Eagle Picturedrome

249-253 New Road, Fratton, Portsmouth, PO2 7QY

1911-1920

Located in the Fratton district of Portsmouth, the Eagle Picturedrome opened on 29th August 1911. Owned by Mr A. White, programmes changed on Mondays and Thursdays, and admission was 3d and 6d, with children under 12 half-price. Children had their own matinee screening on Saturdays at 2pm. From 27th October 1912 the building was used as a Gospel Hall on Sundays. On 14th May 1918 the licence was transferred to Charlie Tarrant, who had relocated from Chatham, Kent. However, this was a short-lived cinema, as it had closed by 14th January 1920. (This might have been because it appears to have been a rather basic operation: the ‘seats’ were bench-like pews acquired from a disused church!) The building was initially converted into Ward’s Bakery, then a Co-op butchery. Eventually it was used for light engineering. Now houses.