A cinema night out with a
real sense of importance.......

Impressing the public was always the order of the day
at the Abbey cinema. A rule which applied equally to
the presentation and the professional service provided
by the staff. Many patrons will remember the uniformed
peaked capped doormen who always welcomed you to
the cinema like royalty and the ushers who guided you to
your  seats with real torches and a real sense of pride.
There was also the manager in black tuxedo and matching
bow tie coordinating the whole event from the corner of the foyer

 in a military style
fashion. not forgetting the timed to perfection film
presentation guaranteeing a standing ovation after
every performance.

Another striking feature of this splendid super cinema
was the lavish art deco furnishing, evident throughout
the building.The capacious main foyer itself being the
place for friends and family to gather before the start
of the show or the lavishly decorated foyer adorned
with ceiling and wall to wall mirrors on the left
contrasting dark mahogany wall panels on the right wall.
Hidden somewhere amongst the gathering of patrons
there was a large glass paneled sweet counter selling the
evenings film program, toffee popcorn, cornetto and
the almost obligatory orange flavored Kia Ora drinks.
Directly ahead in the foyer stood the showpiece 10 ft
wide Grand central Staircase with its lovingly polished
brass handrails. All that was required to complete the
scene was for Kate Winslett, Leonardo de Capri and
the cast of Titanic to appear down the steps from above.

At the top of the staircase was for many the
next best thing, the all important circle lounge bar. being
the first cinema in Liverpool to be granted a license the
bar was also somewhat of a novelty and a popular one at
that.
not surprisingly when the intermission finally arrived in
those long haul epics such as Lawrence of Arabia, that
the rush to the bar was reminiscent of a herd of thirsty
wilder beast stampeding towards the nearest watering
hole. If the bar itself wasn’t exactly your cup of tea
then there was always the more sedate circle lounge to
visit, with its plush white leather art deco seats to relax in
whilst supping a hot drink or some chicken soup from
the vending machine close by.

The main attraction of this fine cinema was without doubt
the awe inspiring  gigantic screen. The show often began
with a short film or featurette intentionally shown on a
smaller screen, In true theatrical traditions to build up to
the climax of the evenings big attraction, whilst at the
same time allowing patrons to arrive at a leisurely pace.

When the main feature was almost ready to commence
three bells rang out in the foyer and bar, as patrons
eagerly returned to their pre booked numbered seats.
As the house lights slowly faded to a reverberating buzz of
excitement the curtains slowly opened to whistling and
rapturous applause followed by the jaw dropping moment
that only the Abbey could create as patrons stared in
amazement at the awesome giant picture shown on the
Northwest’s biggest cinema screen.
The Abbey cinema Wavertree  (1939-1979)

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