ON Wednesday, May 30, it will 80 years to the day that the Gaumont cinema on Park Road East in Birkenhead opened its doors for the first time.

Just seven months before, the magnificent Ritz cinema on Claughton Road opened its doors.

The Gaumont had been built on the site of the previous cinema The Park, which made way for this new cinema,with a seating capacity of 1,694 seats this was to be a super cinema.

Built by The Gaumont British Picture Corporation, luxury was no object.

The main exterior walls were finished in autumn tinted bricks and the central façade was relieved by a series of five large windows this area which would be the waiting lounge for patrons with a pleasant view of the magnificent Birkenhead Park entrance.

Three plaques representing a Pierrot, Pierrette and a clown were inlaid into the main brick facia and tiled frontage and the name "Gaumont" stood out in red neon at night.

The latest projection and sound equipment were installed so patrons enjoyed the best in sound and vision from the latest film releases.

The actual opening ceremony was on May 30, 1938, and performed by Mayor of Birkenhead, Alderman C McVey.

Guest of honour was Gaumont British film star Miss Nova Pilbeam who attended the opening, and her hand and footprints were set in cement on the pavement to the right of the entrance and can still be seen!

The opening film was George Formby comedy I See Ice.

Sadly, the cinema only lasted 26 years. The Gaumont closed unceremoniously on January 4, 1964, its final film being a double bill Lassie's Great Adventure with Journey To The Centre Of The Earth.

At the time the owners the Rank Organisation stripped the building and converted into what was to be the towns first Bingo hall The Top Rank Bingo and Social club this was on Thursday, April 16, 1964, opened by comedy star Tommy Trinder.

As bingo it was a popular hall and did good business until Rank closed it on November 1, 1986, having taken over the Ladbroke Social Club formerly The Ritz as a Bingo Club.

It then became a snooker club, which closed in 1990 and re-opened again in December, 1993, as a roller skating rink!

Its present use is as a Furniture World store.

From the outside the building still looks virtually unchanged from as it originally was, the once-magnificent Gaumont.

Mark Lees, ex-cinema projectionist, Wallasey