The New Bedford Cinema was a
Scottish cinema on Eglinton Street in the
Gorbals
The Gorbals is an area in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, on the south bank of the River Clyde. By the late 19th century, it had become densely populated; rural migrants and immigrants were attracted by the new industries and employment opportun ...
(
Laurieston) area of
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
. The building now houses
the O2 Academy Glasgow.
It is a notable example of
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
architecture in the city.
History
The building was originally erected as the Eglinton Street
United Secession Church
The United Secession Church (or properly the United Associate Synod of the Secession Church) was a Scottish Presbyterian denomination.
The First Secession from the established Church of Scotland had been in 1732, and the resultant "Associate Pre ...
in 1825. The church closed in 1920 and the building was converted into a cinema in 1921. The original Bedford Cinema was destroyed by a fire in March 1932. The cinema's owner,
Bernard Frutin, immediately commissioned a replacement.
The New Bedford was designed by Lennox and McMath
and was built by Mr A.B. King. The newly built cinema was opened on 26 December (
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...
) 1932.
Bernard Frutin sold the cinema to George Green in 1936.
The New Bedford Cinema screened its final film, a double bill of Dirty Harry and Klute, on 8 July 1973 and reopened on 12 October 1973 as a
Mecca bingo
Mecca Bingo (formerly called Top Rank) is a British operator of bingo clubs, with 76 locations throughout the country. Mecca Bingo is owned by the Rank Group, which operates bingos, casinos and online gambling in Belgium, Spain and Britain. The Ra ...
hall.
It was designated as a category B
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
on 17 June 1986 by
Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland ( gd, Alba Aosmhor) was an executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment. ...
.
The building was bought by the McKenzie Group in November 2002 and underwent a massive £3 million restoration to be turned into the Carling Academy, Glasgow which opened on 26 March 2003 with a concert by
Deacon Blue
Deacon Blue are a Scottish pop rock band formed in Glasgow during 1985. The line-up of the band consists of vocalists Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh, keyboard player James Prime and drummer Dougie Vipond. The band released their debut album ...
. The building was renamed in 2008 and is now known as the
O2 Academy Glasgow
The O2 Academy Glasgow (formerly the Carling Academy Glasgow) is a music venue on Eglinton Street in the Gorbals ( Laurieston) area of Glasgow. It holds 2,500 people. It was one of two Academy Music Group venues in Glasgow, until the O2 ABC Gla ...
.
References
{{reflist
External links
Detailed history
Cinemas in Glasgow
Art Deco architecture in Scotland
Category B listed buildings in Glasgow
Gorbals