Gaumont Palace Cinema, Oakfield Road, Anfield, Liverpool

• Opened Monday 21 December 1931 by Alderman J C Cross, Lord Mayor of Liverpool
• Closed 26 November 1960

Today Liverpool receives the Christmas gift of a luxurious new cinema, the Gaumont Palace, in Oakfield-road. The architects are a Liverpool firm famous in the North of England for cinema construction. Messrs. Gray and Evans of 51 North John Street. They have designed numerous picture-houses in Liverpool, also the Alhambra Theatre in Paris.

Walking up marble steps and passing, through doors of glazed oak, one enters into a seemingly sunlit vestibule. An inspiration, this vestibule. It will look irresistibly attractive on a cold winter's night, suggesting a summer's day of sunshine. and silvered blue. From this seemingly sun-warmed atmosphere one enters the luxurious comfort of a rose-coloured “drawing-room.” That is a fair description of the auditorium as I saw it—a drawing-room for 1,100 people downstairs and 500 upstairs! It would need a good film to keep me awake in those hollow-backed, cushioned seats. Those for which children pay threepence at a matinee show are just as comfortable as those you can have for the modest sum of 1s. 3d. in the evening. The walls of this auditorium have that attractive roughened fibrous plaster finish which has recently become so popular. They are coloured deep rose, shading off to gold. The same warm rose colour is seen again in the plastered ceiling, where it is used in company with a soft green shade,  the whole being sprayed with clouded gold. The attractively designed grilles in the ceiling are such an addition to the decoration that one does not realise at first that they have an essential part in the ventilation of the building. The balcony is reached by wide staircases of which the steps and landings are laid with terrazzo, with non-slip treads. Every gangway on the ground floor and in the balcony is laid with luxurious carpet. I must mention. too, the foyer. Here you are in Japan. The iridescent metalled colours of the ceiling and the soft tones of the wall decoration suggest an attractive coolness.

LOCAL FIRMS WORK - The building has been constructed by Liverpool artisans to the plans of Liverpool architects, Messrs. Gray and Evans, who are to be congratulated upon including many local contractors. The builders are the noted firm of George Platt and Sons, Ltd. of Westmoreland-street. Liverpool. The whole of the decoration, and the proscenium curtains, were carried out by Heaton Tabb and Co. Ltd., of Bold-street. Liverpool. Messrs. Young, Austen and Young. of Exchange Buildings, Liverpool. installed the modern heating and ventilation system, of which I give particulars below. Terrazzo. marble mosaic and marble works have been done by the Carrara Marble Company of Lord-street. Messrs. Quiggin Bros., Ltd., Renshaw-street, supplied the window fittings and door furniture. Messrs.H. D. Scott and Co., of Byrom-street, executed the whole of the glass work. Messrs. Adams Bros., Edge-vale, Liverpool, were the plasterers. H. T. Hunt, Ltd., of Seel-street. were the plumbers, and the Trussed Concrete Steel Co., Liver Buildings, constructed the steel ceilings. Messrs. W. W. Turner and Co., contractors for chairs and carpet laying, are a Birmingham firm, and the terra cotta work was done by Bispham Hall Brick and Terra Cotta Co., of Orrell, Lancashire.

VENTILATION - The cinema is heated and ventilated on the latest and most scientific principle. The direct heating is on the low pressure accelerated system, with radiators as heating units. The boiler house plant is duplicated so that should. a breakdown occur a throwover can be carried out in a few seconds, and thus keep the hall heated to the advantage of the audience.The low-pressure hot water arrangements with radiators is assisted by a system of plenum heating and ventilation. By this method the air entering the theatre can be warmed in the winter and cooled in the summer. During the winter the air is drawn into the theatre by means of a motor-driven patentcentrifugal fan and having passed through a heating battery of gilled copper coils and filter, is forced through trenches by means of the fan into the auditorium. During the summer the process is the same, with the exception that the heating battery is not in operation. The centrifugal fan is capable of maintaining a slight air pressure inside the theatre thus preventing the outside air entering the theatre through doors and causing draughts. The extract ventilation for extracting all vitiated air from the theatre is by means of fans and trunking connected to grilles fitted in the roof space and in the void under the circle. For this purpose there has been installed three large direct electric-driven extract fans,  two in the roof space and one in the void under the circle.

