by admin — published on January 24th, 2008
The Granada Tooting was opened in 1931 to much fanfare and is regarded by many as the most opulent Cinema in Britain. It has a striking exterior tower enlivening an otherwise non-descript south London suburb but it is the gothic interior that takes the breath away. The icing on the cake was the provision of a 4 Manual 12 Rank Wurlitzer Theatre Organ, imported from America.
Ken Roe has written a potted history of the building which can be found over at Cinema Treasures. There is also a Wikipedia entry devoted to the interior designer, Theodore Komisarjevsky
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by admin — published on January 21st, 2008
Photographs from the 2007 AGM, held at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London, by courtesy of the General Manager, Graham Sykes.
Photos by Mervyn Gould.
Committee members (Left to Right)- Ian Grey (Treasurer/Webmaster), Paul Smith (Bioscope Editor) Frank Wright, Frank Manders, Kate Taylor (Chairman).
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by admin — published on January 21st, 2008
MERCIA CINEMA SOCIETY
MINUTES of the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2007
held at the Prince of Wales’ Theatre on Saturday 1 December at 1.15
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by admin — published on January 19th, 2008
BASINGSTOKE ENTERTAINED Mervyn Gould, Mercia Cinema Society, 2007
Jeremy Buck – CTA Bulletin Jan/Feb 2008
This new publication from the Mercia Cinema Society is a comprehensive review of the theatres and cinemas in this Hampshire town. Basingstoke has never had a purpose-built theatre, live entertainment taking place in an assortment of converted premises, including the former Corn Exchange which has evolved through a period as the Union Cinemas’ Grand to become today’s Haymarket Theatre. A new concert hall, the Anvil, was opened in 1994. There have been several cinema buildings including, in the 1930s, the Waldorf, the Savoy and the Plaza, which from the pictures here appeared to be fine, modern buildings with art-deco interiors. Alas, they have all now gone and today’s cinema-goers have two multiplexes to visit, the Vue and the Odeon (a rebranded Warner). Mervyn takes us through the fascinating history of these buildings in his usual enjoyable style and there are many good pictures and also reproductions of press advertising and posters. Thoroughly recommended. Read the rest of this entry »
by admin — published on January 19th, 2008
(Update- now despatched)
The February 2008 edition of Mercia Bioscope has now been proofed and approved for the printer.
106 contents - Read the rest of this entry »
