OCTOBER 10 marked 80 years to the day that the Savoy Cinema opened in Argyle Street, Birkenhead.

The building stood on the site of the former and well-liked Scala Cinema.

The new cinema had a seating capacity of 2,000 seats, there were now 28 cinemas operating in Birkenhead.

The cinema continued as the Savoy for 23 years then in 1961, ABC took over the operation.

This was a very popular venue in the town.

I remember, like most readers will, the Saturday morning ABC minors club.

It was always great fun with the cartoons and cliff-hanger serials each week.

I was actually a projectionist at the Classic cinema just around the corner in Conway Street and in the '70s we had queues around the block with films like Star Wars and ET.

Who can forget the queues around the block at the ABC for Grease in 1978 and Jaws?

The sad end for the ABC came in March 1982, when it closed for the final time leaving just the Classic as the only cinema left in the town.

It became the town's first snooker hall and since a gym and fitness club.

The building has been empty and looks very dilapidated now for some years, but great happy memories for a once great picture palace.

Mark Lees, Wallasey