Wigan Album

The Court cinema had been closed and empty for ages when my Mam and myself had just been to the bank on King Street..walking past the Court I said to my Mam..look there,whether anyone believes it or not,we both saw the little doorman stood inside dressed just the same as he always had been..black suit,black dicky bow and white shirt,he stood with one hand behind his back just like he always did..we couldn't believe it..I can picture him yet so well..he wasn't looking at us just straight ahead.I will never ever forget it.

I went to The Court Cinema on my own four Saturdays in a row in the early sixties watching Mary Poppins as I was trying to learn the words of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"....there was no googling it back then! Imagine a young girl of eleven or twelve going on her own these days! But I have always been a bit of a loner. I also used to go to The County and Peter and I once went to see The Mummy at The Princes Cinema just off Wallgate....it was a bit of a dive and I think it closed not long after. As I have told on another post, we had our first date at The Ritz, (much posher!). I was 15 and Peter was 17 and we went to see Bonnie and Clyde. Peter bought a box of Clarnico Peppermint Creams from the kiosk and led me up the shallow carpeted steps to the back row....the "courting row"!. He never took his eyes off the screen, ate ALL the peppermint creams without offering me one and made me come out before the end because they all got shot! He's lucky HE didn't get shot! We are 69 and 71 in October and can you believe I am still with him?!

Maureen, I certainly DO believe you, but what a strange happening! No wonder you have never forgotten it. I have always found that there is something eerie about a disused cinema or theatre. Thankyou for sharing that story.

It must be kept alive Irene with all the 40's uniforms and French ensembles. One day he's a Squadron Leader another day he's in his Good Doctor's guise and you in your French gaberdine mac and beret. Not forgetting the lady wife with the fox fur and feather in your hat. It must add a bit of spice all that play acting. It must be great. xx

If memory serves me right - wasn't this opened as a club called 'The Touch Line' in the early 2000s, that had a rugby theme? It then became 'The Hub' which I believe has since closed.

I only went in a few times and they had seating 'booth's around the perimeter of the bar area, which could have still been part of the original cinema feature.

They had also erected the former goal posts from Central Park in the bar area, which gave the club it's original name.

It does look ghostly Maureen I have to admit when walking past there.

I do remember the Court cinema and also going to a few do’s upstairs in the Court hall.

I love your story Irene, about you and Peter. Sounds about right!!! We were the same, sat in the County and Court Cinema age 15 and 17. It's called Love, and it's lovely.xx

It is so long ago since I tripped the light fantastic, at the Court Hall, that I have forgotten how it was situated within the complex, and in relation with the Court Cinema. Was the entrance from that adjacent alleyway?.
I suppose like the Empress Ballroom, many a romance started to blossom from there.

I remember the Crawford Rooms with an entrance in the alleyway on the right. It was the first 'grown up' dance hall I went to aged 17 when the Beatles were all the rage. It got really hot in there doing The Stomp!

Who remembers the Court Cinema booking office next to the cinema and just lower down King St?

I have just remembered, part of this complex during the war was used as a ‘British Restaurant.’ I remember my mother taking me there, and we had a meal. Their main function was to provide people with a meal, if they were bombed out. They came into being in 1940. In the first place they were called ‘Community Feeding Centre’ according to Wikipedia. Name changed to British Restaurant by Winston Churchill.

Remember seeing screaming lord Sutch here,Herman’s hermits,and the Wigan band Julian and the trolls led by John Winstanleys known as wince at the time a lookalike for mick jagger

I have mentioned this on a previous occasion. The cinema organist, on his way home, in the black out, sadly got knocked down by a bus, and also sadly, he had to have a leg amputated.
One afternoon, when on leave, I took my dad to this cinema, to see ‘ White Christmas.’

While still as a Schoolgirl I wanted to see a particular film..my Dad said "I'll take you" while we were standing in the queue a girl from my class said " Maureen McGovern I'm going to tell your Mam of you being with a lad"..I turned around to tell her it was my Dad..I was so proud of my Dad to think he looked as young as a lad..mind you he was a big bonny good looking fellow.

Veronica. Another film, that I saw when just a boy, that was a particular favourite of my dad’s. 1940s ‘ The way of all Flesh’, with Akin Tamiroff. You can still see it via YouTube.