Last Reel at the Royalty

Hi All found this through a link from an other Geordie on Facebook. Takes me back to my childhood as i was brought up in Gosforth. So many great memories of me and my brothers going to the royalty on a saturday afternoon queue down the alley waiting to get in. Stamping our feet and cheering as the lights went down and always rushing back each week to see what happend to Batman and Robin or Flash Gordon.

Such a shame they knocked it down to replace it with flats. It was an old building you do not see nowadays. Last i heard the same had happend to Jesmond flicks. Alas im getting older and miss those days not a care in the world saw Jaws there for the first time and kissed many a young girl in the double seats in my teen years.

Remember the outrage at Adam and the Ants concert. Bob Youngs chippie after and i remember the manager kiosk lady and Mrs Oliver my brother went to school with her son. Happy Happy Memories just gald someone had the sense to record it on film. I will be passing this to my Mum as she will love to see it.

MICK

WOW!!! I remember so many trips on a Saturday afternoon with all the lads to see the latest film, films like Battlestar Galactica, The Black Hole, Bedknobs & Broomsticks & Star Trek the Motion Picture, during a showing of Bronco Billy I found a button located on the wall at the entrance to the Circle & was egged on to press it by the rest of the group, imagine my horror when I did & the house lights came on in the theatre in the middle of the film & we were then confronted by an irate usherette demanding to know who had pressed it & every last one of the lads grassed me up, luckily she calmed down & didn’t kick me out.

I was also one of those kids along with my little sister to get the free sweets (Toffee Poppet’s) when we went along to see the last ever movie shown there The Incredible Journey & was hoping to see my 11 or 12 year old self in the video but alas didn’t.

It’s a great shame that the place closed down & was demolished. I agree with an earlier comment by Eric when he wrote “Shame on the owners for taking the "quick buck" and selling the land for retirement homes.”

GRAEME

How lovely to discover this, I typed in 'Royalty Gosforth' out of curiosity! I actually lived next door to the fire station, and went to the Royalty all the time. You can see my bedroom window in the pictures, I lived above the Jeffreys opticians and next to the Mogul Indian restaurant.

Fond memories include sitting in the stalls with our boyfriends , sneaking in a few Embassy Regal, and having a sneaky fag. We saw loads of films, I remember Rollerball, Lemon Popsicle (very explicit for us, although we didn't know what was going on really!!) and a few of the Adventures of a windowcleaner type films with that Robin whatsisname.

I managed to get in to see Saturday Night Fever at age 14 which I think was X rated, it remains one of my fave films! When we progressed to the 'bench' type snogging seats at the back we thought we were so grown up. I was going out with one of the butchers from Dewhurst the Butchers shop on the high street, who was probably only 17 himself , but seemed so sophisticated. We used to meet up, him wearing his Bomber jacket, star jumper and Oxford bag trousers, he had some Rider boots too,The height of fashion!

We munched on Texan bars or Cabanas bought at Ebletts, I absolutely loved the Royalty!

I left the area many years ago but was sad when the Flats replaced the old cinema, which no doubt, if still standing, woiuld be a fabulous listed building.

Thank you for the memories on these comments I've loved reading them.

STEPH

Remember this place so well, been wanting to see old photos so fantastic to see the video. Remember seeing matinees such as Battlestar Galactica. Have to admit that as a grubby kid going in when the place was about to be demolished... we were in awe, felt privileged in a way.

VIN

The Royalty holds very fond memories for me. I was brought up and lived in Gosforth, till I left home in 1988, at the age of 19. I spent many a happy a Friday night with my brother and a few friends at the Royalty, then off next door to the Gosforth chippy (which is still there now), for a bag of chips with plenty of vinegar. Whenever i travel down the high street and go past the old peoples homes that now replaces the Royalty, I often think of the old cinema, and also the old fire station that was right next door which has also gone now. My brother Reese sent me the link to this site, and I watched, with great pleasure all four of the videos, and I felt like a kid again, great to see. Shame it had to go.

