Snapshots of Time: Exploring the Abbey Cinema, Wavertree, Liverpool

Located in the east Liverpool district of Wavertree, the Abbey Cinema opened on 4th March 1939 with Irene Dunne in “Joy of Living.” It originally seated 1,126 in the stalls and 744 in the circle, with a 42-foot wide proscenium. The cinema closed on 25th January 1964 for conversion into a Cinerama theatre, featuring a giant curved screen and a new projection suite for 3 Cinerama projectors. The seating capacity was reduced to 1,260, and a licensed bar was added to the circle foyer.

The Abbey Cinerama Theatre opened on 17th March 1964 with “This is Cinerama,” followed by films like “How the West Was Won” and “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm.” In April 1965, the 3-projector system was replaced by a single 70mm projector, used for screenings like “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.” The last Cinerama 70mm screening was on 6th March 1971, but the theatre continued to advertise screenings on its giant Cinerama screen until its final performance on 4th August 1979 with “The Towering Inferno.”

After closing, the stalls were converted into a supermarket, and the circle became a Coral Bingo Club in 1984. Over the years, the building housed various businesses, including a Riley’s Snooker Club and a Co-Operative supermarket. By 2020, Lidl took over, sparking protests due to the building's connection with John Lennon. In April 2021, it was recommended to English Heritage to become a Grade II Listed building.