Dunbar Playhouse Cinema

My interest in photography and cinema goes back to my childhood and I was recently delighted to rediscover these images which I thought had been lost over the years. They record the demolition of the Playhouse Cinema in Dunbar which once stood on Abbey Road just off the High Street.

The Playhouse Cinema opened on 28th June 1937 with Shirley Temple in “Dimples”. It was designed by architect Major Alexander Cattanach for Caledonian Associated Cinemas and seated 1031 people. It operated as a cinema until the 1970’s before offering bingo until the early 1980’s. The last film to be shown at the cinema was Never Say Never Again which was organised by Dunbar Rotary Club on Saturday 24th November 1984. The cinema was demolished in 1988 and the site was used to build a new medical centre which is now occupied by Cherrytrees Nursery.

I am glad I rediscovered these photographs as they capture the demolition of a small piece of Dunbar’s history. I think they may have been taken on a Kodak Disc camera judging by the poor quality of the images.