Skip over navigation

NEN Gallery

NEN Gallery
Home / Culture and Heritage / First Garden City Heritage Museum / Letchworth Buildings / Broadway Cinema / Broadway screen from the balcony
Asset 1 of 1 Previous Asset [ 1 ] Next Asset   [Slideshow]

Broadway screen from the balcony

Show/Hide_Details
Download:

640 x 452
4131 x 2921

Unique Id:

658786

This item is saved in one of your albums. Click to remove it.. My Albums

The Broadway Cinema was designed by Letchworth architects Bennett & Bidwell in an attractive Art-Deco style, and built by Howard Hurst in red-brick and concrete, which was cast on site. The massive expanse of brickwork – the building required some 350,000 bricks – was broken by patterned concrete blocks framing the intricate traceried windows. Externally, this ‘dignified’ building was lit by huge red and blue neon lights.

The Cinema was opened on August 26th 1936 with a black-tie gala performance of ‘Follow The Fleet’ starring Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. The choice of films not only brought a bit of Hollywood glamour to the Garden City but also demonstrated the auditorium’s near-perfect acoustics.

Over 1,400 people crammed in on that opening night, with many more left queuing outside, and they would have been dazzled by more than just Fred and Ginger’s dancing!

The décor, designed by a specialist cinema interior designer, was finished in a stunning peacock and gold colour scheme, which was complemented by the smart matching uniforms of the usherettes.

Further glittering style was achieved by nearly 200 lights in the ceiling and concealed lamps on every other seat.

There was an octagonal foyer with free cloakrooms and an astonishing ventilation system, which purified and temperature-controlled air drawn in from outside. In these innovations The Broadway outshone even some new London cinemas.

Added:
13th Aug 2009

Subjects:
Art and Design, Citizenship, Geography, History

Key Stages:
Foundation, Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2, Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4, Key Stage 4+

Keywords:
cinema, Letchworth, 1930s, Art Deco

Related Links:

EXIF data:

National Education Network
Developed by E2BN for the National Education Network
E2B® and E2BN® are registered trade marks and trading names of East of England Broadband Network (Company Registration No. 04649057)