your comments
Malcolm Phillips Shepton Mallet
When I was a child I visited Aberystwyth for a number of years with my father, who was an advertising salesman working for the Globe advertising company of Birmingham, who produced the cinema programme for the coliseum. My father died in 1959 and sadly I have only been to Aberystwyth on two occasions since, the last a few years ago, I visited the theatre museum and was absolutely amazed at its beauty. I have very fond memories of hoilidays there.
Fri Aug 29 10:22:20 2008
Patsy Sangster nee Clues from Bexleyheath
I remember the good old days of the Coliseum,Home Cafe and the pier and trying to avoid my brother Roy Jnr and his cronies in case I ruined his street cred. I also miss Aber - what a great place to have grown up in. By the way, does anybody remember the Town Parties in the Kings Hall?
Mon Jan 21 08:31:10 2008
Carole Evans Ipswich
I had a holiday job as usherette during a summer holiday, Mrs Gale was a formidable lady! always in black, we had to go into her office/sitting room to collect the icecream trays for the interval, I was scared of her, her son was nice to us, We were told to make sure "no one misbehaved in the rear seats" so had to shine torch along the rows if we heard anything, I mostly stayed near the entrance! it was my first job and paid very little!
Fri Mar 2 09:41:02 2007
Liberte nee Clues
Lenny was the name of the [see David Thomas --below] of the usher, and the lady's name escapes me! I shall have to ask my brother see David [below!]
Fri Jan 20 18:54:55 2006
Howard Jones from Albury, Australia
My father Brinley Jones used to tell about the Coliseum proprietor Mrs Gale coming on stage to "hush'' a rowdy audience of children at times. On one occasion she calmed yet another storm until a child piped up: "And that was the end of the Gale warning''. (Mrs Gale, in dark dress, is in your picture with teachers Noel Butler and David Sansbury and commissionaire Dick Arfon Jones, Merfyn's father).
Wed Sep 7 07:44:16 2005
Leigh Lawson, Worthing
I have a playbill of Jimmy Wood's ("That celebrated London comedian") pantomime Robinson Crusoe at the Coliseum, undated but probably between 1911 and 1920. Both my grandparents, stage names 'Minnie Faulkner' and 'Charles Charlton' and my great aunt 'Nellie Faulkner' are in the cast. I would be pleased to know the exact date of the production.
Sat Aug 20 21:04:22 2005
David Thomas, London.
My memories of the Coliseum as a Cinema are of us teenagers of the late 1950s who frequented it as a place to carry out our "courting" in the back row. Prices then were 1/-&1/9 so half a crown gave one some change towards a coffee at the Home Cafe in Pier St afterwards. The male usher in those days (name omitted) had the habit of suddenly appearing up the side isle with his powerful torch pointing at us to check that we were behaving ourselves! He always threatened to tell our parents if he found us misbehaving!! The second house at 8 o'clock was popular with the Aber students and if a bad film was showing, the remarks from the viewers were sometimes amusing and hilarious which turned a third-rate melodrama into a comedy. Yes, they were certainly very happy days.
Thu Jul 21 16:24:59 2005
Jeff Jones
I actually lived in flat no 2 in the coliseum between the years 1954 and 1962. My father being the projectionist at that time (Billy Ball). The flat was spartan to live in. For instance, we had to bring our own coal up in buckets, as it was dumped by the alley ajacent to Lovelocks Cafe as was in those days. My brother and myself experienced what can only be described as supernatural happenings. In my own case a chair actually moved on its own across the bedroom floor in the small hours. More...
Mon Feb 21 15:26:48 2005
Jenny Jenkins from Eastbourne
From 2001-2004 I was at Aberystwyth Uni, during which time I was involved in a drama society production at the Museum - 'The Government Inspector'. Using the stage now (with many museum items stored there!) makes me wish that I had seen it when the stage was completely devoted to performances. The museum itself is really enjoyable - for people of all ages, it appeals to the child in me. Apparently my parents took me there when I was a child but I can't remember it - I'll definitely be visiting it again in the future!
Fri Feb 11 08:55:04 2005
David, Aberystwyth
I worked with Daniel Bros the contractors of the refurb work being done to the "Coli" and was there when the screen was taken down to reveal a theatre painting of a castle on the rear wall behind the screen, and there for all to see was a ladder which had been left by a work mate seemingly ready for the walls to be scaled and the castle conquered!
Whatever happened to "Torchy" who used to lead us to our seats in the 1 / 6's and belt us on the head with her torch when we made too much noise?
Good memories of a lovely old building.
David Clues (of 15 Bath Street at the time)
Mon Jan 17 16:01:50 2005
Denis and Janet Harvey
Just wanted to say that we think that the above museum in Aberystwyth is one of the best museums that we have ever visited (and we have visited a few). When our grandsons were staying with us last summer we took them along and they were also extremely impressed (usually they hate museums). It is interesting, laid out well and clean and bright. Definitely deserves some sort of award.
Looking forward to the different celebrations this year.
Tue Jan 11 10:09:47 2005
Derek Thomas Buckingham
I have a vivid memory of visiting the Coliseum while it was still a cinema in the mid 1970s.
I was a member of 3rd Aberystwyth Cubs who met half way down Plascrug Avenue. It was a big treat to have a trip as a pack to the cinema. We went to see Kelly’s Heroes, a great film, but not one that people would think appropriate for a group of Cubs in this day and age. After the film we went to Joe’s chippy for a fish supper.
Still a great memory of growing up in Aber.
Tue Jan 11 08:51:37 2005
Do you have memories of the Coliseum? Do you remember going to the cinema there? What do you think of the building? Add your thoughts and comments here:
