Rex Cinema, Stonehouse, Doors Open Day

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Rex Cinema, Stonehouse, Doors Open Day

Postby gap74 » Sat Sep 11, 2004 6:27 pm

Nodrog and I visited this cinema today as part of Doors Open Day in South Lanarkshire. It's current use is as a warehouse for an amusements company, so it is simply used for storage for slot machines and pool tables! Interestingly, it is the same family who run the amusements business as built and operated the cinema - the Sheerans.

The interior is famous amongst us cinema geeks due to the fact that the interior was built from panels rescued from a scrapped ocean liner - the Homeric. These were shipped from the scrapyard up to Stonehouse and reassembled as the cinema was being built in 1937. This perhaps explains why such an unlikely wee town in Lanarkshire has such a lavish interior in an otherwise fairly plain looking cinema!

We had read that the interior was intact still, but nothing prepared us for the glories within. Sure, it was dusty, and the lighting was fairly poor, and a few wee bits and pieces were missing, but otherwise, this was classic timewarp stuff - apart from the missing stalls seats (which are stored under the stage), almost everything in this cinema was intact, if a bit grimy. The screen was still there, as were the curtains, the balcony seats still red and plush looking, the carpet in some places easily original, even the projectors still sitting in the box, along with reels of film that haven't seen a lamp shone through them in 50 years!

It was even better than the also fantastic Olympia in Bridgeton, with the added advantage of legal and easy access!

Gordon has swiftly put the pics on his website, and I heartily agree that if ever a building was crying out for rediscovery and restoration, this would get my vote.

http://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/~gbarr/cinema ... index.html

Gary
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Re: Rex Cinema, Stonehouse, Doors Open Day

Postby turbozutek » Sat Sep 11, 2004 6:56 pm

gap74 wrote:It was even better than the also fantastic Olympia in Bridgeton, with the added advantage of legal and easy access!


The Olympia had easy and legal access also!

Chris...
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Postby gap74 » Sat Sep 11, 2004 7:00 pm

Maybe so, but I was still constantly on the verge of shitting me breeks, since I visited around pub closing time...! Not a good time to be up to such things at Bridgeton Cross!

I see it's been boarded back up again.

Gary
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Postby lightbody » Sat Sep 11, 2004 7:59 pm

Absolutely fascinating!

I'm sure the lights came from the old liner - if you look closely you can see Stars on the roof lights, in the symbol of White Star, who owned the Homeric.

Would love to see this sometime...
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Postby nodrog » Sun Sep 12, 2004 7:54 am

lightbody wrote:I'm sure the lights came from the old liner - if you look closely you can see Stars on the roof lights, in the symbol of White Star, who owned the Homeric.


Absolutely they did - the side panels, roof panels, chandelier, the round light fittings (mini versions of the big chandelier basically), mahogany panels - pretty much the entire interior came from the ship!

We even got to meet the great-grandson of the bloke who built the place...

Gordon
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Re: Rex Cinema, Stonehouse, Doors Open Day

Postby zakattackisback » Sat May 01, 2010 6:06 pm

hello my name is Zak Leslie Sheeran and i am the Great grandson of John Edwin Sheeran. I've recently just done a project on the Rex cinema and i would be happy to answer any questions that you may have.
Thank you for your time :)
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Re: Rex Cinema, Stonehouse, Doors Open Day

Postby nodrog » Sat May 01, 2010 8:56 pm

Hi Zak,

Welcome to Hidden Glasgow! We'd love to hear more about the history of the building, and if your family have any plans for the place...

Cheers,

Nodrog
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Re: Rex Cinema, Stonehouse, Doors Open Day

Postby dazza » Sat May 01, 2010 9:18 pm

Hello Zak,
Ditto what nodrog said, and also... Can I come along and take some photographs? :D
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Re: Rex Cinema, Stonehouse, Doors Open Day

Postby Mori » Sat May 01, 2010 10:30 pm

I call for a HG day out to this cinema, anyone with me, id love to see this time warp. :D

Anyone for this ?

Rex

Some panoramic views Here
Last edited by Mori on Sat May 01, 2010 10:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Rex Cinema, Stonehouse, Doors Open Day

Postby Josef » Sat May 01, 2010 10:32 pm

Oh, yes. Assuming you've got permission, obviously....
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Re: Rex Cinema, Stonehouse, Doors Open Day

Postby Mori » Sat May 01, 2010 10:40 pm

Josef wrote:Oh, yes. Assuming you've got permission, obviously....


Of course obviously... how about it Zaky boy? :D
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Re: Rex Cinema, Stonehouse, Doors Open Day

Postby mrsam » Wed May 05, 2010 10:20 pm

I'm keen too this place sounds awesome!!!!
Hmmm I wonder what happens if i press that lever.... Ahh It operates that shiny new plug socket!

www..photobucket.com/albums/ll103/thecuriocollector

www..photobucket.com/albums/v195/tarbat2003
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Re: Rex Cinema, Stonehouse, Doors Open Day

Postby Lucky Poet » Sat Jul 03, 2010 9:15 pm

The Rex made an appearance in a TV programme I watched earlier about ocean liners, at about 25 minutes in. The iPlayer link might lapse, but here it is anyway - 'Timeshift' series 9 episode two, 'The Golden Age of Liners':
>Click<
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Re: Rex Cinema, Stonehouse, Doors Open Day

Postby zakattackisback » Sat Sep 04, 2010 3:13 pm

I'll see what i can do. I'll ask my father for mabye an open day for people to come in. :)
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Re: Rex Cinema, Stonehouse, Doors Open Day

Postby Doorstop » Sat Sep 04, 2010 5:16 pm

Top bloke .. I'm also up for this should it come to fruition.
I like him ... He says "Okie Dokie!"
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