Many historic and often beautiful cinemas have dotted the Furness landscape for the best part of a century.

As towns and villages have been re-developed, many of these have sadly disappeared or have been replaced.

Photographs in an online archive launched by the Barrow-based charity Signal Film and Media show some vintage theatres that have been captured by local photographers - the Sankeys.

The Mail: The first purpose-built Electric Theatre cinema pictured in 1957These included the very first purpose-built cinema in Barrow photographed in 1910. Called the Electric Threatre, this was located on Buccleuch Street and closed on June 20, 1957 - becoming a shop.

The very ornate Empire Picture Palace can also be seen from as early as 1917 with posters advertising The Seven Pearls, among other films.

The Palladium Cinema on Victoria Road, Ulverston is also pictured. Opened in 1920, it could hold 815 people and was fitted with a sound system in 1929 to show 'talkie' films.

It closed in October 1957 and was sadly demolished around 1965.

The Mail: Barrow's the Colliseum in 1938The Colliseum Theatre, formerly on the corner of Abbey Road and Rawlinson Street, opened in 1914 as a luxury cinema on the site of the Hippodrome.

It was damaged during the Barrow blitz in 1941 but was only closed for a fortnight.

Built in the great age of films in 1936, the Art Deco-style Ritz cinema can also be found in the archive.

It closed in February 1999 when the then-owners switched to the multiplex Apollo at Hollywood Park.

The Regal cinema is also pictured in 1938 with Ozzie Woods auction rooms on the right and the Regal bar on the left.

And last but not least, of course, there is the Roxy cinema in Ulverston which still stands today. It is pictured a year after being rebuilt in 1938 to a streamlined modern design.