La Scala Cinema, 8 James Street, Helensburgh is a Grade C listed building in the Argyll and Bute local planning authority area, Scotland. First listed on 30 June 1993. Cinema, amusement arcade. 5 related planning applications.
La Scala Cinema, 8 James Street, Helensburgh
- WRENN ID
- far-facade-yarrow
- Grade
- C
- Local Planning Authority
- Argyll and Bute
- Constituency
- Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber MP: Brendan O'Hara (SNP)
- Country
- Scotland
- Date first listed
- 30 June 1993
- Type
- Cinema, amusement arcade
- Address
- La Scala Cinema, 8 James Street, Helensburgh, G84 8AS
- OS grid reference
- NS 294 823
- Coordinates
- 56.00386, -4.73708
- Source
- Historic Environment Scotland listing
Description
La Scala Cinema, located at 8 James Street in Helensburgh, was designed by Neil C Duff in 1913. This rectangular-plan building showcases Art Deco style and has been repurposed as an amusement arcade. The exterior is rendered and painted, featuring a base course, margined window bays, a cornice, and a tall stepped and coped parapet.
The entrance elevation facing James Street consists of nine symmetrical bays. The central bay is taller and is flanked by pilaster strips with raised moulded panels that serve as stylized capitals. A broad round-headed arch springs from the cornice above these capitals and is set into the tall parapet. Modern doors are located in the center, with a canted oriel window on the first floor and oculi on either side. There are three window bays on each side of the central bay, with each ground floor window and a smaller window on the first floor set in long, narrow recessed, margined bays. A doorway has been inserted into the bays on the right. The outer bays are flanked by pilaster strips, with a doorway on the outer left and an oculus with a keystone on the first floor, along with a moulded panel in between. The outer right side mirrors this arrangement, featuring a window at ground level.
The building primarily has timber sash and case windows, which include frosted glass and Art Nouveau stained glass panels.
Local climate
La Scala Cinema, 8 James Street, Helensburgh sits in one of the wettest parts of the UK, with an average of 1,870 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 99% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 92% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 59 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 98% of listed buildings. Of these, 37 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- Related listed building consents — 5 applications
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
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