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Tuesday 24 January 2012

Majestic Memories - Sepia Saturday



Alan's picture prompt opened a lot of memories for me, but there was one majestic opening event at which I wasn't present.

Majestic Theatre, Ohio - 1915
The advertisement  was featured in the Athens Messenger for the grand opening of the Majestic Theatre at 20 S. Court St. Athens, OH. The Majestic Theatre opened on June 3, 1915. Today the location is occupied by the Athena Cinema. (Source: Athens Messenger)

However 50 years later I was in my first job at Redbourne Steelworks in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire. This building stood then on the corner of Oswald Road and Mary Street.

Majestic Cinema, Scunthorpe in 2006
You can see that the cinema is looking the worse for wear and in 2007 it was demolished just leaving this wall..

Majestic no more. 
However there is a Majestic still standing in Harrogate in Yorkshire where I spent many a happy hour. British Steel used to hold conferences there and where it fell to me, on one occasion,  to present a paper on a steelwork's trial conducted at Redbourne and Park Gate Works, Rotherham.

Majestic Hotel, Harrogate - 2008
The Majestic Hotel was built at the height of Harrogate's popularity as a spa in 1900. Unlike other hotels in the town it was made of brick and cost over a quarter of a million - a large sum in those days. The trees and bushes in the foreground mask the site of the former glazed 'winter garden' which was over 8000sq ft in area and was adorned with palm trees etc. The winter garden was damaged by a German bomb in 1941 and was demolished in the 1970s. In 1955, the 5 star Majestic offered B&B from 32/6d [approx £1.63] and dinner from 12/6d [62p] - a bargain! I don't every remember it being that cheap.

Our photo prompt brought back other memories - it was on Church Street after all.

Railway Inn, Ketton
Ketton is the village in Rutland where I was born. Don't be fooled by the street sign which says Chapel Lane as the road to the right is Church Road and leads to:

St Mary's Church, Ketton 
I be less that honest if I didn't say that I liked this view of Church Road better.

St Mary's, Ketton from Church Road

Why? It leads back to the Railway of course.

Perhaps now it's time for you to wend your way to The Majestic Sepia Saturday.

Photos:
  • Majestic Ohio - public domain - Athens Messenger
  • Majestic Cinema, Scunthorpe - This image was from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by David Wright and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.
  •  Majestic no more - This image was from the Geograph project collection.details. The copyright on this image is owned by Richard Croft and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.
  • Majestic Hotel, Harrogate - This image was from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Gordon Hatton and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.
  • Ketton photos - Bob Scotney 

19 comments:

David Robinson said...

Cracking picturs as usual, Bob. We had a Majestic Cinema in Leeds where The Sound of Music ran for years

21 Wits said...

Oh this is awesome Bob, great photos and such history! I haven't seen the theme yet, until now, but it kind of follows what I'm researching this week...sort of.... have a great week...it's hard to believe it's Tuesday night already!

RJ Clarken said...

Bob - thank you so much for sharing! What great photos! I haven't been back to England in several years, but these pictures capture the memories of a visit I loved so well.

L. D. said...

Thanks for sharing the different photos. It is a good collection.

Jinksy said...

Well, that was a round about trip...Would you believe, I liked the brick wall picture best? LOL I think it's a great example of art trouvé.

Little Nell said...

There’s something really sad about that ghostly imprint on the wall after the Majestic was demolished. I followed you again Bob- my first Teaching Practice was in Scunthorpe!

Wendy said...

I enjoyed the tour of the various Majestics.

Joy said...

Even the multi-screens couldn't save it. The Railway Inn confirms the truism that if you want to find a village pub look for the church spire and there will be one nearby.

Mike Brubaker said...

A terrific post! I love how the remains of the Scunthorpe Majestic are a giant blueprint of the building. Perhaps "Majesty" is always in the eye of the beholder?

Sheila @ A Postcard a Day said...

A lovely wander along memory lane!

Christine H. said...

What a creative approach to this theme. I remember the Railway Inn from a previous post of yours. The image really stuck with me and made me want to visit Ketton.

Janice said...

Thanks for the grand tour! Imagine seeing Mary Pickford for a dime...

Liz Stratton said...

The majestic hotel is a place I would love to stay! Great tour.

Unknown said...

I can't get over how many theaters I have run across named Majestic. My little home town had a Majestic Theater in the 40's up to the 70's. Of course I have never been to England but would sure love to go.
QMM

Teresa Wilson Rogers said...

Loved the pictures! In my hours of research I have discovered that the same names/themes have been used over and over for theatres everywhere - I never really thought about it before this exercise; Majestic, Grand, Garden, Rialto, Strand, Park, Victory, etc.

Kat Mortensen said...

But the remaining wall is a work of art in itself!

Bruno Laliberté said...

I feel so sorry for you being "obliged" to spend time at the Majestic hotel. It looks like such a "dump"...
Honestly!!!
This looks great!!
:)~

Great post, as usual!!
:)~
HUGZ

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy said...

Hi Bob, this was a great tour! Sorry that your old Majestic lost its luster and was deemed better off removed. I like how the stairs are painted off to the non-existent roof in that picture.

250,000 ... now that is tons of money! The Opera House in my post cost $42,000 and I thought that was a lot. Of course your Majestic is a huge hotel, but how nice that it is still beautiful and in use.

I love that very last church photo, you did great as you always do. See you soon!

Kathy M.

tony said...

A Majestic Post Bob!