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Scholes

21 Comments

Scholes
Scholes
Photo: TOM WALSH
Views: 3,982
Item #: 32970
Photograph taken looking down Scholes towards the crossing Scholes Picture House on the right. Looks like 1950's or 1940's?

Comment by: Veronica on 25th February 2021 at 17:03

That's a new one to me Tom. It looks like The Scholes Picture House on the right nearest.
I can just see th entry at the side were you paid to go in the cheap wood n seats on a Saturday. Looks like the early matinee about 6 00 as it's lit up.

Comment by: Edna on 25th February 2021 at 18:21

Lovely memories Scholes Picture House for me Thom. My dad took me to the first house every Fri. 1953.For as long as I can remember.6:00pm then there was another showing at 8:00pm.I remember in the winter, coming home in the snow freezing, with him, feeling so safe, with one hand in my pocket,and the other in he's overcoat.That memorie has stuck with me all these year's.

Comment by: Thomas (Tom) Walsh on 25th February 2021 at 19:09

Veronica, yes you're quite right the passage you can just see was the passage to the front stalls ,as you say wooden seats on that other side of the passage was Gerry Winstanley's sweet shop ,his sister also served when the ship was busy. Before the first and second house the shop was packed. One thing I remember about the shop , in the window every jar of sweets had a paper doily underneath it , it seemed much ' posher ' than the other sweet shops . Strange little details that you remember.

Comment by: Veronica on 25th February 2021 at 19:21

That's a memory for me Edna. My mam used to put her coat around me and my brother when we came out of the pictures. We hadn't far to walk to John St. No telly in our house in those days. We went twice a week, sometimes three. We always called in the toffee shop next door, a quarter of toffee was sufficient between three of us. Happy memories... I used to say to my mam " Is it a fencing picture, a crying picture or a cowboy picture?" Sometimes we were lucky and it was Norman Wisdom or Gerry Lewis and Dean Martin!

Comment by: Irene Roberts on 25th February 2021 at 20:06

Veronica, Edna and Tom....your memories have warmed my heart! xx

Comment by: Edna on 25th February 2021 at 20:48

Veronica you have missed Laural & Hardy. xx

Comment by: Veronica on 25th February 2021 at 21:01

There always seemed to be a 'crying'
picture on. I remember 'Helen Keller' blind, deaf and dumb - 'Mandy' who was dumb as well. Another might be a child who's mother went missing in the war! Or a soldier who was killed...We used to come out of the pictures with a lump in our throats! :o))

Comment by: Thomas((Tom)Walsh on 26th February 2021 at 22:50

I thought viewers may find this article of interest.

The Picture House.
Scholes.
A palace of entertainment 1950s


Scholes boasted two cinemas,The Labour and The Picture House ,most people (including me)thought it was called The Scholes Picture House , don't think me pedantic in pointing this out I just thought it may be of interest , however no mater what it was called ,not was visited by yours truly every Saturday afternoon , the cost of entrance was 3d front seats (wooden) 4d back stalls with plush red velvet seats, the vast majority of children opted for the cheaper seats ,don't forget the penny saved would have bought an ice lolly from Telford's sweet shop in near by Wellington Street.

After the Saturday matinee if, as Invariably was the case, the the film had been a "Cowboy" , on the way home the lads would ride imaginary horses reins in one hand whilst hitting their hips with the other to make the unfortunate animal go faster ,until reaching the aforementioned Telford's when with both hands on the reins quick yank on the bridle to bring your mount to a halt then into the shop to spend the penny saved by enduring wooden seats and a crick in your neck from looking up at the screen ,all the privations of the front stalls seemed worth it to have this extra spending power! On the subject of "Cowboy" films, strange that in a barroom brawls with fists flaying and chairs flying the "goodie" never lost his white stetson ,the "baddie" by the way, always wore a black one, which were the signals of when to cheer or boo, which children did with great gusto . Edna the commandant, (usherette) in charge of the front stalls would reprimand any child who became to exuberant "th owd mon in park can hear thee" (Sir Frances Sharp Powell's statue) she'd bellow. Now you knew never to cross Edna ,she was judge and jury and had the power to have you evicted without the right of appeal if you even thought of disobeying her, a fate I never experienced ; although I was on a final warning couple of times. Incidentally, the one with the white hat and neckerchief always won.

