124 Balmore Road, Former Cinema

This is a former "super cinema" designed in a modern-classical style by architects John McKissack and Son (James McKissack) in 1932, and it opened in August 1933. It was purpose-built on a large, symmetrical, three-storey, wide rectangular plan and originally intended to accommodate 1600 patrons. The rear auditorium has a pitched and piended roof.

The principal elevation features a central three-bay section with pilasters and architraves, constructed of painted red sandstone, above an 11-bay, single-storey ground floor block with painted tiles and a painted sandstone blocking course. The entrance block projects forward from the stepped, gabled, and rendered auditorium, which has stepped painted banding. The side and rear elevations are of rendered brick, with a roof pitch frame extending to the ground on the south side. A boxed section protrudes at mid-height on the rear elevation, serving as horn chambers. In 2024, a large gap was created in the west elevation due to partial demolition.

The roof was previously clad in corrugated asbestos sheets, which have been since removed, exposing the roof trusses in 2024.

The interior has been stripped out, leaving only the bare walls; however, the proscenium frame and steel balcony framing remain. The entrance section appears to have been refurbished for use as a retail unit. Rooms to the east of the plan were originally used as cinema offices and toilets.

The building first appears on Ordnance Survey maps surveyed in 1938 and published in 1946. It was commissioned by W H Martin and others, including George Smith and James Welsh. In 1950, it was taken over by George Singleton Cinemas Ltd. and renamed the Vogue Cinema. The cinema ceased operating in 1968 and was converted into a commercial bingo hall, which closed in the 1990s. The entrance canopy was removed in 2005. Currently, there are no surviving interior fixtures in the auditorium, only the steel framing. In 2024, asbestos roofing was removed, and partial demolition of exterior walls occurred on the west side.