Lido Super Cinema Green End Road and Kingsway Burnage Manchester
Built for John Buckley, the Lido Super Cinema was formally opened on Saturday 28th December 1929 and opened to the public on 30 December that year for pictures and variety. Considered the first purpose-built talkie theatre in Manchester, the Lido had seating for 1,560 in the stalls and at balcony and circle levels. Proscenium width 36 feet wide; stage 15 feet deep; five dressing-rooms. Café attached. Confusingly this cinema is listed as the “Lido,” Didsbury in the Kinematograph yearbook for 1931.Closed about 1986. Demolished following a fire.
KINGSWAY’S NEW CINEMA THEATRE: “THE LIDO” - The lightning arrival of the talking pictures has rendered almost every second cinema in Britain out of date. All our cinemas were built for seeing and not for hearing. In some cases the acoustics have proved unexpectedly good when they had been wired for talkies – this accounts for the great success of certain Manchester cinemas. But in the majority of cases the cinema built without a thought for their acoustics have proved complete failures as “Talkie” theatres. Today Manchester will see the formal opening of the first cinema theatre definitely designed and built for talking pictures; the “Lido” cinema, Kingsway. Every detail in this theatre has been designed to render both seeing and hearing perfect.
MARBLE TEXTURE WALLS No expense seems to have been spared to make the cinema in every way the most up to date of its kind in the North. Thus we find that foe the first time outside the West End of London the recently invented system of giving a unique marble texture to walls has here been introduced. Not only does this method give a homogeneous marble-hard wall, even the mouldings of the panels are worked in this material, but the most beautiful effect imaginable is obtained in the full glow of electrical illumination. The general scheme in bright green and orange with metallic finish is also highly effective.
Another outstanding feature of the “Lido” design, which is the work of R Cromie of London, is that a pleasantly modernistic French style of decoration is used and incorporated in every possible feature.
A COMMANDING POSITION - The “Lido” cinema is excellently placed right in the heart of the Kingsway housing estates, having a commanding position at the junction of Kingsway and Green End Road. Its exterior is pleasing and on the simple side; rustic brick and terra cotta dressings worked in a nice geometric pattern. The entrance gives into a spacious and brilliantly coloured entrance hall. The cinema proper is as large as, by experiment, has proved consonant with perfect hearing from every seat. It holds 1,750 people, every one having a roomy tip-up seat. The lighting provided by a large number of extremely artistically fitted lamps is brilliant. The heating is on the low-pressure syphon system, is distributed from a very satisfactory total of radiation space.
STAGE INGENUITY – The stage, which is after all the main thing, has been constructed with ingenuity and no stinting as to expenditure. Peerless high intensity arcs give the brightest illumination yet achieved; the multi-colour “Hollophane” lighting system is an important aid in special staging. The projection is of the largest type and the Western Electric talkie apparatus is well bestowed. There are ample dressing rooms attached to the stage for a free licence has been obtained and variety features will be staged regularly in addition to the talking films. The new Lido cinema opens to te public on Monday 30 December, with King of the Khyber Rifles, featuring Victor McLaglen, and the popular stage act of the Dean Sisters and Dawson.
THE BUILDING CONTRACTORS - The new "Lido" Cinema has been constructed by Messrs J. E. Armstrong and Co., of Yew-street, Lower Broughton, the general contractors for the complete scheme. Representing as it does in many ways, a departure from conventional design, the cinema has obviously called for an unusual degree of skilled work and direction on the part of the builders. The complete success of the finished structure therefore forms an abiding testimony to the resources and ability of Messrs Armstrong. The firm has a good reputation as builders and contractors in Manchester and Salford and a deal of good-class miscellaneous constructional work lies to its credit locally.
NEW BANK BRANCHES - The new cinema theatre is flanked on either side by bank premises forming part of the structure. The great local Trustee savings bank, the Manchester and Salford Savings Bank, will open its branch on the Kingsway side of the building somewhere about the end of January; the Union Bank will open in the other premises early in the new year. [Manchester City News 28 December 1929]
THE LIDO - A new kinema is being erected in Burnage Manchester, at the corner of Kingsway and Green End Road and is expected to be open in a few months' time. It will be called the Lido. Fashioned on modern lines, there will be seating accommodation for 1,800. The architect is Robert Cromie, F.R.I.B.A„ who was responsible for the Davis Theatre, Croydon. Talking films will open the programme. The proprietor is J. Buckley, of West Timperley near Manchester, but the kinema will be under the control of the James W. Griffith circuit. [Kinematograph Weekly - Thursday 22 August 1929 Page 57]
LIDO, MANCHESTER - Manchester's Lido, on the Kingsway will be opened on December 16. The front of this hall, after being partially built. has had to be reconstructed to conform with local building requirements, as to style, in view of surrounding new buildings. [Kinematograph Weekly - Thursday 22 August 1929 Page 57]
THE LIDO BURNAGE NEW MANCHESTER SUBURBAN KINEMA - Burnage, one of Manchester's post-war suburbs. has been very fortunate in having two cinemas provided for it. Earlier in the year the Kingsway, one of most beautiful houses, was opened, and on Saturday evening last Councillor Crookes Grime, M.B.E., J.P.. a city licensing justice and member of the Watch Committee, officially opened the Lido at Green End Road, and Kingsway, Burnage. Whilst the Kingsway might be said to be just on the fringe of this large and ever-growing residential district. the newcomer has found a site right in its centre. Coun. Grime termed the Lido "a wonderful hall." He explained that after having visited cinemas In America and on the Continent, he did not think we had much to learn in regard to entertainment houses.
