Fond picture memories of Wigan's famous Ritz/ABC cinema
It was designed by Glasgow-based architect John Fairweather and opened on March 7 1938 and was soon taken over by the Associated British Cinemas(ABC) chain.
In March 1962 it was re-named ABC and hosted many one night concerts on its stage, including The Beatles. On May 28 1977 it was closed for conversion into a triple-screen cinema in the former circle area with 485-seats in ABC 1, 321-seats in ABC 2 and 106-seats in ABC 3. The stalls were converted into a Gala Bingo Club and they all opened in October 1977.
The ABC was closed on March 5 1983 when it was operated by Thorn-EMI. The cinema was then re-opened by an independent operator on January 4 1984, operating as the Ritz Film Centre. It was closed on April 19 1997 and while for a short period later it ran as a specialist Asian cinema, it was demolished in 2005 to make way for the Grand Arcade shopping centre.
Ritz ABC Cinema, Station Road, Wigan
2. 1966
Retro 1966 - Walker Brothers and Roy Orbison concert at the ABC Cinema in Station Road, Wigan. Photo: Gary Brunskill
3. 1975
1975 Wigan ABC Ritz Cinema launched the Children's Film Foundation with Mayor coun Bob Lyons who are seen with youngsters behind the scenes at the cinema in Station Road . Photo: STAFF
4. 1975
Retro 1975 - Wigan Cinema ABC club members with their pets on Saturday morning ready for the judging Photo: SUBMITTED