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Aberdeen Cinemas: Queen's
3420 The building that housed the Queen's cinema was initially built in 1836-37 to a design by John Smith for the Society of Advocates in Aberdeen. It was their first purpose-built meeting hall and library in the city. The society sold this building at 120 Union Street in 1870 and moved to new premises in Concert Court, where they remain to this day.
After varied use as a restaurant, billiard hall, and salesroom, the building was converted into a cinema in 1913 by its then owner Robert J. Mackenzie. He shortly afterwards opened a companion cinema, also called the Queen's, in Stonehaven's Allardyce Street.
Michael Thomson in Silver Screen in the Silver City (1988) explains that by the late 1920s the Queen's Rooms Cinema Syndicate was struggling. In the spring of 1927 James F. Donald made an offer for a majority share interest in the company and this was accepted. On 24th July of that year, a re-seated and redecorated Queen's reopened under Donald's operation. This revitalised the venue and it became a popular picture house once more.
The cinema saw its first talking picture, So this is College, on 6th August 1930 and was advertised at the time as "The Finest and Clearest Talkie House in Town". A severe fire at the Queen's Cinema in 1936 led to the reconstruction of the building's interior. Thomson states that the granite outer shell was all that the rebuilt cinema, designed by architects George Watt & Stewart, had in common with its predecessor.
The Queen's was a popular cinema for much of the 20th century. This Aberdeen Journals Archive photograph shows the cinema in 1969 at its prominent location at the junction of Back Wynd and Union Street. Its large display boards are advertising screenings of the film Never Mention Murder.
[Information primarily sourced from Silver Screen in the Silver City (1988) by Michael Thomson]
Image © Aberdeen Journals Ltd. Treasure 62: City of Aberdeen Links and Sea Beach Layout Plan showing Proposed Development (August 1923)
238 In its heyday Aberdeen attracted visitors from all over the UK and established itself as one of Britain's leading holiday resorts. This is the Links and Sea Beach Development Plan of 1923 which ultimately led to the transformation of Aberdeen into a first class holiday resort.
In September 1919, Aberdeen Town Council took the decision to develop and improve Aberdeen Beach with the construction of a large entertainments building comprising a concert hall, restaurant, dining room, dance hall and lounge, beach pavilion and two shopping arcades.
Messrs. Roberts and Hume of Bathgate were chosen to design the proposed scheme in 1926, at an estimated cost of £42,717. The final design incorporated all requested features excluding the shopping arcades, but the dance hall - known now as Aberdeen Beach Ballroom - became one of the finest dance halls in Scotland. |