But how many have you heard of? Thanks to the help of the Hartlepool Museum Service and the Hartlepool Library Service, we can share some wonderful pictures from times gone by.
There’s the Gaumont and the Gaiety, the Palladium and the Northerns. Had you heard of the Westies or maybe the Lex?
How about the Hartlepool picture house which never opened? We have them all.
So take a look and find out more about Hartlepool’s picture past.
1. The Comet
The Comet Cinema was at the junction of Thorpe Street and Old Cemetery Road. It was taken over by the Ministry of Food early in the Second World War and after the war there were plans for it to re-open but they never materialised. Photo courtesy of Hartlepool Museum Service. Photo: other 3rd party
2. The Palladium
The Palladium Theatre on Northgate which was originally the Theatre Royal and was renamed the Palladium during the First World War. Photo courtesy of the Hartlepool Library Service collection. Photo: hm
3. The Queens
A 1960s picture of the Queens Cinema in Lumley Street. Photo courtesy of the Hartlepool Museum Service. Photo: other 3rd party
4. The Northerns
The Northerns was in York Road and stood where the Central Library is now. Photo courtesy of Hartlepool Museum Service. Photo: other 3rd party