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Post by Waverley on Jun 16, 2011 14:06:28 GMT 1
Took a few photos of the Olympia today as the bulldozers smashed down the rear walls in Orr Street. Looking from where the cinema screen wall would have been and looking at the seating area in the stalls and the balcony...it somehow looked smaller than how I remember it. I can recall going to see such classics as Ben Hur in there and it was booked seats only plus going to see Zule on three seperate nights when it was first shown. Then there was the ABC Minors on a Saturday morning. I only went there because my first love from school went there on Saturday ... that romance never even got off the ground as it was definitely all in my heid. Ach well some you win and I then stalked my next victim but soon dropped her like the preverbal hot tottie when I discovered her Da was the minister at the local church nearby on the London Road. I think the last film I saw in the Olympia was Little Big Man starring Dustin Hoffman. The lassie I was going out with then was the love of my live at the time but I soon dropped her after she made one too many 'secret' visits to the Barraland on a Friday night and I found out about it. The Olympia has gone where once Charlie Chaplin walked the boards back in 1912 when it was a theatre. All that is left is the front facade and a pile of bricks and dust and somewhere amongst them is all that remains of my memories and broken dreams. Who said romance was dead... ;D www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRGocHTz6Lk
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Post by bettyb on Jun 16, 2011 22:29:29 GMT 1
Sooo sad Charlie,Stewart and I went often in our courting days.
bettyb
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Post by lindyloo22 on Jun 16, 2011 23:21:12 GMT 1
Aye it's sad seeing another auld landmark bite the dust , but you still have awe yer memories in yer heid and they will be wae ye forever. Mrs Mac might no be too happy though aboot yer reminicing ower auld sweethearts.
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Post by robertcockburn1 on Jun 16, 2011 23:52:05 GMT 1
Aye it's sad seeing another auld landmark bite the dust , but you still have awe yer memories in yer heid and they will be wae ye forever. Mrs Mac might no be too happy though aboot yer reminicing ower auld sweethearts. she might be mere than happy tae rekindle the affair.... ;D ;D ;D
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Post by adaline on Jun 17, 2011 12:23:06 GMT 1
Charlie wit ur ye trying tae dae tae me first the street where I was born noo the picture hoose where I went every saturday to the minors awe gone . The minors song keeps running through my heid Sad indeed, are they keeping the facade? Adaline
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mcgoo
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Post by mcgoo on Jun 17, 2011 14:47:06 GMT 1
yes Adaline, i hear they are keeping the facade of the Olympia.. so you will be OK there.. those Bridgeton tenements will be there, as long as we are alive., so I imagine.. But remember, youll have your memories.. no one can ever take those away eh
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Post by adaline on Jun 17, 2011 15:20:26 GMT 1
Thanks Alice well at least we will still have a landmark left if they retain the facade. The building we lived in the Main St still stands just down past Muslin St. Aye Alice thank god for the memories. Adaline
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Post by tammccann on Jun 17, 2011 21:41:40 GMT 1
Like you say charlie the hall looks a lot smaller than i remember, and i dont remember the balcony coming down that low
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jawbox
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Post by jawbox on Jun 18, 2011 7:04:50 GMT 1
Charlie wit ur ye trying tae dae tae me first the street where I was born noo the picture hoose where I went every saturday to the minors awe gone . The minors song keeps running through my heid Adaline me tae Adeline
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Post by pwm437 on Jun 18, 2011 7:29:30 GMT 1
Like you say charlie the hall looks a lot smaller than i remember, and i dont remember the balcony coming down that low Probably because it was dark Tam ;D
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Post by pwm437 on Jun 18, 2011 7:35:44 GMT 1
There is certainly an understandable sadness in the posts on this thread.
Little by little we see the links with our past disappear, and whilst the facade of the Olympia will be retained, the picture hall as we know it has gone forever. Just recently we even saw a two foot high wall of a much remembered structure disappear on London Road.
All the more reason to treasure and appreciate what's left, and maybe more importantly pass that history on to our future generations.
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Post by Waverley on Jun 18, 2011 17:37:18 GMT 1
There is certainly an understandable sadness in the posts on this thread. Little by little we see the links with our past disappear, and whilst the facade of the Olympia will be retained, the picture hall as we know it has gone forever. Just recently we even saw a two foot high wall of a much remembered structure disappear on London Road. All the more reason to treasure and appreciate what's left, and maybe more importantly pass that history on to our future generations. I agree Peter it is sad to see what we as youngsters took for being normal. Alas, time waits for no man and we of our generation were to be witnesses of the old east end disappearing. We are however fortunate to see a new east end being built and have the experience of being part of the old and the new. OK our own personal and family memories and experiences will disappear with us, but only if if we don't record or log them on here. Me personally I hope I am still alive to witness these changes when they all come together in 2014.
