Ayrshire Theatre Image 
Green's
Playhouse (Ayr)
The Playhouse
Theatre viewed from the rear of Ayr Gaiety Theatre.
Built to designs by
John Fairweather (of Glasgow) in 1930, this is a typical inter-war Classical/Art
Deco cinema building, finished in painted harl with a corrugated iron
roof. Unlike some of Fairweather's designs,
this building was designed as a cinema with no intention to use it as
a variety theatre.
Although converted to Bingo use, much of the good
quality original decorative scheme remains. There is an entrance staircase
with marble balusters and banisters. In the main auditorium there are
semi-circular boxes to side walls with Corinthian columns separating
the boxes and framing the stage. Curved balcony with original velvet-padded,
tipping seats. Some original glazed timber doors remain, with. stained
glass stairwell windows and original friezes and cornices throughout.
Date: 29 April 2010
Photographer: ©Mike Bailey
Text based on Scottish Theatres and Cinemas
Project.
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Green's
Playhouse (Ayr)
Rear elevation of Playhouse Theatre viewed from Fullarton Street.
The brothers
Bert and Fred Green developed their cinema empire from their family's
vast experience as travelling showmen and variety theatre owners. Green's
playhouses were amongst the largest and most impressive cinemas built
in Europe during the nineteen twenties and thirties. This
was the second of Green's large capacity cinemas built in Scotland. Other
Theatres owned by the company included the 4000 seat Green's Playhouse
(1927) in Renfield Street, Glasgow.
John Fairweather
(1867-1942), born in Glasgow, was a noted Scottish cinema architect.
He designed Playhouses
for Glasgow (1925-29; demolished 1985), Dundee (1936; only the tower
remains after a fire in 1995) and Wishaw (1940) for the Green family.
All four `super-cinemas´ displayed the elaborate Corinthian-columned
interior.
The Ayr building was opened as Green's Playhouse in July 1931, and was
a replacement for an earlier building which had burnt down. It was designed
to accommodate 3,116 seats and was described by the Ayrshire Post at
its opening as "Ayr's new super-cinema" and "the second
largest cinema in Scotland".
Date: 29 April 2010
Photographer: ©Mike Bailey
Text based on Scottish Theatres and Cinemas Project.