The Palais de Luxe at 17-19 Great Windmill Street opened in December 1910, on the edge of Soho near Piccadilly Circus. The building was originally designed as a carriage-builder’s showroom, with workshops on the floors above, although it had been extensively remodelled in an effort to attract well-to-do West End audiences.1 However, by the end of… Continue Reading
In the late 1920s, the Avenue Pavilion at 101 Shaftesbury Avenue (previously the Shaftesbury Pavilion) became one of the first and most influential ‘art’ cinemas in London. In 1927, it was sold by Israel Davis to the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation, along with other cinemas in the Davis family circuit. Stuart Davis, one of Israel’s sons,… Continue Reading
The main hall at 307 Regent Street had a close connection with moving pictures, having hosted the first commercial film show in London on 21 February 1896.1 Originally constructed as part of the Royal Polytechnic Institution, the hall was remodelled several times over the following decades (in 1912 and 1927), hosting more film shows, including Alfred… Continue Reading
The Embassy Theatre at nos 210-211 High Holborn, previously known as the Holborn Cinema, originally opened on 15 October 1910 and seated just under 500 people, with a tea lounge on the ground floor.1 Situated outside the main West End entertainment district, Holborn boasted its own, smaller cluster of venues, which eventually included the Holborn… Continue Reading
