Now I don’t get out into Sale very often, which is why it was a long time before I discovered the Pyramid Cinema, and even longer before I stirred myself to find out anything about it.
I thought it looked vaguely Egyptian which must have given it a touch of class and enlivened a night out with Fred Astaire, Lauren Bacall and John Wayne.
And that vaguely historical theme was mirrored by the decor inside as it was by the design of the organ.
Not of course that I ever went in but I could have done for it only closed in 1984, having done just over a half century as a cinema and from 1981 a venue for live shows.*
Its subsequent years have been a tad odd. It was bought by Trafford Council in 1987, became a night club for eleven years and is now a fitness centre.
But at least it is still there which is more than can be said for many of our period cinemas, some of which have fallen to the grand designs of developers or linger on as warehouses and supermarkets.
So next time you pass the place, give a thought to those first film goers who sat in one of its 1,900 seats in 1933 and were impressed with its Egyptian theme which even extended to the deign of the organ.
And if you want a more in depth and fascinating insight into the cinema and its connection with ancient Egypt I recommend Peter Robinson's paper which can be viewed by going to the comments at the bottom of the post and following the link.
Location, Sale, Greater Manchester
Pictures; the Pyramid, Sale 2015, from the collection of Andy Robertson
*Cinema Treasures, http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/2315
And that vaguely historical theme was mirrored by the decor inside as it was by the design of the organ.
Not of course that I ever went in but I could have done for it only closed in 1984, having done just over a half century as a cinema and from 1981 a venue for live shows.*
But at least it is still there which is more than can be said for many of our period cinemas, some of which have fallen to the grand designs of developers or linger on as warehouses and supermarkets.
So next time you pass the place, give a thought to those first film goers who sat in one of its 1,900 seats in 1933 and were impressed with its Egyptian theme which even extended to the deign of the organ.
And if you want a more in depth and fascinating insight into the cinema and its connection with ancient Egypt I recommend Peter Robinson's paper which can be viewed by going to the comments at the bottom of the post and following the link.
Location, Sale, Greater Manchester
Pictures; the Pyramid, Sale 2015, from the collection of Andy Robertson
*Cinema Treasures, http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/2315
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