# Former Rio cinema, Sheerness Isle of Sheppey, Kent.



## colin haggart (Aug 17, 2011)

I took these photos in the late 1980s, two blocks of flats stand there now.













































































Closed in the 1950s.


----------



## Janey68 (Aug 17, 2011)

Omg what a shame.........


----------



## robbie1003 (Aug 17, 2011)

fantastic! know its not everybodys bag but the cars alone show the timescale in the photos.love artdeco stuff, found a fab house in that style myself not so many yearsago. shame its gone, very interesting time for design. cheers.


----------



## colin haggart (Aug 17, 2011)

Janey68 said:


> Omg what a shame.........



I know. Sheernes had four cinemas for a small town centre. The Argossy is a bingo hall,The Ritz (original name) had a few names over the years, has recently been knocked down and the Oxford cinema is a carpet shop now.


----------



## colin haggart (Aug 17, 2011)

robbie1003 said:


> fantastic! know its not everybodys bag but the cars alone show the timescale in the photos.love artdeco stuff, found a fab house in that style myself not so many yearsago. shame its gone, very interesting time for design. cheers.



!987 was when I took the photos. The cinema was built in 1937.


----------



## Living_Doll (Aug 18, 2011)

This makes me really sad, I love art deco style buildings  . If I could travel back in time I'd go to the 1930's...


----------



## Em_Ux (Aug 18, 2011)

Interesting pictures...thanks


----------



## oldscrote (Aug 18, 2011)

I used to walk past this every day on my way to school back in the 60s it was as a electronics components factory by then.Sheerness has a lousy habit if knocking down its best bits even the school I went to has gone

http://www.pbase.com/luckytrev/image/29287310

Replaced I believe by a car park


----------



## robbie1003 (Aug 18, 2011)

Living_Doll said:


> This makes me really sad, I love art deco style buildings  . If I could travel back in time I'd go to the 1930's..
> 
> me too, sutch a interesting era.


----------



## Lost Explorer (Aug 18, 2011)

robbie1003 said:


> Living_Doll said:
> 
> 
> > This makes me really sad, I love art deco style buildings  . If I could travel back in time I'd go to the 1930's..
> ...


----------



## Richard Davies (Aug 18, 2011)

Lost Explorer said:


> robbie1003 said:
> 
> 
> > I agree! I love art deco!
> ...


----------



## colin haggart (Aug 18, 2011)

I forgot I had this, the opening of the Rio. I have also added another photo to my first Rio post.


----------



## GhoulishGadgets (Aug 19, 2011)

Wow.. gutting... what a waste of an incredible building!

I started looking at the top pics thinking wow, amazing looking place, can't wait to see inside..etc...

then came the other pics, such a shame.

Thanks tho, great it's been captured in time...

Si


----------



## smiler (Aug 19, 2011)

GhoulishGadgets said:


> Wow.. gutting... what a waste of an incredible building!
> 
> I started looking at the top pics thinking wow, amazing looking place, can't wait to see inside..etc...
> 
> ...



Yeah, that about sums it up for me as well, Damned Shame, that so many lovely old buildings have disappeared.


----------



## Cinema Dreamer (Jun 7, 2021)

A lovely building by the great architect George Coles. Have you any photos without the photobubket logo? It spoils pictures I feel.


----------

