Picture House

In Redhill, Surrey, the Cinema Royal was opened by Reg Thompson in 1909. The auditorium measured 60ft by 29ft, while the balcony was 34ft by 24ft. There were 700 seats.

In 1927 the Cinema Royal was acquired by Arthur Reynolds. The cinema closed for extensive alterations, to make it much more luxurious, now with seating for 450. It was due to re-open, as the Picture House, on 26th December that year. It did re-open that day, but, due to the appalling winter weather, not all the work had been completed, and it quickly closed. It then suffered flood damage when the snow melted and the Redhill Brook overflowed in the first week of 1928, with staff ripping up brand new carpets in an effort to save them.

The Picture House finally had its grand re-opening on 28th March 1928 - only to suffer a fire just two months later.

It did re-open after this further damage had been repaired, but only for around another nine more years. By 1937 it had been acquired by A & C Theatres, but, by that time, the new Odeon was under construction. That opened in May 1938 (see separate Cinema Treasures entry) and the Picture House promptly disappeared from the listings in the 1939 Kinematograph Year Book.

This large building became home to a variety of businesses. Happily, it still survives, as a shopping arcade.

Get Movie Tickets & Showtimes

Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.