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Post by robertcockburn1 on Jun 18, 2011 18:03:40 GMT 1
cant understand myself why they want to retain the old front of the building and build new to the rear unless its listed, would think it would be easier to just demolish and have new materials throughout and not have to work to the old dimentions.....
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Post by robertcockburn1 on Jun 18, 2011 18:22:10 GMT 1
so it is listed then alice, would be a shame to demolish it altogether, but cant they even try and make the new build to the rear look more authentic to fit in with the front of the building...
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mcgoo
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Post by mcgoo on Jun 23, 2011 20:53:10 GMT 1
yes heard it was listed. rob, a while back imagine they didn't make one side look like the other, as it was a cinema then - for showing pictures - best kept dark, if you look at the small windows it had Now look like they be having the big floor to ceiling windows, plenty of light in - that's good eh?
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Post by robertcockburn1 on Jun 23, 2011 21:07:18 GMT 1
friend of mine had a listed building alice, went on fire and he had to rebuild it to previous specification, did all this and he was pulled because the windows of the building were plastic upvc that he fitted, granted they looked like the auld sash windows but were plastic, so they made him replace them with wooden sash windows, how this is allowed i dont know should it not go back to near enough its original build.....
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Post by robertcockburn1 on Jun 23, 2011 21:37:47 GMT 1
same here robbie, my daughter lives in that house i mentioned before it is over 300 years old I think she said was listed. the wall outside it looks as if covered in doos dirt ;D and in need of fixing up yet don't think they allowed to touch it they did a improve a lot of the inside tho i will have to ask about those windows the sad thing is the house belongs to you, you pay the mortgage and all the repairs and bills, you have no financial help from the council or conservationists, but they can tell you what youve got to do to your own home and if its not right they can make you rip it all out and sort it to their requirements or you will be prosecuted, thats why i dont understand the council allowing these windows to be installed.....
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Post by robertcockburn1 on Jun 24, 2011 20:10:49 GMT 1
best of luck to the olympia, hope it turns out right and nice for the locals and dosent stand out for all the wrong reasons......
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Post by Waverley on Jun 26, 2011 0:30:47 GMT 1
Located at Bridgeton Cross, an east end district of Glasgow. The Olympia Theatre of Varieties was typical of the Edwardian Baroque style variety theatres which were being built at the time. It opened on 18th September 1911 and had a seating capacity of 2,000 in stalls and dress circle. The Baroque style exterior in red sandstone, with its corner entrance and elaborate dome was designed by architect George Arthur & Son. The interior with its lavish plaster scrollwork was designed by noted theatre designer Frank Matcham & Company. It was equipped to show films from its opening.
In 1924 it was taken over by Scottish Cinema and Variety Theatres, later to become Associated British Cinemas(ABC), who would operate it for the remainder of its cinematic life. The variety acts were dropped and the Olympia became a full time cinema.
In 1938 its interior was considered 'old fashioned' for a modern cinema and it was gutted to have a new Art Deco style interior designed by Charles J. McNair and Henry F. Elder. There were troughs containing concealed lighting and desorative grilles on the splay walls beside the proscenium. The seating capacity was reduced to 1,689 and it re-opened on 21st November 1938.
The Olympia Cinema was re-named ABC in 1963 and was closed on 9th March 1974. The building stood empty and unused for over ten years and was converted into a bingo club from 1987. After County bingo operators closed it down it became a furniture store, but they moved out in 2000 and the building has remained empty ever since.
A tragic fire occured in the front stalls of the building on 30th November 2004, when a man, who was sleeping rough in the building, was badly injured, and died of smoke inhilation after a few days in hospital. Damage to the building was contained mainly to the front left hand side of the auditorium. A year earlier, Glasgow City Council had approved plans to demolish the auditorium and build flats on the site, retaining the facade.
On 23rd March 1977, Historic Scotland designated the facade of the Olympia a Grade B Listed building.
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Post by ivaeevugucduh on Apr 24, 2019 0:54:22 GMT 1
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Post by oliqujawofril on Apr 24, 2019 3:00:13 GMT 1
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