Wallsend, High Street East, Borough Theatre

The Borough or Boro Theatre opened in 1909 decorated in red plush, ornate plasterwork with a white marble staircase. An earlier theatre, the Theatre Royal (known as the Corned Beef Tin) in Portugal Place had burnt down four years earlier. Davison and James designed the Boro. It was built by the owner Councillor Joseph Duffy, who was elected Mayor of Wallsend in November 1909. He died whilst in office in July 1910. The theatre was later converted to a cinema and was bought by the Gaumont chain in 1946. It closed in 1960 and re-opened as a bingo hall in 1962. The lower floor and foyer became an amusement arcade. LOCAL LIST