One of the earliest cinemas in Blantyre was the Electric Theatre. The first class electric theatre was opened in the Old Masonic Hall in 1910 on the north side of Glasgow Road at the corner of Forrest Street. The hall better known as the Livingstonian Hall, proved a very popular local rendezvous, and received a large amount of patronage.
An account in December 1910 in the ‘Hamilton Herald and Lanarkshire Weekly News” said, “The hall has undergone a complete transformation, and the electric plant which has been installed is of the latest type, while the equipment and furnishings are of the most modem pattern. The pictures to be shown will be of the up-to-date kind, and will comprise both humorous and dramatic subjects, while, in addition, smart variety turns will also be introduced. The picture programme will be changed nightly and popular prices will be charged. Matinees will be held every Saturday.”
The cinema was situated above what became the Livingstonia Public House, though burned down, the devastation causing the whole upper floor of the building to later be removed. Pictured a few years earlier before opening.
