DBC
Nottinghamshire |
91 of 104
Fri 12th Dec 2014 7:38pm
I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but the restaurant in the Gaumont was turned into a Victor Sylvester Dance Studio in the 1960's. I did go there a few times but still can't dance very well!
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Buildings - Coliseum Buildings (Gaumont Palace & Odeon, Jokers Corner) | |
dutchman
Spon End |
92 of 104
Sat 13th Dec 2014 4:32am
As far as I can tell from planning records it was substitute for a new ballroom they were planning to build above the car park behind the cinema. That was abandoned when Gaumont-owners Rank decided to build the Locarno around the same time.
I think there were also cafes on the Whitefriars Street side beneath the original ballroom before it was bombed in 1940.
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Buildings - Coliseum Buildings (Gaumont Palace & Odeon, Jokers Corner) | |
Jokers80
Coventry |
93 of 104
Tue 16th May 2017 6:17pm
Does anyone remember the original Joker's Corner and Mountford's Newsagent in Jordan Well, by the Odeon Cinema, run by Bill and Sylvia?
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Buildings - Coliseum Buildings (Gaumont Palace & Odeon, Jokers Corner) | |
Midland Red
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94 of 104
Tue 16th May 2017 8:07pm
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Buildings - Coliseum Buildings (Gaumont Palace & Odeon, Jokers Corner) | |
Jokers80
Coventry |
95 of 104
Wed 17th May 2017 7:14am
That's a good photo showing the Chocolate Box name, thanks!
Here are a few more from the scrapbook. The first shows the building from the 1930's when it was the Coliseum Buildings, the second is from 1961 when it was the Gaumont and the old shops had been pulled down to make way for the Lanchester Poly. The last is from the 1980's, showing Joker's Corner and Mountford's newsagent when people were queuing up for the cinema which was now the Odeon.
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Buildings - Coliseum Buildings (Gaumont Palace & Odeon, Jokers Corner) | |
Roger T
Torksey |
96 of 104
Wed 17th May 2017 11:40am
In the narrative of the first photo ref the Coliseum, it mentions Frank Turner ran out of money. Does anybody know who Frank Turner was or his story?
I seem to remember a conversation with my uncle Alan Stanley Turner not long before he passed away telling me that a relative of ours was trying to build "something" I think theatrical in that area.
Uncle Alan`s father came from a family of original watch makers. William Henry Turner (my grandfather, 201 Oldfield Road, but previously Somerset Road and possibly previously Cope Street), George Turner and Alec Turner (he was mayor in 1943 and lived at Coundon House).
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Buildings - Coliseum Buildings (Gaumont Palace & Odeon, Jokers Corner) | |
Midland Red
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97 of 104
Wed 17th May 2017 12:51pm
Yet another coincidence crops up on this forum!
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Buildings - Coliseum Buildings (Gaumont Palace & Odeon, Jokers Corner) | |
Jokers80
Coventry |
98 of 104
Wed 17th May 2017 4:49pm
When my family had the newsagent and Joker's Corner, I remember the old, winding wooden staircase leading to the storeroom upstairs, with racking (which I loved climbing around on) built around the big steps which led upwards and mysteriously disappeared into the back wall. I always wondered where they went! Afterwards I learnt that they were an original entrance to the Colisseum.
Our neighbouring shop (which which we were linked at the back) was a wallpaper shop owned by the Redferns I think they were, who moved to Alberta in Canada. Then it became a lapidary.
I don't remember seeing an old sign underneath the Joker's Corner sign. We had the sign painted by a fireman who was also a signwriter. Next door to us on the other side by the cinema was a clothes shop owned by Len and Stella Diamond from London, who were great characters. I remember Afghan coats and jeans, etc hanging outside during the 60s and 70's. Then it was taken over by Gary of 1st for Men. Past the cinema was a cafe where we used to have fish and chips on a Saturday, and the Banana Queen stall selling fruit and veg. Victor the ice cream man was somewhere in the vicinity I think.
Next to our Joker's corner side was a fire escape exit into the cinema, then an entrance into a car park round the back.
Other shops (if my memory serves me correctly) in Whitefriars at various times were the ballroom dancing studio, Corks' wine bar, a music shop owned by Ian and at the top of the street Brandish's garage, with a few in between which I can't remember. On the other side of Whitefriars was the Sir Colin Campbell pub, a second hand car salesman and a carpet shop with 'Colin the carpet' who moved to one of the temporary shops on Corporation Street opposite the Co-op. And I think there was a reclamation yard behind a gate. There were a few residential houses on that side, where a lovely lady 'Scottish Betty' lived, who often used to come in and sit chatting at the end of our counter.
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Buildings - Coliseum Buildings (Gaumont Palace & Odeon, Jokers Corner) | |
Garlands Joke Shop
Coventry |
99 of 104
Wed 17th May 2017 9:30pm
Hi Jokers80,
Welcome to the forum - good to have another joke shop on the forum.
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Buildings - Coliseum Buildings (Gaumont Palace & Odeon, Jokers Corner) | |
Jokers80
Coventry |
100 of 104
Sat 20th May 2017 10:41am
Hi Luke,
It was interesting to hear about your grandparents' shop. I had heard of Garlands' but didn't know anything about it. Like your gran, my mum has kept some of the favorite items such as the Snowman, which was hired by the Cathedral for an event there. She made this herself, as well as many of the other fancy dress outfits for hire. Some of the outfits have turned up in odd places - we saw a spotty clown outfit which she made on a scarecrow outside a house in the Corley scarecrow festival!
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Buildings - Coliseum Buildings (Gaumont Palace & Odeon, Jokers Corner) | |
Garlands Joke Shop
Coventry |
101 of 104
Sun 21st May 2017 6:39pm
Hi Jokers80,
That's quite a skill making fancy dress costumes by hand to a rentable quality. That sort of talent is sorely missing these days - nobody seems to make anything themselves anymore. My dad tells me that there used to be another place that also hired out fancy dress and costumes, near the old Canley level crossing (Sir Henry Parkes Road). That shop also had a strange combination - lawn mower repair and costume hire
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Buildings - Coliseum Buildings (Gaumont Palace & Odeon, Jokers Corner) | |
Gas Centre
Perth Scotland |
102 of 104
Sat 16th Oct 2021 11:23am
Found this plan of the Gaumont, hope it has not been posted before.
![]() Alan H
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Buildings - Coliseum Buildings (Gaumont Palace & Odeon, Jokers Corner) | |
PhiliPamInCoventry
Holbrooks |
103 of 104
Tue 19th Oct 2021 4:18pm
Hi all,
Walking past the site of the Gaumont cinema today, I noticed the two symbols at the top of the building, which I believe were the original Compton Organ symbols. What do you think?
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Buildings - Coliseum Buildings (Gaumont Palace & Odeon, Jokers Corner) | |
Kaga simpson
Peacehaven, East Sussex |
104 of 104
Wed 20th Oct 2021 12:17pm
Some interesting shots. During the fifties the queue for the cinema was the opposite way, down Jordan Well, and the Colin Campbell was a jazz club in the fifties.
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Buildings - Coliseum Buildings (Gaumont Palace & Odeon, Jokers Corner) |
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