GARY

Hi, i`ve seen your video, a good while back I found out about it from Frank Manders, historian (Newcastle City Libraries) I`ve also got a magazine piece from Making Better Movies.. I knew of John Tessa, heard his name mentioned before.. I worked at the Queens and Odeon Newcastle till closure.. been in the business for over thirty years.

NEIL

Glad to see this website exists; I just typed in Royalty Gosforth out of curiosity. What a fascinating glimpse into it all. I lived as a kid in Wideopen, and loads of my teenage Fridays evenings were spent in the company of Mandy, Nicky, Ali, Chris, Dawn, Steffa and Helen watching the latest release.

We always sat at the back amidst the double seats but I, alas, never semed to do much snogging. Funniest memory was one week when we got the bus down, went to (I think it was called) Eblett's Newsagents opposite - or was it Punshons?? - and bought our supply of sweets for the film. Halfway through, I remember Helen exclaiming loudly "Sh*t - I've lost me blobs!!!" She was referring (of course) to the tubes of Trebor boiled sweets of those days...but the comment was the cause of much mirth for a long time hence; she obviously hadn't thought of what she was saying before it came out.

I remember my mam sneaking me in to see Rollerball starring James Caan one week when it came out; it was a AA I think, which had a 14 year old limit on it, although I was only 12 at the time.....tsk tsk; the film had a stunt double for James Caan in, who was Courtney Hildyard, the boyfriend of Ann at the RVI with whom my mam worked at the time.

His name wasn't even on the credits..bah. Very sad to see the place close, but over the moon to discover this piece of history dedicated to it; congratulations! :-)

DAVE BISWELL

This brought back many memories. The Royalty was almost part of our family - my dad taking his girlfriends there in the late 1930s.

As a 7 year old I was dragged along by my big sister to see 'Hard Days Night' in the 1960s. A complete sell-out, the audience comprised almost 100% teenage girls shrieking and screaming - the soundtrack was inaudible. After several attempts by the theatre manager to quieten things down, he decided enough was enough. The film was stopped and we were all sent home! no refunds no nothing.

My friends & I were regulars at the Saturday afternoon matinee. All rubbishy American B movies and old cartoons, but we loved it. Only once I went alone (never again!), and this strange boy sat next to me. As soon as the lights went down, he commenced shouting foul language - for no reason! I was terrified the staff would think it was me, but thankfully they realised who it was. He must have been a serial offender.

Lots of visits with parents to see James Bond films, and many of the Carry Ons. Even some of my early courting was carried out there.

My last visit to the Royalty involved taking a girlfriend to see "Gone With the Wind". Must have been 1977. I *really* didn`t want to see that film, but she was set on it. I had to meet her straight from work, it was absolutely *pouring* with rain and I was starving - no time for a quick meal. Bah. Inside we found our seats and settled into what was now a cold, damp auditorium. In front of the screen there was quite a considerable stream of rainwater, pouring in from the roof. The film was so long they had an interval. At last! Food! No hot dogs on offer that day. The best I could manage was a bar of fruit and nut, and a bottle of sparkling Vimto. Rock on. Still, the girlfriend must have appreciated my efforts? Nope - she dumped me not long after that.

Its an absolute tragedy that a building such as this was allowed to have been destroyed. Shame on the owners for taking the "quick buck" and selling the land for retirement homes. More and more our towns and cities are becoming clones of one another. The Royalty was a building that really set Gosforth apart.

ERIC

Great to see a REAL cinema again, sad how things have changed, but cinema is a business, and must change to survive, nice to see a record of how the projector worked. Site well recommended

CARBONENDS

Fantastic website. Went to the Royalty almost every week as a child and loved every minute. Even went to see Bad Manners with my dad which was an eye opener for me as a ten year old, also my dad!!

JOEL