Gala Cinema

This cinema had an attractive “cash register” auditorium with cove lighting running down the centre. All seats were on one level. It should have been preserved. You had to buy ice creams and sweets in the foyer. The closure was as a result of Classic Cinemas buying the former and much larger, Gaumont Cinema in Hendon Central. The tragedy was that the Gaumont was never full. One Friday I counted three people in the house for a musical. Smaller cinemas like The Gala Classic would have had lower overheads and been more profitable than the thousand-seater + houses that distributors liked.

I recall seeing East of Eden there. NB your map is wrong – again! Classic cinemas used to specialise in old or art films for a more discriminating (I guess) audience.