This is the circuit assembly hall I attended since childhood. If you're a JW and you grew up in Liverpool, Lancashire or Manchester then this is the hall you attended. When i was little i remember the decor inside being red and cream coloured. But they did a major renovation in the early 00s in shades of green and gold.
Originally known as The Forum Cinema, on the corner of Palatine Road and Longley Lane, Northenden. It was opened on 22nd November 1934, and was a project of the independent Forum Cinema Company.
The building is designed in a
stylish ‘Jazz Modern’ Art Deco style and has seating (1,904 seats) in
stalls and circle. It was equipped with a Wurlitzer 3Manual/8Rank
theatre organ. The Wurlitzer came from the Cameo Theatre, Cleveland,
Ohio, USA. It also had a fully equipped stage and large stage house and
dressing rooms, which in the early years hosted an annual pantomime.
There was also a ballroom and a cafe upstairs. The first lessee of the
Forum was E.M. Burns of Cheadle.
From 15th April 1936 the Forum was
taken over by Associated British Cinemas(ABC) It was re-named ABC in
February 1964 and was advertised as the ABC Wythenshawe, though it
remained popularly known as the Forum. For many years the Forum was
where teenage boys and young men invited their girlfriends for a night
out. In the days before going Dutch and sharing and sexist overtones and
parents deciding that their daughters better not rely on payment from a
male, males were expected to fund such a night out. Popular movies
could see queues stretching back almost to the bus stop at Princess
Parkway. The ABC closed on 23rd February 1974 with Bruce Lee in “Fist of
Fury” being the last movie shown. (I bet a lot of JWs dont know that!)
The building was used for several years as a live theatre,
known as the Forum Theatre. It was taken over and became an Assembly
Hall for the Jehovah’s Witnesses who have been custodians of
what is now a Grade II Listed building. In all fairness, they've kept it very well.
There was an upper deck which was usually closed of in the morning session in order to try and fill up the lower section first (it never worked). Getting a seat up there was a dream come true because you could easily fall asleep and no one would notice. As a child my family never sat at the top. But as soon as i was old enough and dating i always made sure i sat up there. I even picked up a girl in the back row during the session one time!
I always wondered what the deal was with the wierd shapes on the wall. Was that part of the original decor? Oftentimes when i was bored i'd try to make out what it could be. I wondered if it was an abstract Jehovah sitting on his throne.
It used to be equipped with a kitchen too and up until the mid 90s they used to sell hot food and drinks in during the lunch break. That was scrapped because "the sisters (note, sisters, not brothers) cooking the food are missing out on the spiritual food during the sessions". Of course, after i left the borg i learned it was for tax saving reasons.
Unfortunately, there was nowhere to go during the lunch break. Down the road there used to be a Woolworths so virtually every young one would walk there, buy chocs/sweets and walk back. But it closed in the late 90s and there was nothing but furniture shops a newsagents and a Tescos.
All in all, a lovely building. And i do have some nice memories visiting the place. But have absolutely no memory of a single talk given there. Says a lot doesnt it?