The Bug Hut on Lawn Street: Remembering Paisley’s Rink and Astoria Cinema
Long before multiplexes, reclining seats and overpriced popcorn, cinema-going in Paisley could be a far more intimate — and occasionally itchy — experience. Few places capture that better than the long-demolished Rink, later known as the Astoria cinema, which once stood on Lawn Street.
The story of the cinema begins in 1909, when the former Arnott’s furniture store was converted into the Rink Picture House. At a time when moving pictures were still a novelty, the Rink offered local audiences a chance to escape into flickering black-and-white worlds, often accompanied by live music and the hum of excited chatter. Like many early cinemas, it was basic, packed, and hugely popular.
Over time, the venue became better known as the Astoria, a grander name that perhaps promised more glamour than the building could realistically deliver. Among locals, however, it earned a far less flattering — though far more memorable — nickname: the “bug hut.”
The origins of the name are not hard to imagine. The Astoria was notorious for squeezing large numbers of children into its seats, especially during Saturday matinees. Packed tightly together, coats piled on laps, personal space was a luxury no one expected. According to local lore, the real discomfort came after the show, when patrons would emerge scratching and itching, convinced that fleas had been enthusiastically hopping between unkempt youngsters in the tightly packed rows. Whether the infestation was real or exaggerated by memory, the nickname stuck — and has outlived the cinema itself.
Despite its reputation, the Astoria played a genuine role in Paisley’s social life, especially for working-class families who saw cinema as an affordable escape. It screened the popular films of the day, newsreels, comedies and melodramas that offered brief relief from daily routines.
One surviving photograph of the cinema captures a moment frozen in time. Flags and bold headlines adorn the frontage, marking the accession of Edward VIII to the throne in 1936. Prominently displayed posters advertise Educated Evans, a British comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring Max Miller. Set in the world of horse racing, the film has since gained a curious place in cinema history — it is now considered lost, with no known surviving copies.
That fact lends the image an extra layer of intrigue. While the Astoria itself has long vanished, who’s to say that somewhere in Paisley — perhaps in a dusty loft or forgotten cupboard — a reel of Educated Evans isn’t still waiting to be rediscovered?
The cinema’s days were numbered by the late 1950s. In 1958, the Astoria was demolished, another casualty of changing entertainment habits and urban redevelopment. Today, the site is occupied by the entrance to Abbey View — though for many locals, it will always be remembered as the car park entrance to Arnott’s.
Nothing remains of the building itself, but its memory lingers in stories, photographs, and affectionate nicknames passed down through generations. The Rink, the Astoria, the bug hut — whatever name you prefer — was part of a time when cinema-going was noisy, communal, slightly chaotic, and occasionally uncomfortable.
And perhaps that’s why it’s remembered so fondly. Long after the scratches faded, the stories stayed.
Paisley Photographs 