Coliseum (Glasgow)

• Theatre ID
  2356
• Built / Converted
  1905
• Dates of use
  • 1905 - 1919
• Current state
  Extant
• Current use
  disused (derelict; previously cinema until 1980, then bingo)
• Address
  Eglinton Street, Glasgow, Strathclyde, G5 9NT, Scotland

Details

This somewhat industrial-looking effort from Matcham is typical of his later ‘big brick box with a bit of architecture tacked on the front’ mode - not inappropriate in Gorbals. The comparatively small ashlar frontage to Eglinton Street is presently covered by a corrugated metal frontispiece. The octagonal balcony stair tower has a carved stone frieze and a steeply pitched roof, surmounted by a campanile. The entrance was through a high archway with a loggia above and a steeply-pitched pavilion roof. The pit and balcony entrances were at various points around the block and the theatre’s name is spelled out on large carved panels. The interior has been devastated by consecutive rebuilds. The proscenium was demolished in the 1930s and the remainder was irretrievably altered for Cinerama use in the 1960s when the top tier was partially demolished. The building was further altered as a bingo hall and the numbers game is played within an inner envelope inside the original auditorium. The investigator was not permitted to make a detailed inspection, but according to plans lodged in Glasgow City Archives, the original ceiling and other Matcham fragments remain.

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• Other names
  ABC Coliseum, Coliseum Cinema, County Bingo Club
• Events
  • 1905 - 1919 Use:
  • 1905 Design/Construction:
    • Frank Matcham - Architect
  • 1931 Alteration: proscenium dismantled and stalls seating extended into stage area
    • W R Glen - Architect
  • 1963 Alteration: upper circle partially demolished; suspended ceiling inserted and Cinerama equipment installed
    • Leslie C Norton - Architect
  • 1905 Owner/Management: Moss Empires Ltd
  • 1925 Owner/Management: Scottish Cinema and Variety Theatres
  • 1976 Owner/Management: Glasgow District Council
  • 1987 Owner/Management: County Properties & Developments Ltd
• Capacities
  • Original: 2893
  • Later: 1931-63: 3094
• Listings
  • Grade B