Take a virtual saunter the full length of Sauchiehall Street through an illustrated feature covering the immense range of Glasgow’s cinema.

"For here in Glasgow is every type of cinema - from the largest in Europe to the smallest in the British Isles. And in Glasgow every kind of cinema experiment is being made…” – Film Weekly, 1931

Gordon Barr and Gary Painter of ScottishCinemas.org take you on a virtual saunter up the full length of Sauchiehall Street to present an illustrated feature covering the immense range of Glasgow’s cinema history, from converted roller-skating rinks to the finest 1930s art deco super-cinemas. The talk will cover cinemas that were, cinemas that are, and cinemas that might have been.

About Scottish Cinemas:

Scottish Cinemas is a volunteer-led, non-profit founded by Gordon Barr and Gary Painter in 2021. The site is dedicated to recording and archiving Scottish historic cinema architectural heritage - an often-overlooked part of our social history.

This screening is a part of the Sitting with the Stars, organised by the Sauchiehall Street: Culture and Heritage District, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Places. Sitting with the Stars is a programme of talks, screenings and activity which invites audiences to step into Glasgow’s social history as a ‘Cinema City’ during the early 20th century - a time when the city had over 130 cinemas, and more cinema seats and picture houses per head than any other city in the world.