Ascot Cinema Anniesland 1

The interior was fitted to a very high standard with thick carpets, air conditioning and wide seats. One of the highlights of the Ascot was also its lighting, which patrons found attractive, but which proved a challenge for projectionists like John Douglas.

"The lovely lighting, you would see a bit of cloth on the ceiling running right round the front in a sort of trough, and the light shone up on the ceiling, and you’d say to yourself, “Well, how do you change the bulbs?" You would go up into the attic of the cinema and the ceiling was all moulded, there’s a little trapdoor in the side of the ceiling. You slide that aside and there would be a narrow gangway all the way round with the lights all round that trough, and you’d have to crawl round on your hands and knees with a 50 or 60ft drop straight down into the auditorium right below you."

The Ascot was bought by Gaumont in 1943, the Saturday morning GB kid's club, generally accepted as the best in the area, began on April 1st 1944 and in February 1950 the cinema adapted the Gaumont name.

In 1964, the Ascot / Gaumont was renamed Odeon and continued until October 1975 when it closed with The Four Musketeers.

County Bingo reopened the building in 1979, and although the interior was relatively untouched, Charles McNair's beautiful exterior was defaced by a hideous red, blue and yellow sign. Further butchery occurred in 2002 when The Ascot was "converted" into flats with the facade retained, although even this suffered at the hands of the developers.

Against a background of U boat sinkings, Nazi planes sighted over Scotland and the blackout, the magnificent Ascot in Great Western Road at Ascot Avenue opened on December 6th 1939. Designed by Charles J McNair and Elder, it was McNair's final cinema and a fitting end to a career that gave Glasgow The Regal Sauchiehall Street, The Lyceum and Plaza in Govan and The States in Shettleston and King's Park.

The Ascot's opening film was Shipyard Sally starring Gracie Fields, fighting for the jobs of Clydebank shipyard workers and featured the song Wish Me Luck as You Wave Me Goodbye.

Commissioned with great optimism by Great Western Cinemas, construction of The Ascot had begun in April 1939, with war looming, special permission was given to complete it and The Ascot was strengthened to withstand fire and blast, with numerous emergency exits provided.

Ascot was not the first choice of name for McNair's masterpiece, his drawings of December 1938 show the name as The Court, the name inspired by Kelvin Court, nearby luxury flats built in 1938 just as work was getting underway on the cinema.

Flanked by three-quarter height towers finished in cream faience tiling with touches of red and black, the main entrance was topped by five tall, narrow windows, separated by mullions. The sweeping canopy with its interchangeable lettering led to five oak doors and the foyer, pay box and stalls.

Stairs left and right contained within the towers, led to the circle. The total capacity of the cinema was 1963, the circle held 694 and the stalls 1220 seated with space for 49 standing.

1544 Great Western Road, Anniesland

Opened: December 6th 1939
Closed: October 25th 1975

Number of screens: 1

Number of seats: 1963