MEMORIES will this week take a final look at historic pictures of old cinemas in the area courtesy of local collector Tom Heath.
The Plaza was officially opened in September 1939, closing a day later after the announcement of the outbreak of World War II, and reopening again two weeks later.
In 1943, the cinema was taken over by the Odeon circuit, changing its name to the Odeon in 1945.

It continued to be one of the best attended cinemas in the district, however opening hours were reduced in 1965.
In 1967, the Odeon became the Classic after being taken over by the Classic cinema circuit.
It operated as a single-screen cinema until June 1976 when work began on screens two and three.
The cinema had its opening as a triple screen in August 1976 with the real Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car brought on site.
Another name change, to the Cannon, came in 1983 when the Classic circuit came under the Cannon group.
Seven years later, an announcement was made to close the cinema, but it was saved by Apollo Leisure Ltd, in 1990, its name changing again to the Apollo.
In 1995, plans were announced to sell the cinema to a developer for demolition and a campaign was mounted by Janet Dunn to save it.
She formed the Plaza Community Cinema Charitable Trust and funds were raised to buy the building by trustees.
The cinema was reopened in 1997 under its original name the Plaza which still operates today.
The Gainsborough, named after celebrated painter Thomas Gainsborough, was Bootle’s fifth cinema and the last to be opened in the district before the outbreak of war in 1939.

The cinema, which had a 1,300 capacity, was opened in May 1922 with proceeds going to the Mayor of Bootle’s Unemployed Fund.
It was taken over by ABC Ltd in 1931 and continued to draw in audiences until the early 1950s.
But by the mid 1950s, admissions were falling at the cinema which, in its last two years, opened in the evenings only, with the exception of Saturdays, until its closure in November 1960.
The building was then taken over by Mecca Ltd and converted into a bingo hall which closed in the late 1980s.
The Electric Picture Palace, on Bridge Road, Litherland, opened in December 1910.

Film programmes were shown starting with a 3pm matinee, followed by evening performances at 7pm and 9pm.
Despite its success being proclaimed in 1912, a fall in numbers was apparent when performances were reduced to one a night and a matinee on Saturdays only.
The Electric Palace was Liverpool’s shortest surviving cinema after being destroyed by fire in July 1913 – just over two years after its opening.
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