100 Years Of The Atherley
1912 - 2012
Until 1912 all the films seen in Southampton were screened in converted buildings which had previously served various other uses. It was easier to find sites for new buildings in the suburbs rather than the town centre; hence Southampton’s first purpose-built cinema was the Atherley at Shirley – given the name of the distinguished local landowners whose estate was then being built over.
The Atherley Cinema Theatre, as it was first called, resulted from the enterprise of a local builder William Dalton Buck (1878-1966), who became interested in cinemas and decided to invest in building one himself. He made a good job of it!
Opened on 14th September 1912 with the films Their Golden Anniversary and The Fatal Mirror, the Atherley initially contained 650 seats, priced at 3d, and 6d in the stalls and 9d in the balcony; also 2d, 3d, and 4d for the Saturday morning children’s show.
During the 1914-18 War, Mr Buck used to entertain Belgian and other Allied convalescent soldiers from the Red Cross Hospitals in Regents Park to afternoon shows at his cinema, collecting and returning them in his car.
His cinema venture proved gratifyingly successful and he later went on to engage in a second, opening the Broadway at Portswood in 1930. Mr Buck also gave his time to serve as a borough councillor for Shirley from 1921 and was mayor in 1933-34.
The success of the Atherley led him to enlarge it in 1919 by adding a new wing. The sight lines for the audience were altered and the main hall was lengthened for the new screen position, as can still be seen today by the different coloured bricks on the side wall in Malmesbury Road. The capacity was increased to over 1000 seats. Many of the great films of the silent era were premiered here and Mr Buck, when celebrating his Diamond Wedding in 1961 said, ‘Charlie Chaplin made the Atherley for me. They used to flock to see him.’
The Atherley Cinema Theatre, as it was first called, resulted from the enterprise of a local builder William Dalton Buck (1878-1966), who became interested in cinemas and decided to invest in building one himself. He made a good job of it!
Opened on 14th September 1912 with the films Their Golden Anniversary and The Fatal Mirror, the Atherley initially contained 650 seats, priced at 3d, and 6d in the stalls and 9d in the balcony; also 2d, 3d, and 4d for the Saturday morning children’s show.
During the 1914-18 War, Mr Buck used to entertain Belgian and other Allied convalescent soldiers from the Red Cross Hospitals in Regents Park to afternoon shows at his cinema, collecting and returning them in his car.
His cinema venture proved gratifyingly successful and he later went on to engage in a second, opening the Broadway at Portswood in 1930. Mr Buck also gave his time to serve as a borough councillor for Shirley from 1921 and was mayor in 1933-34.
The success of the Atherley led him to enlarge it in 1919 by adding a new wing. The sight lines for the audience were altered and the main hall was lengthened for the new screen position, as can still be seen today by the different coloured bricks on the side wall in Malmesbury Road. The capacity was increased to over 1000 seats. Many of the great films of the silent era were premiered here and Mr Buck, when celebrating his Diamond Wedding in 1961 said, ‘Charlie Chaplin made the Atherley for me. They used to flock to see him.’
Shirley Road, with the Atherley on the right, about 1937
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Interior of the Atherley in 1912
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A major event at the Atherley on 15th July 1929 was the first showing of a full length talking and singing film called Lucky Boy. The filmed starred George Jessel who had turned down the role in the the Jazz Singer eventually played by Al Jolson. The new sound system was a great success and crowds flocked to experience the new phenomenon.
In the 1950’s the Atherley became the first in Southampton to embrace the new developments of Cinemascope and stereophonic sound, with a showing in February 1955 of The Robe. The cinema stage was altered to allow three speakers behind a 38ft wide screen, with 24 other speakers mounted around the hall. The seating was altered and 100 seats were lost to give better viewing for this new wide screen. Indian, Chinese and Greek films were shown here, as were specialist seasons on opera and ballet. The Atherley also provided a home for the Southampton Film Society. Films were shown for the last time on Saturday 15th November 1975, after which the building became a venue for Bingo. At one stage it was planned to retain a small 150 seater cinema in the circle but unfortunately this did not happen. The balcony area was converted to offices with a separate entrance and the interior was decorated for use as a bingo hall. The canopy which was used to shelter the waiting cinema-goers was removed and a smaller decorative one replaced it. Externally, the building still looks like a silent picture house.
Jack Dalton Buck, aged 21 years in 1930. He was Manager of the Atherley which his father William had built.
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The Atherley in 1961. The main feature is the Cinemascope film The Young Ones, starring Cliff Richard.
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Converted for Bingo but still retaining its original doors in the 1980s.
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The Atherley owned by New Century Bingo in 2009.
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The Atherley, after it's 2011 refurbishment, in 2012.
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The Atherley interior after it's 2011 refurbishment . |
The Atherley interior after it's 2011 refurbishment . |
Text and some pictures taken from the 'Dream Palaces' book by Bill White, Sheila Jemima & Donald Hyslop
