,it was the ABC when we used to go,really hope it doesnt get demolished.

Sad to think, there was once a great little entertainment complex there! The cinema, bowling alley,and the pub, which was the "Painted Wagon"!(anyone have any pic's of that incarnation?) It seems odd,that all that cinema equipment wasn't sold off...just left to rot!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by barizla 66

Drove past there today,the coconut grove next door fills my thoughts but after this thread the cinema on the corner often gets over looked,it was the ABC when we used to go,really hope it doesnt get demolished.

---

Yes, it was the ABC, but we always called it the Carlton. Even now we still call it the Carlton. :)

Most people talk about the Coconut Grove - but I always think of that building as the Bowling alley. It's where we used to go as teenagers.
My memories are never of the night club, but of the bowling. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wsteve55

Sad to think, there was once a great little entertainment complex there! The cinema, bowling alley,and the pub, which was the "Painted Wagon"!(anyone have any pic's of that incarnation?) It seems odd,that all that cinema equipment wasn't sold off...just left to rot!

---

I have worked in a modern cinema and it may be the obsolescence of this machinery that was part of this cinema's downfall. Cine-reels are nowadays spliced together with the ads etc. into one reel about three feet wide which is fed through the projector while laying flat on one of three turn-tables per screen.

Great post Georgie t, please keep them coming.

I remember seeing Finian's Rainbow in the Carleton when I was about 10. I pass it all the time and it's obviously just being left to fall down.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by burkhilly

I remember seeing Finian's Rainbow in the Carleton when I was about 10. I pass it all the time and it's obviously just being left to fall down.

---

how are things in glocca morra ?