remember the argyle

When I was young, I had at least twelve cinemas to chose from within a couple of miles of where I lived in Batley. In those days in the 1950’s I made sure that I used them all, from the nearest, The Collins Super Cinema to the poshest, The Playhouse in Dewsbury which was one of the ABC group of cinemas. At the end of the day though, whilst a visit to the ‘pictures’ was a real treat, there was something even better. A visit to the theatre! In my case it was Dewsbury Empire and it was indeed a rare but delightful event. The theatre closed in 1955 and all the cinemas are all sadly now long gone. Enough of my memories! It is with great pleasure that I wish to highlight a forthcoming exhibition which will be held at The Williamson Art Gallery and Museum in Birkenhead. The theme of the exhibition will be known as Twice Nightly, the Argyle Theatre Remembered and will be held between 08 June and 31 August 2022. George Formby (father and son) both appeared at the Argyle, on numerous occasions. Father especially played their several times and GF Jnr made some of his earliest appearances there. In its day, The Argyle Theatre, Birkenhead was host to all the big names in Variety. Sadly the theatre was bombed in an air-raid in September 1940 and never re- opened. The damage theatre remained until 1973 when it was demolished. The museum location is: Williamson Art Gallery & Museum Slatey Road, Birkenhead, Wirral CH43 4UE