Savoy Cinema Petersfield

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Cinema Architects Kemp & Tasker were engaged to build the new Savoy cinema Petersfield by the Filer Circuit Southsea Ltd., Managing Director Hyman Filer, to compliment his cinemas in Littlehampton, Bordon and Farnborough. The purchased sites of the former Electric cinema and Swan Inn on a large corner plot of Chapel Street and Swan Street were demolished for the new Savoy cinema opening Monday 12th August 1935. Main contractors for construction works were Pitchers Ltd., Holloway London. Leslie Kemp was to include in his design, a cinema seating 900, restaurant seating 125 and below at street level a Bank, the Savoy cinema entrance was from Swan Street. The Restaurant and Cafe had two entrances the main entrance from Chapel Street next to the bank whilst a second entrance was from the cinema circle foyer, the restaurant proved popular,surviving until 1962. After closure the restaurant became offices, with the entrance from the cinema sealed off. In 1978 the Filer family sold the Savoy cinema to Spedeworth International, the bank and offices above sold separately to National Westminster Bank, the offices continued by using the original old restaurant entrance next to the bank on Chapel Street. By now Bingo that began two nights a week during 1974 had became full time. The Savoy closed on 23rd January 1985 and remained so while various plans were unsuccessfully submitted for demolition. 1993 saw the opening of Oscars and then Vertigo nightclubs…. Finally the Ascot Group were granted permission for demolition in February 2007 for flats. All that remains of Cinema Architect Leslie R. Kemp’s original design is the aperture above the entrance to Nationwide, which once contained the illuminated Savoy display board that gave information of current films being screened.

Additional information from the Leslie R. Kemp Archives. It is also interesting that of the contractors Leslie Kemp employed on the Savoy cinema he later engaged on his cinema design of Studios 1 & 2 Oxford Street, London which opened on Saturday 7th March 1936 they included Construction, Pitchers Ltd. Interior decorations, Clark & Fenn Ltd., and front neon works, Ionite.

Ron Knee