Theatres in Crystal Palace, London (original) (raw)
The Everyman Cinema - The Albany Cinema
Also See - The Crystal Palace, Sydenham Hill and Hyde Park, London
The Everyman, 25 Church Road, Crystal Palace, London
Formerly - The Rialto Cinema / Granada Cinema / Granada Bingo Club / Gala Bingo
Above - The Everyman Cinema, Crystal Palace, in May 2023 - Photo M.L.
The Everyman Cinema is situated on Church Road in Crystal Palace, London and first opened as the Rialto Cinema on the 6th of October 1928. Equipped with a small stage and a cafe for its patrons the Theatre was designed by its owner A. C. Matthews who would also go on to design and build the Albany Cinema next door two years later in 1930.
The Rialto would later be taken over by Granada Theatres LTD., in 1949, they modernised the Theatre to the designs of the noted Cinema Architect George Coles and renamed it the Granada Theatre in September 1950.
In 1967 the Theatre started including Bingo sessions along with its film programming for a short while but the following year, in June 1968, it went over to full time Bingo as a Granada Bingo Club and ran as such for several decades, but it was later taken over by Gala Bingo in May 1991 who then operated it until its final closure in June 2009.
Right - A Google StreetView Image of Gala Bingo, Crystal Palace in June 2008 - Click to Interact.
The Theatre was then put up for sale and eventually bought by the Kingsway International Christian Centre who planned to use it as one of their churches but local opposition and the Council refusing them planning permission meant that the plans never went ahead. There was plenty of interest in the building from local Cinema Operators but the Church held onto the building for years until finally relenting in January 2018 when it was sold to the Everyman Chain who converted it into a four screen Cinema opening on the 15th of November 2018.
Today the Cinema is doing very well and looks lovely, it has four screens, the largest of which is Screen 2 which is situated in the front stalls area of the former Theatre, seating 148. Screen 1 is situated in the former rear stalls of the Theatre and seats 50, Screen 3, also situated in the former rear stalls, seats 40, and then Screen 4, seating 75, is situated in the former Circle of the Theatre.
Some of the information on this Theatre was gleaned from the excellent Cinema Treasures Website.
If you have any more information or Images for this Theatre that you are willing to share please Contact me.
The Albany Cinema, 18 Church Road, Crystal Palace
Later - The Century Cinema
Above - The former Albany Cinema, Crystal Palace, in May 2023 - Photo M.L.
The Albany Cinema was designed by its owner A. C. Matthews who had previously designed and built the next door Rialto Cinema in 1928, today an Everyman Cinema. The Albany Cinema opened on Saturday the 18th of January 1930 and was built to house Talking Pictures and "Singing Productions" and was to be programmed with different films to Matthew's next door Rialto.
The Norwood News reported on the imminent opening of the Albany in their 10th of January 1930 edition saying:- 'We are informed that the new Albany Cinema will open its doors to the public on Saturday, January 18. The Albany has been designed and built especially for showing the best talking and singing productions, and neither trouble nor expense has been spared in the furnishing and decorations to make it the most comfortable theatre in London.
An entirely different programme from that shown at the Rialto will be presented each week, and residents of Norwood and the surrounding districts will thus be enabled to see two entirely different programmes in their own district every week.
Doors will open daily, as in the case of the Rialto, at 1.45 p.m., and a continuous performance will be given from 2 o'clock until 10 30pm.
On Saturday, January 18. for one day only, "The Glad Rag Doll" will be shown. The stars in this picture are Dolores Costello, Albert Gran and Claude Gillingwater. It is an amusing and entertaining romantic comedy which serves to show Dolores Costello to be as competent in comedy roles as she is in serious drama. The picture is all talking except in a few of the scenes where dialogue would have held up the action. In support of this picture is "High Society," a romantic drama starring Laura La Plante, John Boles and Huntley Gordon.'
The above text in quotes was first published in the Norwood News, 10th of January 1930.
The Albany Cinema had first opened on the 18th of Janaury 1930 and was designed as a single level space with seating in just the Stalls. It was taken over by Excelsior Cinemas in 1937 who had it altered to the designs of the architect C. Edmund Wilford now with a redcuced seating capacity of 970. The Cinema was later operated by Medway Cinemas but at the outbreak of war in 1939 it was requisitioned by the Government to be used as a warehouse for storing food supplies.
In 1949 the Theatre was bought by the Granada Theatres Chain who had the Theatre redesigned by the noted Cinema Architect George Coles, who was also redesigning the Rialto Next door at the same time. The former Albany then reopened as the Century Cinema on the 26th of December 1950. Granada Theatres then continued to run the Cinema unitl May 1958 when it was closed and put up for sale.
Right - A Google StreetView Image of the former Albany Cinema, Crystal Palace in June 2008 - Click to Interact.
After a few years Selhurst Park Garages bought the building, gutted it, and used it as a Car Showroom, later to be called S. G. Smith Motors. Later still the building was used by a Funeral Director from 2009, but by November 2013 it had been closed down completely and has remained in this unused state until today.
Some of the information on this Theatre was gleaned from the excellent Cinema Treasures Website.
If you have any more information or Images for this Theatre that you are willing to share please Contact me.