OVER the past month, we have been sharing your happy memories of the lost cinemas in Warrington.

From the Queens to the Hippodrome, we have been remembering some of the former picture houses of Warrington.

Last week, we brought you the touching tale of Betty and Kenneth Clarke who met by chance at the cinema in 1940.

They then met again the following week and the rest as they say, is history as they ended up being married and having four children together.

This week, we have been contacted by Ian Cameron, from Appleton.

He has fond memories of The Queens and the Star Kinema, another Warrington favourite.

He said: “I, my mates and family used to alternate between The Queens and Star Kinema.

“We always considered The Queens as the ‘posh’ one because it had a balcony (upstairs), although on a Saturday afternoon The Queens was a penny cheaper down the entry, at four pence.

Warrington Guardian:

Queen's cinema

“We always got there early so we would avoid the front row in The Queens because there were no seats with arms, just a bench the whole width of the cinema.

“No one wanted to sit on them.

“It was seven pence at the back and a shilling upstairs.

“In the evenings during the week they had rules for children; if you were not with an adult, all under 14s were turfed out at 7pm or 8pm.

“The had a commissionaire who could tell the children’s ages, we hated him.  

“Then TV arrived and thousands abandoned the cinemas.”

In fact Warrington was left without a cinema for more than two decades in the town centre.

A new Cineworld is set to open early next year in Time Square.

n Do you have memories of the former picture houses and cinemas of Warrington?

If so get in touch with us here at Yester Years by emailing newsdesk@guardiangrp.co.uk or you can write to Yester Years, News Desk, Warrington Guardian, Unit 4, 240 Cygnet Court, Warrington, WA1 1PP.