The Star Cinema, Ecclesall Road Sheffield

This picture has been drawn for me by Jett Sawicki, a local freelance artist, press logo for more >

The Star Picture House was one of two cinemas on sheffield's Ecclesall Road. The other being the Greystones Picture Palace. It was situated on the junction of Ecclesall road and William Street, and there is a large filling station on the site today, (July 2004).

Around ten properties are shown and two seperate back yards, with outbuildings.Very different from today, a century, later with a wide dual carriageway 6 lane Ecclesall road skirted with modern flats and leafy trees, the area of the early 1900s was two huge breweries and terraced houses in every direction as far of the eye could see, with a much narrower Ecclesall road.
During the whole of the first world war the Star Picture House was slowly built, and finally opened in December 1915. It had a tea room, Lounges and billiard saloon

On the first night of the Sheffield Blitz, during the second world war, the building suffered a direct hit, the bomb didn't go off. But caused damage to the roof, the projection booth and destroyed the billiard saloon completely. As a result the building was closed for 9 months while it was made fit for repoening. Due to the damage, the building lost it's corner pillared tower and greek urns from the edges of the roof.

You can see old pictures of the area 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