The Lido has been designed and built on the highest-class lines inside and out. Its facade is of white stonework and brick and a new wrought iron and glass canopy shields the front entrance with its surrounds of green mosaic and three mahogany doors which are glazed with triple engraved Parisian glass. in keeping with the café windows which form a central fenestration. There is a spacious entrance hall, on each side of which is a kiosk, and the stairs to the balcony. The pay-boxes are across the hall at the rear of the auditorium in front of the main entrance. The hall floor is of marble, and the name is artistically worked in the centre of it. From the centre of the hall ceiling hangs one of the massive glass brackets for the lighting which are a most artistic feature of this place. There are four of them hanging from the ceiling on each side of the auditorium. and three over the balcony. There is also one each side of the proscenium. most effectively designed to give a " fountain " effect.
In real Lido style, the entrance hall is decorated with jade green, russet colours playing a large part in the scheme as they do generally in this theatre's decorations. A special feature is the auditorium decoration where fibrous and the textural wall surfaces have been treated to gain a most pleasing artistic effect. Delicate shades have teen used for the top portions of the walls over an old gold dado. Nothing like this hag previously been seen in any Lancashire Hall.
The seating blends with the general surroundings, being in light maroon moquette; the seats themselves being well sprung and wide. The seals are of the tip-up type. The seating capacity is 1,700. The balcony will hold 450 and the auditorium 1,250, the latter is 115 feet long and 65 feet wide. The balcony is 50 feet deep from the fascia to the rear wall. The proscenium opening is 32 feet wide and 21 feet high. whilst the stage is 18 feet. deep and runs the width of the house. There are four dressing-rooms, band-room, and conveniences. There is also a spacious orchestral well.
The Lido was built to be a talkie house and the Western Electric system has been installed. A whole floor spanning the width of the building is occupied with the operating chamber, rewind room, non-synchronous control room, and conveniences. A low- pressure hot-water system has been adopted for heating this theatre via radiators and the ventilation co-operates an arrangement of natural ventilation and multiple fans. [Kinematograph Weekly - Thursday 2 January 1930 Page 140 ]
SUBSEQUENT HISTORY - Located, on the corner of Kingsway and Green End Road, in the south Manchester district of Burnage the Lido Super Cinema was opened on 28 December 1929. There was a cafe for the convenience of patrons and free parking for 300 cars. Confusingly this cinema is listed as the “Lido,” Didsbury in the Kinematograph yearbook for 1931. The cinema was operated by several companies throughout its existence. It was taken over by the Union Cinemas chain on 24th February 1936, then in 1938, by an independent operator. On 5th December 1942, it was taken over by the Oscar Deutsch chain of Odeon Theatres Ltd. and was re-named Odeon in 1945. The Odeon Burnage was one of a group of Odeon cinemas which were sold to the Classic Cinemas chain in December 1967, and it was re-named Classic from 10th December 1967. Classic Cinemas operated the single screen cinema until July 1971, when they sold the building to an independent operator. The stalls seating area was converted into a bingo club, while the former circle became a 400-seat cinema, known as the Concorde Cinema. In June 1973, a second screen seating 103, was created from the former cafe area. Both screens were closed in December 1984, and the bingo club also closed and was converted into a Kwik Save Supermarket, while the two screens remained closed. They were re-opened on 18 February 1987 and closed finally on 26th April 1991. The Kwik Save Supermarket continued until the auditorium section of the building was destroyed by a fire in the 1990’s. The front section of the building was demolished in the summer of 2004. A new building was erected on the site, which opened as a Lidl Supermarket, in 2010 this is an Aldi Supermarket.
Reference Architect and Building News 1 February 1929 page 190
Reference Architect and Building News 23 August 1929 page 243
Reference Kinematograph Weekly - Thursday 22 August 1929 Page 57
Reference Kinematograph Weekly - Thursday 31 October 1929 Page 4
Reference Kinematograph Weekly - Thursday 2 January 1930 Page 140
Reference Manchester City News 28 December 1929 with photograph
Reference Cinema Treasures