Where Did Our Cinemas Go?
Currently, despite being the birthplace of one of the greatest film directors of all time, Alfred Hitchcock, E11 can’t boast a single cinema, not one. However, things were not always that way. In fact Leytonstone once boasted four large cinemas, how times have changed…
Rink Picture Palace/Rialto/Granada
Originally opened in October 1909 as a roller skating rink located next to St. John’s Church, Leytonstone. The owner, Mr. James White enlisted architect P. Cornish to convert the building into a cinema and ”The Rink Picture Palace” opened on 15th June, 1911.
Seating capacity, after some modification to the interior in 1913, was 1000 all on a single floor. The main entrance was next to Bearman’s department store on Leytonstone High Road and was reached via a long arcade.
In 1926 the cinema was purchased by Bernstein Theatres, a successful chain headed by Sidney Bernstein who, in 1921, had inherited control from his father, Alexander. The Cecil Masey and Theodore Komisarjevsky re-designed “Rialto” opened on 6th January, 1927.
Capacity had been increased to 1760, still all on one floor. Stage facilities and a cinema orchestra, including a Compton theatre organ, allowed for variety shows as well as films. The Compton from the Rialto is still in existence today – see www.wizardcompton.org.uk for further details.
The following year, the cinema was taken over by Denman/Gaumant Theatres Ltd, but still managed by Bernstein. In 1934 the seating capacity was again increased, this time to 1884.
War damage from a German bomb meant the cinema had to close for much of the year in 1945.
Granada Theatres (Sidney Bernstein famously started the Granada group of companies) took full control in 1965 and re-branded it as “The Granada Leytonstone”. The downturn in audience numbers during the 1970′s forced closure of the cinema on 17th April 1964. The building was demolished and the site was taken over by Bearman’s to be used as a car park.
In 1984, Bearman’s itself went the way of the dodo and was demolished too. The whole area was re-developed and was for many years occupied by the infamous (for all the wrong reasons) Co-Op store. When the big Tesco supermarket opened in Leytonstone, the Co-Op basically gave up the ghost and sold the site to Matalan, who are still there.
The Rex
Run by ABC Cinemas and located across the High Street from Lincolns Pub – a block of flats now occupies the site. The cinema itself closed in 1960, but the building was gutted and converted into a ten-pin bowling alley. That closed in 1972 and the building lay derelict for a number of years before being demolished.
This was a large cinema with a nice art deco interior and seating on two levels, 1174 in the stalls and 780 in the circle.
Premier Electric Theatre/The State
This is the only building still actually standing – after a number of years as a snooker hall, it was put up for sale and is now some sort of function hall.
Opening in 1910 as “The Premier Electric Theatre” with seating for 710, it ran successfully until 1938, when it was closed for re-construction work. Renowned cinema architect George Coles was employed, refurbishing in an art-deco style. It re-opened as “The State Cinema” in the same year with a seating capacity of 600.
Bomb damage forced closure between 1940 and 1943.
The doors were closed for the last time as a full time cinema in 1961, after which it was mainly used for bingo, with occasional films also being shown. Over the years the cinema seems to have developed a slightly seedy reputation, showing more adult-oriented films.
The Academy/Century Cinema
Situated opposite The Plough and Harrow Pub on Leytonstone High Road, ”The Academy” opened in 1913. Seating capacity was 650 on a single floor. Operated by Scriven and Huxtable, it was later enlarged to accommodate 1100 and given a facelift, re-opening as “The New Academy”.
In 1954, Granada Theatres took it over, employing architect George Coles to oversee renovations. The following year it re-opened as the “Century Cinema” . As audiences dwindled, Bingo was introduced on Thursday nights in 1962 and films stopped being shown altogether the following year. It was converted into a full-time Bingo Hall, closing completely in 1983. Demolition followed, with the site being sold to developers – a block of flats now stands there.
The Future?
At the moment, there’s no sign of Leytonstone ever getting its own cinema again – in fact, the whole of Waltham Forest is without one following the closure in 2003 of the EMD in Walthamstow. There is some hope though, The Leytonstone Film Club kicked off at last years Leytonstone Festival, attracting a lot of interest. They show both modern and classic films on the first Wednesday of every month in Leytonstone Library. Recent screenings include “The Counterfeiters”, “Persepolis”, “Man on Wire” and “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Their website can be found at www.leytonstonefilmclub.com.
We do also have cinemas in our neighbouring boroughs of Newham and Redbridge - Stratford’s “Picture House” is pretty good and probably most peoples choice if they want to see a film locally. In the other direction, it’s worth trying “The Odeon” at South Woodford – decent screens with plenty of restaurants and watering holes close by.
Ivory Mansion (The State) is an Asian wedding venue – it looks a lot nicer than the fleabitten old snooker hall.
They say you can never go back, where is the Leytonstone I grew up in? only in my memories and my heart. I loved the cinema’s would go twice a week or more, I remeber the Rialto was where the British Legion held the Carnival queen competion, and being one of the contestants up on stage one year. And the Saturday morning kids shows, “I was a Ranger from the Ri”
The Rex I would go there some Saturday mornings, The State was at the bottom of Park Grove Road, where I lived, and the Academy at Harrow Green close to where my Nan lived only her street is now a block of flat’s, going home now is like going to a different place. Ah the good old days!.
Oh! How I remember the Rialto. I was a Rialto Ranger and went every Saturday morning, the highlight of my week. Then when teenage years came around, went there with my boyfriend at least once a week. When we saw the trailer of the film coming the next week, it made us eager to see that film too. Many a courting couple went to the Ri for a snog in the dark,
After leaving school in 1955 I worked as a trainee projectionist at the Rialto. It was part of my job to cycle,twice a night to the Century Cinema with the shared newsreel film. During my time there I projected many films that are now considered”classics”. I remember we showed”The King And I” for 3 weeks. At the end of that time I knew every song backwards also most of the dialogue. I later(in the 1960s) worked at the A.B.C. bowling alley as a pinspotter engineer. Unfortunatley those days are long gone. I particularly miss the bowling alley having madse many friends there. Lost track of all of them now. Ah well! life goes on.