Cabra History.Com

As I passed the Cabra Grand today I noticed that the doors were fully open and seemed to be beckoning me in, so in I went, camera in hand. Seeing the doors wide open like that reminded me of the stampede of kids years ago when the usher gave the word. I was of course curious as to how the place looks today compared to when it was a Picture House.

This is the Cashiers Window where we had to buy our tickets to get in. And on the right stood the usher holding a big long Sack Needle with a piece of knotted twine attached to it. He’d take your ticket, tear it in half, stick his half onto the needle and then hand you your half.

To the left of this picture where the sofa is was the sweet counter, they also sold tubs of ice cream  and ice pops here. Where the two red chairs are is where the woman worked who made the popcorn. Up the stairs led  into the cinema and there was a door on the left that was the Manager’s Office.

This is how the inside of the Picture House looks today, a Bingo Hall. At the back is where the big screen and stage were. To the left was the girls toilets and to the right was the boys. Although the seating arrangement looks so different I could still imagine how it was years ago because the basic layout is the same. Me and the pals always sat on the left handside. If I went with any of the brothers and sisters we sat in the middle. Or if you had a moth you always sat on the far righthand side, well away from your pals. The balcony was always too expensive for me.

And strangely enough the old name is still there on the floor as you walk through the main entrance. So now, there’s a little ramble down memory lane for you all…