Savoy was upmarket, Floral Hall the ‘flea pit’

MAY I add my four pen’orth to the ongoing saga of which cinema was actually called the “flea pit”.

I well remember Leicester and its beautiful buildings in the 50s and 60s before so many were wantonly destroyed, or neglected until they were unsightly ruins (where were the city fathers?).

We had many wonderful cinemas and two columns nightly in the Leicester Mercury telling us what we could choose to watch.

However, my point is this, the original Savoy was a very upmarket, comfortable cinema. No-one would have dreamed of referring to it as the “flea pit”.

For those who remember, there were two other places of entertainment in close proximity, The Palace Theatre which had live acts (I remember a very young Julie Andrews appearing with her father, Ted Andrews) and there was a third building, the Floral Hall Cinema, which I remember was nicknamed the “flea pit”.

It would be wonderful if us oldies could relate some of our memories of old Leicester and buildings which are no longer here.

J Tansley, Barrow upon Soar