Electra Picture Palace High Street Cheadle Cheshire

The first Electra Picture House opened on 26th August 1912. It was operated by John Burns. A new facade was built in 1915 and in 1923-1924 a third cinema was built on the site. In April 1936, the Electra Cinema was taken over by Associated British Cinemas (ABC) who operated the cinema until 5th April 1954 when it was acquired by the Snape Circuit. With ever reducing numbers of cinema-goers, part time bingo was introduced in the early 1960’s, but the Electra Cinema was closed in November 1963. It was demolished in mid-1965 and shop units have been built on the site. The newly built third cinema was the subject of an advertising feature in the Manchester City News of 8 March 1924. Such feature articles were totally uncritical and frequently over-fulsome in their praise of the contractors and sub-contractors employed – generally in direct proportion to the size of the accompanying advertisements taken out by the firms concerned. Notwithstanding this, the article provides a good indication of the development of cinema design. Unusually this article makes more than passing mention of the architect.

ELECTRA PICTURE PALACE, CHEADLE - FEATURES OF THE THEATRE DESCRIBED

A new cinema theatre embodying in its design no small number of original features tending towards the better comfort and safety of patrons, and exploiting some novel artistic and architectural effects in the interior decoration and furnishing, is something more than a rarity these days. In the past decade the cinema industry has fought its way strenuously to the topmost pinnacle of popularity, and in the ensuing rage of competition every new theatre that has opened had to improve in some way on the designs and achievements of its predecessors or fall by the way. Originality is therefore now at a high premium. It is due to a fortunate combination of circumstances that Cheadle, one of Manchester’s most popular suburbs, now possesses in the new “Electra” cinema theatre that has already attracted widespread attention and favourable comment, and promises to become a centre of discussion in cinema trade circles for some time to come.  The new theatre is the third Hat has been erected on the site by the owner, Mr Burns. It was only recently that he obtained possession of the whole available land on the site and last year he resolved to erect , at handsome cost, a cinema that would in every respect be worthy not only of the Cheadle of today, but of the more flourishing centre that it is confidentially expected to become in a very few years. To this end he consulted Mr H C McCulloch, the architect, who until recently has been one of Cheadle’s best known residents, and who undertook the commission with naturally two-fold interest: as an architect and as a local man conversant with local ideas, and out to produce something that Cheadle might be proud of and associate with his name.

FAÇADE AND ENTRANCE HALL - Broadly stated, the design of the theatre aims at artistic simplicity and convenience. The façade shown in the drawing is well conceived, symmetrical, and attractive. In contrast to its red and white scheme, the approach to the building is laid out in black tarmacadam, studded with white pebbles and patterned in panels. This approach, with its gradual slope, replaces the half dozen steps that led up to the old cinema, and incidentally calls attention to the first novelty of construction, for it has been the architect’s aim to do away with all steps, the only ones necessarily retained being those ascending ti the balcony. By the six exits provided, the building can be entirely cleared in three to four minutes should the necessity ever arise. The entrance hall is floored with “rubboleum” in neat geometrical design ensuring perfect silence; and the aisles and stairs are also covered with this product. For the flooring beneath the seats a special composition has been secured which does not rot and is warm to the feet. The “Electra” is the second picture house in the whole country to be fitted with this flooring. The booking office in light oak directly faces the entrance doors, which are fitted with metal windows, a feature increasingly prominent in all modern constructions. At each side of the entrance hall are the stairs leading to the balcony, fitted with rubber treads and pleasantly lighted with fancy silk-shaded globes. It may be mentioned here that two shops are built into the theatre, one on each side of the entrance.

THE INTERIOR – The feature of the interior that immediately strikes the eye on entrance is the woodwork. The whole of the main hall is panelled in light figured oak, specially supplied by Messrs J Ramsbottom of Church Street, Pendleton, the main contractors for the whole work. The effect of this is beautiful in the extreme, and combined with the quiet decorations, the delicately diffused lighting, the richly upholstered seating and the large and well decorated stage for the screen, makes a sight as pleasing and restful as can be desired by the most critical. To add to the whole, the architect has provided for a number of stained glass windows, which shed a natural light through the theatre without in any way interfering with the showing of the films. This is an unusual departure in construction, and so also is the placing of the operating box on the ground floor beneath the balcony. There is a clear and unobstructed view of the screen from every seat in the house, a “detail” to which special attention has been directed, and everything that has been done for the patrons’ comfort in other ways has been incorporated in the scheme of construction.  The whole of the work reflects a great deal of credit on Mr McCulloch, the sole architect, for it serves equally the interests of the proprietor and his patrons, cutting down for the former the expenses of upkeep and renovation, for the panelling is permanent and needs no attention, and other features such as the flooring, the metal windows and so on, contribute in keeping running costs down. It is not difficult by the way, to guess on which side of the Tweed Mr McCulloch was born, for the St Andrew’s Cross and the Thistle are both worked into the designs at several points, including the leaded lights, the ventilators, and even outside on the footpath! The cinema is also a fine tribute to the enterprise of its proprietor, and to the first-class workmanship of the contractors and sub-contractors

Reference           Manchester City News 8 March 1924 pages 8-9 with illustration