TODAY, in common with every UK town of similar size, all that my birth town boasts of is a ring road. It was not always thus...

In the 1950s and beyond, the town's population of about 50,000 could choose their recreational amusement between The Playhouse; Frank Freeman's school of dance, and FOUR cinemas!

We had The Empire in the Horsefair, The Grand in Mill Street, The Futurist in Vicar Street, and The Central in Oxford Street.

I name these four in ascending terms of quality. I was never allowed to visit The Empire for it was rumoured it was dead-easy to catch head-lice; hence it's nickname "The Bughouse."

If memory serves correct, the Grand was managed by Bob Gudgeon, who, I was told, combined this position with another job as foreman bricklayer with Carpet Trades Ltd.

This cinema seemed to have a lot of Tarzan films in black and white that starred Johnny Weismuller as Tarzan.

The Futurist had an impressive box-office with a carpeted approach. All the films seemed to be Columbia; the lady with the shining lamp that introduced them.

Best of all, and Kidderminster's premier cinema, was the Central. And, it catered for the kids on Saturday mornings with an ABC Minors presentation at the cost of 6d (2.5p)! The best upstairs seats were priced at 3s 6d (17.5p) and one could sit down and enjoy a long programme typically consisting of;

British Movietone News; Pathe Pictorial; a Walt Disney cartoon; the 'B' feature film, sometimes in black-and-white; and the main film.

There was also an organ interlude. The Central had a Christie unit-pipe organ whose console was placed in the centre of the orchestra pit. It rose in the spotlight glare to general applause and the organist would play popular tunes, and conclude with the main film's theme tune when appropriate.

This organ, according to a contemporary Kidderminster Shuttle report (circa 1958) was removed, with all its pipes and trappings and went to a Black Country factory, and was installed in its works canteen. I would be very interested to learn more of this.

Do any readers know anything about this?

GEOFFREY A LLOYD

Daneways

35 Talbot Fields

High Ercall

Telford TF6 6LY