The Heeley Coliseum, London Road, Heeley Bottom

22nd of June 2004 - the site of the former Heeley Coliseum Cinema 43 years after the demolition of the cinema. The site has been in constant use ever since.

The Heeley Coliseum was a small cinema opened 1913. It held only around 600 including the balcony.
The first sound film was shown in 1931 after the installation of sound equipment. Land next door was aquired for expansion and then in 1935 during 2 months closure it was partially rebuilt and expanded to around 900 seats and the frontage redesigned to provide a more suitable entrance.
In 1955 the screen was expanded, and cinemascope format was shown from 1956 onwards, but by this time people were not as regular in their visits to cinemas and the Heeley Coliseum closed and was demolished in 1961.

By 1969, there were several shops on the site the bulk being a fine fayre supermarket

447 John Weston - Newsagent (Next Door, Now A Curtain Shop 2004)
451 Fine Fare - Supermarket
457 E Parkins - Butcher
459 Timpson - shoe shop

The site must have been cleared and rebuilt again, because in 2004 the building is a large engineering tool store listed at number 453 which has been there for at least a decade. As already mentioned, the curtain shop next door is 447. Where the advertising hordings are on the corner, is certainly enough room for a small shop. Maybe that was where the Timpsons store was.

The large red building on the left hand side, is Langton's snooker hall, which has been there for a considerable time. In contemporary photos of the cinema's heyday you can see this building right next to the cinema. You can see the little round vent in the front of the roof in those pictures.

You can see old pictures of Heeley in the collection of photos which are housed in the sheffield local studies collection. Some of the collection is now available on line. Press here for PictureSheffield.com although I haven't found any Heeley Coliseum pictures on there just yet, They exist as I have seen them in local history books and I believe they still have more to put on there.