Original research on Glasgow's Unbuilt Cinemas by Chris Doak.

Over on the south side of the city, equally ambitious plans were being put forward. The Capitol, Ibrox was opened in Lorne Street by Harry Kemp in 1927, and sold a year later to Gaumont. However as early as 1918, Glasgow cinema pioneer George Green and his architect John Fairweather put forward plans to build in Lorne St.

Most of Glasgow's unbuilt cinemas were abandoned within a few months of plans being submitted, however Dominion Circuits plans for a cinema on the corner of Seaward Street and Paisley Road were on the table for the best part of four years until they were finally scrapped in November 1942.

This design had the potential to be a truly impressive and beautiful building, occupying 447-457 Paisley Road at its front elevation and back to Seaward Lane at the Seaward Street elevation. The cinema would have dominated the area with a design of sand coloured brick, cream cement, with faience dado on the lower levels all meeting at a corner brick and glass tower topped with a red neon art deco clock.

Seating capacity was to have been 2378, spread over front and rear stalls and balcony. The five door main entrance was in Paisley Road, with a separate stalls entrance in Seaward Street. Decoration of the building included 20 by 10ft poster panels on either side and a faience canopy over the exits topped by flower tubs. Today, the Odeon at the Quay stands directly opposite the proposed site.

North of the city a new cinema in Bilsland Drive, Ruchill was planned by John Robertson in 1932, but was rejected by Glasgow Corporation Housing Department on the grounds that part of the land was reserved for housing.

The fact that the planning application describe the building as a "poultry house" rather than a "picture house" may also have had an adverse effect on the application!

A few miles east in Possilpark, John McKissack, drew up plans in 1936 for a cinema in Hawthorn Street for United Cinemas. The Hawthorn Street cinema was designed to hold 2098 and was conceived as a long, narrow building backing onto an existing school.

A main revolving door and four others led to a arge entrance hall, complete with pay box and "confections stall". By now, sound films were well established and there were no plans for an orchestra pit or organ, sound being provided by the speaker system from the "horn chamber" behind the screen.

Many reasons explain why the plans for these cinemas between 1910 and 1940 never came to fruition. Principal amongst these was the social and economic uncertainty brought about by two world wars.

These depressed times were exactly when people needed the escapism of the cinema and had they been realised, many of these cinemas would probably have thrived.

Some of the buildings would certainly have had great architectural merit and would still be with us today under the limited protection of listed building status.

Looking at some of the proposed locations, it's interesting to speculate and imagine a beautiful art deco cinema dominating a street corner instead of the bland 60s or 70s architecture which exists today.