Peter Yates' Tyneside Cinema Mural: Photographs
25 10, 09 Topic: Peter Yates
Light and Shadows on the Wall; Improving Amusements by Peter Yates
Photographs detailing the recently conserved Peter Yates mural at the Tyneside Cinema
Peter Yates painting the Tyneside Cinema Mural in 1976
The Tyneside Cinema Mural depicting the potted history of cinema was restored and reopened in April 2009. Painted in 1976 as part of the refurbishment of the Club Cinema, the mural was boxed in and 'lost' in the 1990s. It was rediscovered in late 2006 by Conservation Architect Cyril Winskell and his team of developers.
A grant was sought from the Pilgrim Trust and together with support from Ryder Architects, the mural was cut from the cinema wall where it had been home for almost thirty five years. Since the mural was painted directly onto the plaster, it was necessary to chop the wall out in huge sections, reinforce them and store them off-site until the new cinema wall was ready to accept it.
It's new home, the 144 seat Electra Theatre was built on a new fourth floor, above the pre-existing building. The huge mural blocks were returned to the Tyneside Cinema and set into the wall of the new cinema. Extensive conservation took place in early 2009 to ready the mural for it's launch. The newly restored mural was unveiled on 23rd April 2009 by the Lord Mayor of Newcastle at a special event. The evening also served as a launch party for the Rutter Carroll book about Ryder and Yates.
Many thanks to The Tyneside Cinema Management for allowing me to photograph the mural
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