Cleobury Mortimer Cinema and School Film Night

Saturday Afternoon Cinema in Cleobury

"Saturday afternoon cinema in Cleobury - I remember when they showed "Rock Around The Clock"

Michael Billings

Saturdays at the Boarding school we could take sandwiches and skip lunch to go more long distance places like Kidderminster, Bewdley, Bridgenorth, Ludlow, Clee Hills etc. Usually by bike or bus and be back for 6pm tea time. At other times you'd stay on the campus, reading, playing soccer, watching telly, playing guitar or just hanging out with friends. The nearest village was Cleobury Mortimer and you'd walk the three miles via Six Ashes or Cherry Orchard or take a short cut across the muddy Glen. sometimes it would be for the walk, the shops, to hang out and some had girlfriends in the village. Another attraction was the Saturday Cinema -

Michael Billings (who was at the school in the late fifties)

"Saturday afternoon cinema in Cleobury I remember well. When they showed "Rock Around The Clock" I think the whole school must have gone down as the cinema was packed. Can you all remember the sweet shop just before the church on the opposite side of the road? Always called in on my way to the pictures. Going back to school i used to catch the coach up to four oaks so I didn't have to walk back up the hill."

Tony Morgan (was at the school in the mid sixties) "I went down to the fliks and watched South Pacific!."



Rosemary Webb Rehill (Rosemary's Dad was the school bursar) "Tony, I remember seeing South Pacific on a Saturday afternoon in that cinema! Too funny! The owner used to call dad to see if the boys were coming down as he wouldn't open if they weren't."


Michael Billings  "The cinema in Cleobury was at the end of the High Street up a small jitty opposite the road to Tenbury Wells. When I visited Cleobury last in was an Antiques Center."

Formerly Cleobury Cinema - closed 1962
Michael Billings The Old Cinema closed in 1962 and it became the antiques Centre before the new facade was added when it became a private house.

Film shows at the School
Lauri Lindsay  "Saturday night in the Assembly hall for the movies."

Michael Billings "I remember the films in the hall which we had on Wednesdays. "Man Without a Star" - Kirk Douglas, "Richard III "- Laurence Olivier and "Harvey" - James Stewart are a few I remember."

Rosemary Webb Rehill  "I used to sit with the teachers on the stage. I remember watching a lot of WW2 movies."

Michael Billings "When i was there 1955-1958 they were always on Wednesday night. Might have changed the days for you young 'uns after i left."

Trev Teasdel  "The only Rock n Roll film we saw was Elvis Presley's  Loving You which by 1964 was about 7 years old (more recent than most of the others though - George Formby, Fred Astaire and the war films! - I didn't go to the cinema in Cleobury as far as I remember but 1965 i was in the school Cross Country team. We would often go to Coventry on a Saturday to run in the Memorial park. in the morning. In the afternoon we were free to stay in Cov until Sunday night. I either went with my dad to see Cov City play or to the cinema. I remember seeing two films at the Gaumont around that time Goldfinger - James Bond fever had begun and The Beatles in Help!"

Ralph Aldhous said...
Rosemary remembers Saturday night as film night in the assembly hall. I remember it as Wednesday. I can remember seeing Cruel Sea, Quo Vadis and Seven Samurai (my favourite by far): 
I remember seeing 'Journey to the centre of the earth' at the cinema.

Additional comments from facebook -  

Paul Nicholas Williamson
The film "Up in the world" with Norman Wisdom which is currently being shown on BBC 1 was the 

first film I saw at school in the assembly hall, why should I remember that !!! That was in 1958.

Peter Molesworth ‎"Zulu" was my first

Pete Day I can't remember many but I do remember 'Guns of Navarone'

Paul Rees Yes, Zulu was my first too. Must have watched it 100 times since and bought the dvd especially. My son loves it too.

Paul Nicholas Williamson  funny that "Zulu" was your first film as a mate of mine is an expert on the Zulu wars and are you aware that an eclipse of the sun was taking place during the battle and one more bit of useless information is that the company dog was called "Pip".

Bob Sutton Lord of the Flies was mine

Paul Rees Zulu was also not fought by a Welsh Regiment. It was a West Midlands Regiment of Foot and only a third of the soldiers were Welsh, even though the Reg was based in Brecon. Most of the battle was fought at night too. I don't think they had time to sing!!! One more attack by the Zulu's would have finished them but the Zulu's mostly older men were tired.

John Tearse I remember that film too Paul

Do you remember watching Battleship Potemkin with the soundtrack played by

Mr Partridge on the piano?

Rosemary Webb Rehill I remember a lot of war films . Oh and Bridge over the River Kwai.

Ralph Aldhous Cruel Sea. We did the book with grubby. I remember him commenting on the scene where they depth-charge the U-Boat hiding under the survivors. He said they would have done it as a matter of course. Our generation has been very lucky. So far.