Mercia Bioscope No. 26
– special edition –

THE PARAMOUNT ASTORIAS
David Jones

This booklet traces the building and history of the four LONDON ASTORIA
Cinemas – the Brixton Astoria, the Old Kent Road Astoria, the Finsbury Park
Astoria and the Streatham Astoria.

<- front back ->

(Click on the front and back covers for larger images)

This booklet traces the building and history of the four LONDON ASTORIAS – Brixton, Old Kent Road, Finsbury Park, and Stretham. All were designed by E.A. Stone, F.S.I., with the assistance of T.R. ‘Tommy’ Somerford, A.R.I.B.A. (and Marc-Henri at Finsbury Park & G. Laverdet at Streatham Astoria).
All were built by the Picture House Trust Ltd. with A. Segal as Managing Director, and Stone as Chairman. (E.A. Stone also designed provincial Astorias (i.e. Southend) for a separate firm under E.A. Lyons.) In 1931 the London Astorias were bought by Paramount, which went on to build its seven provincial Paramounts to create a small English national circuit. Later, Oscar Deutsch bought into the circuit, and later still, under J. Arthur Rank, they were all taken into the C.M.A. and became Odeons.
Illustrated with contemporary and modern colour photographs.

A4 colour paper cover. Saddle stitched. 34pp inc. cover
£3.00 inc p+p.
Available from Administrator
Separate A4 index free