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6 Lovely Lane, Warrington, WA5 1NF.
Opened Sep 1912. closed 1957. Building still in use.
1 screen. 600 seats.
Located on Lovely Lane near the corner of Green Street in Whitecross, The Electric Pavilion was opened in early September 1912. It had a 22 feet wide proscenium.
Last operated by the Liverpool-based chain of W.J. Speakman, it was closed around 1957, and became a timber merchants. It was later turned into a motor showroom, was a Trident electrical store and in the 1980s it served as Bike City cycle shop. Today it operates as a carpet store for J.H. & E. Robinson.
- The Pavilion on Lovely Lane was known as the Flea Pit. Does anybody know why? Here is one suggestion from Albert Hickson: it is believed that any cinema might have been called The Flea Pit in those days. People packed in close proximity to each other made it easy for fleas to jump from one person to another. Some cinemas might get a worse reputation than others. Can you add to Albert’s suggestion?
Images: The Pavilion as a cycle shop (top) and as a carpet shop on 10 Sep 2006.
Contributed by Ken Roe. Additional information by Gordon Gandy, with thanks to Graeme for supporting memories.
mywarrington 