The Electric Picture Playhouse, Main Street, Barrhead, East Renfrewshire, Scotland

Later - The Pavilion / The George Cinema

See also - The Pavilion Picture and Variety Theatre, Clydebank - The Pavilion Picture & Variety Theatre, Hawick

Above - A Crowd of Eager Children and Parents outside the Picture Playhouse, Barrhead in 1915 - From The Bioscope, 27th of May 1915.

In 1911 George Urie Scott converted a former Skating Rink on Main Street, Barrhead into a Theatre and Cinema called the Electric Picture Playhouse. It opened on Thursday the 31st of August 1911 with a selection of early films and live entertainment on its stage. The films included 'A Tale of Two Cities' and 'The Stenographer', and two colour pictures called 'The Life of a Flower', and 'The Caterpillar'. The Singer Jessie Cameron and Comedian Hector M' Donald provided the live entertainment.

Right - An Advertisement for Scott's Electric Picture Playhouse in 1912 - From the Barrhead News, 5th of January 1912.

Glasgow born George Urie Scott already had four similar Theatres when he opened the Barrhead Picture House so he had access to the variety turns and pictures he needed for this one, and its quick success further proved his acumen in this area. He had begun his Theatre ownership career when he took over the Annfield Halls, Gallowgate in 1908, and he had then gone on to open the Palaceum and Premier in Shettleston, and the Empire in Larkhall before opening the Barrhead Pavilion. Afterwards he would go on on to open the Victoria, Uddingston and eventually the Pavilion in Hawick in 1913 for his Company Scott Theatres, which by then comprised of eight Theatres. He later went on to become the Managing Director of many other Theatres, including the Glasgow Pavilion.

Left - George Urie Scott in 1936 - From the Motherwell Times, 14th of August 1936.

Apart from Theatres Scott was also a keen Yachtsman who would live to the age of 80 years old, passing away on March the 23rd 1962. A search of the site for George Urie Scott will bring up many other mentions of his name throughout Scotland.

The Barrhead Picture Playhouse would go on to have a very successful career as a Cinema and Theatre providing Films and Variety for the local population for many years. It was later fitted out for Talking Pictures with an Electrocord sound system.

In 1935 the Theatre, by now known as the Pavilion, was altered to the designs of the architectural company McNair & Elder. They reconstructed the Theatre's Proscenium and enlarged and redecorated the Auditorium which could now seat 1,000 people, and installed a Western Electric sound system. The Theatre reopened on the 9th of September 1935.

In the 1960s the Theatre was bought by George Palmer and was renamed the George Cinema in April 1969 after some refurbishment and a reduction of the seating capacity. However, this proved to be its undoing and by December 1977 it had been closed down.

However, the Theatre was reopened by a local community theatre group called the Barrhead Arts Guild the following year giving the Theatre a short reprieve. They put on various events there such as talent shows, the Radio Clyde Road Show, and some local School Productions, but sadly this wasn't enough to keep the Theatre going and it was soon closed down and then demolished in the middle of the 1980s. An apartment Building was later constructed on its site.

Some of the later information for this Theatre was gleaned from the excellent Cinema Treasures Website.

If you have any more information or Images for this Theatre that you are willing to share please Contact me.