Another favourite was the 'follow-up' at the end of the performance, often" Flash Gordon" I don't mind telling you I had many a sleepless night thanks to "The Clay Men " creatures that manifested them selves from the walls , in the earlier hours looking up the bedroom ceiling, with its uneven surface, I convinced myself that the monsters had decided to pay a visit to 48 Mc Cormick Street . I think the only time I be been more frightened was listing to the play" The Monkeys Paw" on the wireless . My Mam realising what effect Flash Gordon and Ming the Merciless was having on my mental wellbeing said I should leave the "pictures" before the serial started . Not a chance , leave without my horse ! The "pictures" was also a great source of entertainment for the older generation too, don't forget televisions were as rare as hens teeth, it seemed that more women than men were "picture goers" , as mentioned earlier the majority of men preferred the charms of the many waterholes that adorned Scholes in times of yore.

In the evening there was 2 performances ,"The First and Second House" the film changed 3 times each week ,so in the time when television seemed the ultimate luxury many local residents. would visit " The Scowes" on each change of programme irrespective of the genre .Westerns, Musicals, War, all were magical especially if they were in Technicolor. I remember women saying it was a good picture it was a "skriker" (a very sad film for our southern cousins).I pondered as a child why anybody would enjoy seeing something that would make them cry !

It was only seldom you would see the sign "FULL HOUSE" displayed on the pavement outside the main entrance. There were exceptions ,the area had a large second and third generation of Irish decedents and subsequently a large number of Roman Catholics so the management could be sure to put "bottoms on seats" if the film had any sort of Irish or Catholic theme, the most notable was when " The Quite Man " made what seemed a fairly regular reappearance. Even " the men" would make an effort to see that film , usually the" First House" allowing time to call for a pint at their favourite local; the pubs would welcome the "pictures loosening" as they would be
sure to see an increase in trade, the women would make their way home and the men would be heard to say " I'll just call for one (or three)". Another blockbuster was " The Song of Bernadette " a film about Lourdes and the miracles attributed to that place. The Robe and other ' pictures ' with a biblical theme would also find a ready audience.

I can remember vividly going with my Mam to see a film about Ester Costello ,another favourite of the community as its set in Ireland. The only seats available were 'upstairs' . It was at the time when most people smoked, it was almost impossible to see the screen as the smoke rose to the top of the auditorium . The Picture House ,Scholes in common with other smaller picture houses had poor ventilation ,the dialogue was equally difficult as everyone was coughing their heads off. The only chance to escape the smoke was when the ice cream usherette sold her wares on the ground floor ,the atmosphere on that level seemed almost pristine in comparison to the " Gods"
I use to think that it was a swindle the tubs of ice cream with a little wooded spatula had false bottoms, the alternative an ice lolly which would melt long before you got to the stick; juice running down your wrist and under your jumper , yuk ! On the particular evening in question I recall my Mam saying to a neighbour that we were like a pair of kippers .It only dawned me what she meant weeks later on holiday in the Isle of Man I saw notices all over the island about smoked kippers !

Comment by: Irene Roberts on 27th February 2021 at 08:02

That was a very good read, Tom...I really enjoyed that! They show some of those old films....old Cowboys, Flash Gordon etc. on the Talking Pictures channel on Saturday mornings.

Comment by: Albert.S. on 27th February 2021 at 09:57

Tom. I believe the Anderton, or Anderson family owned the Scholes Picture House in the thirties, forties ,and fifties.
I remember one of the son’s having the Regal Cinema, in Lower Ince, built, and completed in 1939.

