Description:The ABC Cinema in 1979 on the site of what is now MacDonalds drive-in restaurant at the junction of Lee Bank Middleway and the Bristol Road. Showing that day in 1979 were "Monty Python's Life Of Brian", "Star Trek The Motion Picture", and "Apocalypse Now".
Local resident Margaret Millard remembers The Bristol" "Saturday morning was my task taking nieces and nephews to the cinema". This was for the Saturday morning picture shows so fondly remembered by many cinema goers.
On this site one hundred years ago were about four buildings. At No.1 was the Edgbaston Conservative Club which remained until 1933 when it became the Order of The Shield Of David – Simon Westkosky, Lodge 63. Kelly’s Trade Directory for Birmingham lists another property here occupied by different surgeons up until 1936 when the site was cleared for the building of the cinema.
The Bristol Cinema was built for Mr A.W. Rogers of the Victorian Playhouse in Aston. It took thirty weeks to build, despite it’s progress being delayed for six weeks due to inclement weather. It was officially opened on May 16th 1937 by F.J.L. Hickinbotham JP. The first films shown there were “The Luckiest Girl In The World” and “A Land Without Music”. The building was designed to a nautical theme – there was a lighthouse on the top with coloured lamps flashing on and off and it was described as “having gold Bristol Ships in low relief on the walls with doors that would not have been out of place on the Queen Mary”.
The cinema was the first in Birmingham to show a 3D film, “Flaming Arrow” was viewed through special glasses supplied by the management. At the end of each showing the glasses were collected and sterilised for the next showing. It also had Birmingham’s only Cinerama screen in 1963 showing “How The West Was Won”. In 1972 the Bristol was modernised and converted to a three screen cinema.
Following the closure of the Bristol Cinema, an application was made by McDonalds in April 1987 to build a free-standing restaurant with drive through facilities on the site. At first the application was refused on the grounds that the appearance of the proposed building was not in context with the surroundings, but an appeal was allowed in October 1988 and approval granted.