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ABC / Forum Cinema, Liverpool

Met up with Saad (28dl), and after doing the Tate and Lyle tower we headed back up to the Forum cinema on Lime Street. Access was comedy, and a couple of slightly scary moments.

Done a bit of research into the building, it was built in 1931 and is grade II listed building. Very art deco. It closed January 29th 1998. It was converted into a 3 screen cinema during the 80's. This was done by splitting the lower auditorium seating area in two and building a hideous breezeblock wall accross the front of the old stage area.

I've set out this one slightly different, the write up for the visit is contained in the captions for the images.

 

Image Gallery:

 
the radio city towera room full of lenses, and a bowl of silver powderback upstaris and up the stairs to the main screen. the stairs come up, split left and right, and then rejoin in an upper level foyer - this looks down onto the main stairs.this is looking up from near the screenremains of an old bulb? it looked like one, but i've never seen a non smashed one!such detail. down the marble stairs, below street level nowthis is one of the orignal screens, which was blocked off in the 80's when the cinema was convertedwe found a small projector, outside a room full of various spare parts for projectors and other cinema related thingsand a ticket machine. this was from the ticket office, and would've been used to automatically issue tickets off a big roll. there was one still in situ at the ticket office, but this one had and been removed.the projectors are long gone, but there is control kit still kicking about.the projectors are long gone, but there is control kit still kicking about.not entirely sure on the setup here. i think the breeze block wall to the right forms the back of the screens for the two lower screens. but we got a bit disorientated in there. i'm also not sure why there'd have been two screen/stage looking areas. or would there have been an upper and lower seating area. (current screen 1 being the upper, and screens 2+3 being the lower) and the single screen being set as far back as it was.. all would be able to see.win a shiny new car!had to go up to the roof, looking up Lime Street with the station on the rightthis is just through the main entrance. behind the camera is the ticket office. the doors on the left lead to the small screens where as the stairs in the distance lead up to the main screen.had to go up to the roof, looking up Lime Street with the station on the rightsignage in the ticket officethere was a sign on the door, listing show times on the day of closing. In screen 1 there was The Jackal or Casablanc, screen 2 was showing Picture Perfect and screen was showing The Full Monty.taken from near the back. the room to the right is the projection room. it is more stripped than that of the smaller screens. so there are no photos of it!the lights were quite spectacular. an amount of water damage on the ceiling in here thoughsome pretty hench switch gear was foundone half the of the shared projection room for the two smaller screens. you can just a cut out on the floor to the left where the projector would've stood - and you can see the ducting that would've cooled it.taken from what used to a snack bar in the main entrance. you can see the ticket office in the top left corner. and straight ahead are the two doors that lead to the two small screens. through the left door, you can just see the door that leads into the projection room (shared between the two small screens)the projectors are long gone, but there is control kit still kicking about.the projectors are long gone, but there is control kit still kicking about.winding gear for the origonal screen curtains. not far from all this was a second, small, old looking ticket office and an entrance at street level. It looked like it hadnt been used in a long time and the window in the office was boarded.. but it was defeintly a ticket office.origonal features are still pretty much intactlooking straight downlooking over the roadinto screen one. now.. this is a crap photo, and i didnt take anymore from this angle.. it is here just to show how vast this screen is!downstairs we found an employee restroom, with a small kitchen and a room with lockers in it. with these shiny silver shoes