Photo-a-Day  (Monday, 21st September, 2009)

.I lived in school st;which was around the corner from the Canada Pictures.Visited there so. many times as a cinema and a theatre.

I'm sure that I can remember my dad calling this the ALLIANCE Picture House.
Could I be right?

I was a member in my last years at school. I have so many happy memories of this, and the people who were there as well. The wonderful plays I saw, I never wanted to act, just to be a helper.

Freda. It was renamed the Aliance about the 50's --60's.

My dad used to be the projectionist there many moons ago,my mam was visiting her auntie who lived in the street facing and was sent to the theatre with some sandwiches for my dad and that is how they met ah.

Many a true word,Ron.Didn't Buffalo Bill stable his horse at The Hippodrome? We have managed to keep our theatre going in Jersey.I saw The Dinner Ladies there last week.

Sad to say, although I've lived in Wigan all my life, I've never been inside the WLT.

they put on well ace plays there and thats a great pic but i carnt belive youve never been to the wlt im quite yong and ive been twice

Ron I think you have forgotten a couple of my favorite Cowboys Gene Autery ,and Roy Rogers ,I use to ride all over the Slag Heaps from the Maypole Colliery In them days ,my arse was sore trying to make the Horse go faster.

Codding! Great phrase criminally under used

The street to the rear of WLT is, of course, Alliance St and the building was built in 1893 as the Alliance Hall and was a Salvation Army citadel. In 1909 it was renamed as The Canada Picture Palace, from the Canada Picture company who distributed the films shown there.

1936 saw it owned by New Alliance Photoplays Ltd who renamed it Alliance Picture House - it closed in 1945.

In 1948 it was acquired by WLT, opening on 10th March with "She stoops to conquer"

Info from The Pleasure Palace A History of Wigan Cinemas by Brian Murphy