Tyneside Cinema turns 85!

Undoubtedly one of the region’s biggest cultural institutions, Tyneside Cinema will celebrate its 85th anniversary on 1st February and we think that calls for a celebration!

Join us as we take a trip down memory lane to reel back the years to bring you fascinating facts, spectacular stories, and exclusive images from the Tyneside Cinema’s illustrious history.

Showtime… 

Tyneside Cinema as we know it, originally began life as a newsreel theatre. A beautiful venue that opened with opulent Persian-style decorations with a smattering of Art Deco-style furnishings (more on those later...), the News Theatre as it was known back then, opened to the public with a mission to enhance public access to news and current affairs. An extremely limited commodity for those restricted by time, money, and literacy standards back then!

The News Theatre closed in 1968, due to the demise of cinema newsreels. It was so loved within the city however that it reopened as the Tyneside Film Theatre and was supported by the British Film Institute. The new moniker also brought a new policy of screening art house flicks, independent hits, and classic films. A blueprint that still stands to this day!

DID YOU KNOW?

The glass mosaic floor in the foyer and the first floor’s original stained-glass windows were hidden from view and only unearthed during a recent restoration project? Thank heaven for archaeologists!

Film stars watch on!

A raft of global stars have made the cultural pilgrimage to our iconic Tyneside Cinema! The likes of Sir Ian McKellen, Charlton Heston, John Hurt, Rowan Atkinson, Bryan Adams and many, many more have all plonked themselves in the plush red seats to watch indie flicks and classic blockbusters!

DID YOU KNOW?

Dixon Scott, the great uncle of *the* Sir Ridley Scott, (the visionary director behind Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator!) was the mastermind behind Tyneside Cinema.

A grand design...

There was no way we couldn’t touch upon Tyneside Cinema’s breathtaking interior! Inspired by Dixon Scott’s adventures in the Middle and Far East, inside you’ll find a beautiful glass mosaic floor in the foyer and the first floor’s original stained glass windows are still as exquisite as ever!

Make sure you venture up to the second floor to visit their mini-museum, it includes the very camera that captured some of the very first national news footage and there’s a daily-changing newsreel in the Classic featuring historic content from the North East Film Archives. Talk about a blast from the past!

DID YOU KNOW?

The premiere for opening night in 1968 was the controversial Swedish sex comedy, Hugs and Kisses!
 

What's your favourite Tyneside Cinema memory? Get in touch via our social channels. Twitter: @NewcastleNE1, Instagram: @NewcastleNE1, Facebook: @GetIntoNewcastle.