DAVID A ELLIS writes~ The Glynn Picture Hall was situated in Foregate Street. The back of the building was on Forest Street. It opened on the 19th June 1911 with the film ‘Sixtus the Fifth’. The Deputy Mayor Mr R. C. Davies performed the opening, which was originally going to be done by the Mayor, Mr D. L. Hewitt. He was detained in London, so his Deputy stood in.The hall had a balcony and the seating capacity was 750. The Glynn Animated Picture Company, formed by Glynn Hill and G. E. Bulford, ran the cinema. The Chester cinema was the head office of the company that had other halls in Shrewsbury and Wrexham. The cinema was first known as the Glynn Picture Hall and later as the Glynn Picture House. An orchestra known as the Hillman and the Glynn orchestra accompanied the images.
The first person to manage the cinema was Charles (Chas) Powell.
Fred Rowley ~ The Glynn’s final manager
Later, Frederick Rowley became the manager. He later went to the Gaumont. The Glynn was described as High Class Entertainment of Animated Pictures. The Glynn was the first Chester cinema to screen films continuously. In 1923 W. E. and J. Taplin ran the hall and in 1928 General Theatres were the owners. The cinema, which never installed sound closed for business on the the 5th September 1931 with the film ‘Lure of the South Seas’. Silent films were at the end of their life and Gaumont British was about to open their super Gaumont theatre, so there was no longer room for the silent Glynn.
The Tudor style frontage still remains. After closure the building was used for a number of things, including a car show room. The interior was gutted by fire when it was a Why store, destroying what features were left from its cinema days. Today the building is a drinking house called The Revolution bar
David A Ellis
chestercinemas.co.uk