A. E. Pickard lived in Glasgow until the end of his days in 1964. He was very well known as a cinema proprietor, as he used his fame as an eccentric to attract audiences, and staged many stunts and pranks for publicity.
People also knew him as a landlord - as he owned a huge number of properties in Glasgow, including many tenements in working-class areas of the city.
There are as many stories and legends about Pickard as there are about the Panopticon and his other venues. We are trying to collect these stories and we would like to hear from you!