View of former cinema at 78 High Street, Rothesay, Bute, from E

Description View of former cinema at 78 High Street, Rothesay, Bute, from E

Date 22/5/2012

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number DP 139641

Category On-line Digital Images

Scope and Content Rothesay was an industrial town and commercial port long before its expansion due to tourism. The earliest industries set up to take advantage of the water supply from the Water of Fad, and in 1779, Scotland's second cotton mill was established in Rothesay by James Kenyon. A number of small mills were established, basing themselves around Barone Road, Russell Street and Mill Street. The focus for the town's industry remains in this vicinity today. The Ritz cinema, opened in the 1930s, was one of several cinema and entertainment venues in Rothesay, built during the period when film was becoming a popular pastime. Despite no longer being in use as a cinema, the exterior of the building still retains its 1930s styling, with flat roof, raised central four bays, emphasised by the vertical columns. Along with many purpose-built cinemas across the country, it fell out of use with the rise in video recorder ownership, becoming a bingo hall wih flats in the upper floors. During the 1980s, it was also used as a roller disco venue. More recently, it was a bar and restaurant, before finally falling out of use again.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1304946

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap