Tyne and Wear HER(12891): Heaton, Chillingham Road, Scala Electric Theatre - Details
12891
Newcastle
Heaton, Chillingham Road, Scala Electric Theatre
Heaton
NZ26NE
Recreational
Cinema
Modern
C20
Demolished Building
Opened by Armstrong Electric Theatres Ltd on 10 March 1913. The architect was Percy L. Browne. The Scala had a spacious tiled entrance with marble staircases to the dress circle. There were 1200 seats which were upholstered in red plush. Reseating later reduced the capacity to 986. The organ was a 2-manual Vincent. Throughout the 1920s music was provided by the Scala Orchestra. In 1928 the General Theatres Corporation (later Gaumont-British) took over. Talkies arrived in 1930. In April 1936 Sol Sheckman (Essoldo circuit) took over the Scala. The cinema closed on 1 July 1961. It was demolished and replaced by a supermarket.
271
660
NZ271660
Frank Manders, 1991, Cinemas of Newcastle, pages 159-160; Frank Manders, 2005, Cinemas of Newcastle, pages 33-35, 60, 66, 97, 150, 152, 161; Heaton History Group, http://heatonhistorygroup.org/tag/peoples-theatre/