There is a long tradition of colourising old black and white images but seldom have they been converted to colour paintings.
Colourisation was particularly popular with picture postcard companies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and has come back into vogue.
I have my reservations about the exercise, being an old dinosaur of a historian, but like those artists impressions of reconstructed ancient buildings, a colourised photograph has an immediacy which makes an impact.
And so it is with Peter’s painting of the old cinema on Manchester Road, which has gone through many names, a change of use and more than a few alterations, he has colourised the photograph and then painted it in one of his familiar styles.
The Savoy on Manchester Road opened in 1920 as the Picture House before being renamed the Savoy when it was leased to the Savoy Cinemas and later becoming the Gaumont.
I pass here quite often but rarely really take time to look at the side of the building which reveals much of the grandeur of the place.
The front underwent quite a few changes before it was finally lost under the present exterior courtesy of the undertakers.
The upper floor still exists but sadly “Health and Safety” concerns have prevented me from getting up there despite appeals to the head office and promise to bring my own hard hat.
It closed in 1962 as the Gaumont having offered feature films, news reels and Saturday Morning Pictures along with choc ices, Kia-Ora and of course the Bee Gees.
And in the 42 years that it entertained the people of Chorlton it changed its name from the Picture House, to the Savoy and finally ending up as the Gaumont and at one time nearly became The New Majestic Cinema.
But most people will only know it as the Coop Funeralcare, which sadly will be closing and the building will then be sold.
And that brings me to an exciting new project to return the cinema to “the community to be used as a museum of memorabilia of The Bee Gees, theatre, cinema, dance hall, exhibition hall and community meeting place. It is intended to raise money for the purchase of the property by public donations. This iconic building was the first place that The Bee Gees performed live”.
So I rather think Peter is on to a winner.
Painting from a colourised image of The Gaumont Cinema, Chorlton © 2019 Peter Topping, Paintings From Pictures.
Original Black & White photograph from the Manchester Archives collection m09220 1958, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass
Colourised image from Black & White photograph from the Manchester Archives collection m09220 1958 © Peter Topping, Paintings From Pictures
I have my reservations about the exercise, being an old dinosaur of a historian, but like those artists impressions of reconstructed ancient buildings, a colourised photograph has an immediacy which makes an impact.
And so it is with Peter’s painting of the old cinema on Manchester Road, which has gone through many names, a change of use and more than a few alterations, he has colourised the photograph and then painted it in one of his familiar styles.
The Savoy on Manchester Road opened in 1920 as the Picture House before being renamed the Savoy when it was leased to the Savoy Cinemas and later becoming the Gaumont.
I pass here quite often but rarely really take time to look at the side of the building which reveals much of the grandeur of the place.
The upper floor still exists but sadly “Health and Safety” concerns have prevented me from getting up there despite appeals to the head office and promise to bring my own hard hat.
It closed in 1962 as the Gaumont having offered feature films, news reels and Saturday Morning Pictures along with choc ices, Kia-Ora and of course the Bee Gees.
And in the 42 years that it entertained the people of Chorlton it changed its name from the Picture House, to the Savoy and finally ending up as the Gaumont and at one time nearly became The New Majestic Cinema.
But most people will only know it as the Coop Funeralcare, which sadly will be closing and the building will then be sold.
And that brings me to an exciting new project to return the cinema to “the community to be used as a museum of memorabilia of The Bee Gees, theatre, cinema, dance hall, exhibition hall and community meeting place. It is intended to raise money for the purchase of the property by public donations. This iconic building was the first place that The Bee Gees performed live”.
So I rather think Peter is on to a winner.
Painting from a colourised image of The Gaumont Cinema, Chorlton © 2019 Peter Topping, Paintings From Pictures.
Original Black & White photograph from the Manchester Archives collection m09220 1958, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass
Colourised image from Black & White photograph from the Manchester Archives collection m09220 1958 © Peter Topping, Paintings From Pictures
They weren't called The Bee Gees then, they were called 'The Rattlesnakes' in 1958, when Kenny Horrocks played tea-chest bass with them. He's still around, I'll tell him about the project.
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