The Cinema Ashford

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Uploaded on: December 4, 2022

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‘The Cinema’ opened Saturday 14th January 1936. Architect was Edward Jackson. this was the only cinema works he ever carried out. Jackson completely modernised the old De Luxe cinema that had stood on this site since 24th June 1912. He transformed the exterior with an Art Deco streamline look and engaged Mollo & Egan to carry out similar modern designs internally. Their main auditorium featured coved lighting, gilded foliate splay wall grilles with leaf motifs on the side walls, the colour scheme was finished in gold, maroon and rust with seating for 1,000 The above 1936 photograph shows the exterior during the screening of Top Hat. Lined along the front pavement are uniformed staff, behind and under the canopy advertising displays of the Fred Astaire film complete with a large montage of Astaire gazing down through the semi circular window above at patrons passing through the entrance. Looking at the new cinema there was no over canopy advertising display board showing the current film being screened, however, there was an abundance of neon outlining the building complete with graduating neon hoops running up the mast fixed above the corrugated tower.

Ron Knee