The site on which the Gaumont Palace has been erected was previously the King's Hall Cinema and Billiard Hall, which was pulled down to make way for the present modern building. The front facade is situated in Oakfield Road and has been designed on accepted lines of modern architecture. The terra cotta in black and buff with red and black ornaments. enhanced hy a verandah of lacquered gold makes a fitting elevation for so imposing a site.The side elevation to St. Domingo Vale is also imposing with its return bay from Oakfield-road, and its finely modelled terra cotta pit entrance. The frontages measure 79 feet to Oakfield-road and 152 feet 6 inches to St. Domingo Vale. The vestibule, with its fine entrance and white marble steps and paving, leads through five pairs of glazed oak swing doors, fitted with stainless steel fittings, to the main entrance hall, the walls of which are panelled limed oak. The floors are laid with white marble mosaic. From the main entrance hall the public reach the balcony. foyer, and higher balcony, by two wide staircases. the steps and landings of which are laid with terrazzo with non-slip treads. The walls are lightly modelled with a relief finish. The large auditorium, which measures72 feet by 96 feet on the ground floor, will accommodate more than 1,100 persons. The Balcony is very fine and spacious and is constructed of steel and reinforced concrete. It has a seating capacity for 500 persons. A separate entrance to the Pit is situated in St. Domingo Vale, and its oak entrance doors, marble steps and terrazzo floor make an imposing entrance to this part of the house. Ample exits have been provided from every-part of the auditorium, and these will empty the theatre quickly. Lavatory accommodation has been provided in every part of the house. The operating unit is situated at the rear over the balcony and is entirely constructed of fireproof materials. It is entered by a separate staircase directly from the street, and is entirely shut off from the auditorium, thus ensuring absolute protection to the public. A further steel staircase. leading directly on to the roof flats, has been installed as an emergency exit from the operating unit. The inclusion of a stage with proscenium opening 40 feet wide and 33 feet high, with dressing rooms ng with hot and cold water is an asset as a dual show can be staged including cinema and variety. Provision has been made for an orchestra by a movable floor. Rooms have been planned for organ chamber, blowing room. etc. for the installation of an organ.

DECORATIONS - One is at once struck with the fine modelling of the fibrous plaster to ceilings and walls of the auditorium and foyers, the domed plaster enriched ceilings under the balcony and entrance hall, the fine ornamental vent grilles, organ grilles and canopies, and the beautiful decorations and lighting effects which, together with the curtains and other draperies. give a distinctive colouring and warmth, and with the luxurious and roomy seating blends to make the whole atmosphere that or a large drawing-room. The ceiling is carried out in textural plaster and is painted a soft scumbled green with "rust red” beams, and with mouldings picked out in green. black, and red. The whole is sprayed inclouded gold.  The proscenium and balcony front have been painted and decorated in soft iridescent colours and sprayed silver and gold. The walls have been modelled with festoons of Marb-l-Cote, and finished in soft scumbled tones of dull red and gold, with metalled green dado. The wall panels at the sides of the auditorium are filled with a rich gold velour with motifs oi green and brown silk velour, crowned with curtains of the same material.The proscenium has been treated with a pelmet on a simple Moderne line, in rich autumnal silk velour.The curtains are in a beautiful lustrous silk velour in rich gold, with a centre motif of the autumnal brown silk velour stepped up in pylons, which lends height to the proscenium opening. The bases of the curtains are finished with rich art silk bullion fringe  The foyer ceiling and beams have been finished in soft iridescent metalled colours. and the walls treated in the moderne manner. in soft tones of browns with touches of green and silver, and with green silk window curtains. The entrance hall has been panelled in limed oak, and ceiling and walls have been finished in soft tones of ivory, relieved with touches of silvered blue. The staircase ceilings are in primrose and the rough textured walls in soft tones of green. [Liverpool Evening Express 21 December 1931 page 4 – advertising feature

Reference           Liverpool Evening Express 21 December 1931 page 4 – advertising feature