Remember the balcony seats, especially the never used Royal Boxes. Do you have any details of the JOKE SHOP owned by Harry Harris, bought my first comic there?

Re the Albert Cinema, yes, the seats upstairs in the Circle were much better than those in the Stalls.
All I remember of the joke shop was that it was at the bottom end, nearest the staiths, of Ravensworth Road, on the east side and was of wooden construction. It was open in the early post-war years, exact date not known. Harry Harris got a lot of his stock from fire sales, that is after a fire, any undamaged goods would be sold off cheap.
He later had a shop at the corner of Ravensworth Road opposite the Dun Cow, and once lived in Duckpool Lane, near the Crowley pub, halfway between Dunston and Swalwell.

Just to confirm the wooden Joke Shop owned by Harry Harris was on Ravensworth Road oposite the junction of Victoria Street, started as a Comic Swap Shop. He then moved further down Ravensworth Road approximately 2 or 3 shops from the Cross Keys. The shop he took over was Shephards Shoe Shop. He then moved across the road which was a draper shop and is now a Pizza shop, before moving to Laws Stores shop at the top of Ravensworth Road, opposite the Dun Cow.

The Albert hall which closed in 1960 was reopened approximately 1964 as a Dance Hall with Bands at weekends, and was called Dunston Casino. The seats on the balcony were used to hang your coats over.

David,
Thanks for the information about Harry Harris's shops.

Harry Harris's wooden joke shop was the next building to Cattericks garage where i worked as an apprentice motor mechanic in the 1960s which then moved to the old fire fire station Dunston Road which I purchased in 1988 which I now trade as the Jet filling station Dunston.

Harry Harris also used to live in Redesdale Gardens in a bungalow in the 1960s. Harry passed away in the 1980s at a property which I previously owned; 37 Ravensworth Rd.
David Cummings

David, thanks for the further information about Harry Harris.