Lyceum Cinema:
An example of streamlined 'moderne' architecture, a late art deco style of architecture. With curves and long horizontal lines which give the building a series of bandings, the look is sleek reflecting the 1930s ship and motor vehicle design where streamlining came to the fore and the look became the epitome of modernity and sophistication.
Sited in the heart of Govan the Lyceum sweeps around the corner of Govan Road and down McKechnie Street giving a full vista of the south and east sweeping elevations from the east approach from Govan Road. The curved frontage has a large set of windows which are currently covered by a large printed screen showing an image of the building in its heyday. The five sets of entrance doors sit beneath the glazing and are flanked by tiled areas which stretch down the full length of the south and east elevations. Above these ceramic clad areas the walls are faced with red brick. The rear of the building like so many buildings has a simple design as it is not the 'public face' of the building and hence here is roughcast and windowless.
Designed by architects C.J. McNair and Elder, the Lyceum opened in 1938. Virtually 50 years later in 1974 it was converted to house both a bingo hall and cinema. The building finally closed in 2006 and has sat empty since then in gradual decline. Category B listed.

street address: 908 Govan Road, Glasgow, G51 3AF
Latitude / Longitude: 55.863916,-4.314826 (sourced using Google Maps)

view up the west end of the south elevation

south elevation onto Govan Road

security grille on the south elevation

view west along the south elevation

the first of the five entrance doors under the sweeping canopy

curved glazing turning the corner of Govan Road and onto McKechnie Street

frontage curvature sweeps down onto McKechnie Street

photograph of the printed canvas stretched over the frontage glazing, the pattern of the glazing behind can be seen through the material to the top right of the image

corner location

east elevation onto McKechnie Street

view down the building's east elevation with the long horizontal lines zooming away from the viewer. Within the curved boundary wall the building protrudes upward with a brick box seen to the right of the photograph ascending from the top of the building.

exit doorway on the east elevation

horizontal banding on the east elevation

three colours of glazed tiles topped by deep red horizontal banding stretch around the building's frontage

view south, back down the east elevation towards Govan Road.

north elevation, plain and windowless and roughcast

north-west corner




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