Comment by: Thomas(Tom)Walsh on 27th February 2021 at 11:47

Albert, the family name was Atherton , you right the Regal was owned by the same family . They closed on the same day , I've got the date in one of my books but I can't just put my hand to it. This Photograph of schools could well be pre-war it certainly before 1951 because the traffic lights were installed after a bad accident at the crossings it was a party going to Wembley 2 lady's were killed, it was a approximately 11-30pm. A police officer had been on point duty an hour before .

Comment by: Edna on 27th February 2021 at 13:35

Tom, I remember The Song of Bernadette, I was awestruck by it!! Speaking of women going to the pictures.It was my dad who took me, and a lady who sat behind us several times,asked him."Does the little girl not have a mum" hence a couple of weeks later, mum put in an appearance

Comment by: Veronica on 27th February 2021 at 20:39

Edna we went with the school watching that film at the Court Cinema. Was it not 'Miracle at Fatima' that you saw at Scholes? I went with my mam to that one. I used to like the cartoons - Mr Magoo was my favourite .

Comment by: Edna on 28th February 2021 at 13:35

It may have been Veronica, I just remember it was about Fatima..I have a candle that someone gave to me years ago.Its got a photo of Bernadette on,and under the photo it says Lourdes.I could never light it..

Comment by: Pete Barker on 28th February 2021 at 18:04

I could be very wrong here in my memory, as I was very young at the time. I lived briefly on Gaskell street, Scholes, around 1957. Was there a 'cinema' of sorts around there, that 'catered' mainly for kids, and the price of admission was very low and you could even use empty pop bottles to gain admittance ?

Comment by: Thomas (Tom)Walsh. on 1st March 2021 at 00:38

Pete , you are quite correct if was The Labour Pictures , just round the corner from Gaskell St.
I remember new houses being built in that street , Mr Mrs Foster was the first occupier of one of them,
they had 3 children, perhaps you remember them.

Comment by: Albert. S. on 1st March 2021 at 13:47

I find it amazing as to how entertainment evolves with the passing of time.
In the photograph shown, this was a cinema of many, all over the country, and dance halls, and ballrooms that were usually places of immense enjoyment, and pleasure.
Now in their place, there are discos, with an array of flashing lights, great music festivals, night clubs, and entertainment until the early hours of the morning. At least nostalgia does have an important place in our lives.

Comment by: Pete Barker on 1st March 2021 at 15:26

Thanks for that Tom (Walsh, I don't recall much as I was only 3or4 years old then. The only concrete thing I do recall was, we had a giant tortoise then, which got stolen out of the front small garden. We lived at 1, Gaskell street.

Regarding paying for entrance by using empty pop bottles . I tell people nowadays about that, and they have a real laugh. I'm sure most don't believe me. It was at that venue I saw my first film projector. No tellies for most in them days.

Comment by: Irene Roberts on 2nd March 2021 at 09:35

Pete, my eldest brother was 19 years my senior and he told me kids used to get into The Doric , (known as The Bug), picture house in Ince for a penny and a jam-jar. The owner sold the jars to nearby T, E, Gallagher's Pickle Works.

Comment by: Tom on 7th March 2021 at 10:17

Thought the Labour pictures was in in hen st over the top of old scholes Labour club it was owned by reuben Williams they lived in scholes near the old British legion .i was born in bolton st scholes. I was born in bolton st .good community

Comment by: Donald Underwood on 8th March 2021 at 12:34

The Labour Pictures occupied the upper floor of Scholes Labour Club which was up the entry between Scoles & Hen Street
Reuben Williams lived in Great Acre.The Heaton family who ran the place lived on Scholes.Mrs Heaton had a corner shop at the corner with Longshoot
I saw the only silent film I ever saw there.Charlie Chaplin in The Gold Rush
Although now a great age ,not at its first showing.Maybe in the late Forties

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