York & Crypt Bars, Orion Cinema and WHSmith Hastings photo by Anthony ‘Nan’ Morland

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photo © Anthony ‘Nan’ Morland

Pauline Richards… Was it the rubber shop just out of sight?

Alan Esdaile… don’t know if it was the rubber shop but if you mean coming down the road next to WH Smith, at this time it was ‘Jax’.

Pauline Richards… Oh. I thought it was either rubber coat shop or criterion cafe. Was Jax a boutique

Alan Esdaile… woman’s clothes shop I think?

Oliver Leonard… is that in the 80s?

Matt Thomas… I would say about 77/78 with Star Wars showing at the cinema

Wendy Weaver… Look at that car! I had one of those

Jan Warren… Which one Wendy? the Citroen DS? – beautiful cars!!

Angela Frances Gardner… ‘The Flea Pit!’

Tracy Birrell… I remember this well in the ’70’s.

Dennis Torrance… My mum worked there Orion cinema in late sixties pass she had greatly used by me and my mates . Got beer by pub next door smuggling it in there and leaving bottles in there . Next morning my mum got home Bad temper about louts drinking in there and beer bottles. I had to turn my head away as first I started laughing got told off but she never knew it was me and my mates . Feel terrible about it now but thanks for the photo which triggered the memory

Nick Prince…

Star Wars showed at the Classic in Queens Road for six weeks in 1977 and didn’t screen at the Orion until 1978, when the Orion ran it on three different occasions, the last of which was an eight day run, which finished on August 31st, 1978, the day it closed. It should be noted that the Orion was still profitable but due to the barring system at the time, the Orion could only get one release in five first run in Hastings, with the Classic getting the other four. The 1/5 bar of new releases to the Orion was infact put in place when the Curzon in St Leonard’s shut in 1977. The Curzon itself having the 1/5 bat before. Prior to January 1977 and for as far back as I know, the Orion had no new releases and in a previous proprietor’s words…. “This is why we show sex!” No one asked for a lecture on the film barring system in Hastings in the late 70’s but you got one I could go back to the 60s and earlier. Lol

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