Everyman Gerrards Cross

The Playhouse was built in 1925 to the design of J. Stanley Beard, an illustrious cinema architect and resident of Gerrards Cross.[3][4] It was located on Berwick Road (now Ethorpe Crescent). Originally, very lavish and elaborate designs were planned in 1923.[5] However, these plans were superseded by more modest ones in 1925.[2]

According to a local guide at the time, the Playhouse was modelled "along the lines of that adjoining Buckingham Palace".[2][6] Perhaps this regal inspiration was most encapsulated by the large Doric pillars that ran along one side of the auditorium.[7]

Seating was provided for 452, all stalls, with 4 boxes to the rear. There was a unique standing lobby that ran parallel to the auditorium. This allowed up to 150 people a place to wait to be seated. The screen was 16 x 12 feet (5 x 3.5m) and the proscenium was 25 feet (7.5m) wide with a stage underneath it.[8] There were footlights across the stage which cast light onto the curtains which were mauve and old gold. There were also dressing rooms to the right of the stage, as the cinema would occasionally host live performances. One of these was the Gerrards Cross Operatic Society who used to perform regularly before the Second World War.[2]

The cinema was opened in the days before the widespread exhibition of talking pictures, so it was built with an orchestra pit at the front of the auditorium and each performance was accompanied by musicians.[2][8]

The entrance foyer was fairly small and octagonal. It had a high ceiling and a terrazzo floor. The box office was located to the right, and the standing lounge on the left. There was also a direct entrance to an adjacent building where there was a cafe on the ground floor and a dancehall upstairs. To the rear of the building there was a car park for up to 30 cars.[8]

Externally the building had an octagonal entrance tower that was constructed with 3 Georgian style entrance doors which were adorned with neon lights. The tower was engraved with the words "Picture Play House" in the masonry. The word "Playhouse" was also displayed in large neon letters.

The first owner of the cinema was the ubiquitous Charles F Cheshir (1877-1954).[2][9] He had previously been the proprietor of the first cinema in Beaconsfield, the Picture House, which remained until 1927.[10] He was also the proprietor of the Royalty cinema in Bourne End and even unsuccessfully proposed to build another cinema in Chalfont St Peter in 1937.[11][12] The General Manager of the Playhouse was his son Charles "Eric" Cheshir (1902-1991).[2] The Cheshirs ensured films changed 3 times a week, with a regular Saturday morning children's club.[2]

On its opening night, Monday 12 October 1925, the Playhouse exhibited "I'll Show You the Town", a silent film starring Reginald Denny and Marian Nixon.[13] The programme was opened with Madama Ada Davis singing the British national anthem, God Save the King and also included Pathé newsreels and Pictorials.[14]

The price of admission in 1931 was:

[15]

The Playhouse was sold to Southan Morris (S.M. Super Cinemas, Ltd.) in 1947.[1] Three years later, in 1950, the new owners undertook several interior alterations to the cinema. These included removing the boxes, re-raking the stalls floor and installing new seats.[1][2] The Playhouse is set a few yards back from the high street, so a new continuous posterboard was erected to draw attention to the cinema from the main road. In 1954 S.M. Super Cinemas, Ltd. was acquired by Essoldo Cinemas.[16] The Playhouse was acquired by Essoldo as part of the buyout. However, the cinema remained as the Essoldo Playhouse until 1969.[1][2] At some point during this period the neighbouring dancehall and cafe were sold off, as today they are flats, a takeaway pizza restaurant and a salon.

Essoldo Cinema in 1971 following an extensive refurbishment

In 1969 the cinema was closed and heavily refurbished. The facade was drastically altered into a more modern style. The original entrance doors and arches were removed. Two sets of the doors were replaced with more conventional glass ones and a large floor to ceiling window was installed. The external brickwork was tiled over. A new readograph was installed above the entrance displaying what films were showing.[1] The original proscenium was removed along with the orchestra pit.[17] The auditorium was painted black and 392 new seats were installed with red carpets and drapes to complement the decor.[1] The kiosk was relocated to the left of the foyer and the standing lounge was turned into store rooms.[18] The building was also given central heating for the first time.[1]

Seven light boxes were also installed along the side of the building displaying the new Essoldo name, with dark blue letters on an orange background. The Playhouse name was dropped and it became known as the Essoldo Gerrards Cross.

The new Essoldo reopened on Saturday 29 November 1969, with a charity performance of the Battle of Britain, starring Laurence Olivier. The guest of honour to the event was Air Chief Marshal Sir Gareth Clayton of the RAF.[1]

The Classic in 1983

In 1972 the Essoldo chain was bought by the Classic Cinemas Ltd. chain, and the cinema changed hands again. Externally the changes were minimal, with just a simple renaming. The Classic reopened on 26 March 1972 showing Paint Your Wagon, starring Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood and Jean Seberg.

However, perhaps the most prodigious alteration to the cinema came in 1979. After plans to build a large 304 seat auditorium in the car park in 1973 and a more modest 140 seat mini auditorium in 1978 were denied on environmental and car parking grounds, the cinema needed to keep up and compete with the rise in popularity of multiplex cinemas.[2] In 1979 plans were granted to allow a second auditorium to be added in the roof of the building. Construction works were undertaken and the second theatre was added above the rear of the original auditorium, facing the opposite direction. The interior layout was vastly altered to incorporate the new design, including the complete removal of the original projection box. This was relocated in a fairly unusual setup in the centre of the building. One projector, serving Screen One, the original auditorium, is a short throw from the screen. Directly above it, the projector for new Screen Two faces the opposite way.[1][7] The new seating capacities were 386 (Screen One) and 213 (Screen Two).

In late 1985 Classic Cinemas was sold to Cannon and the cinema became a Cannon cinema.

ABC Gerrards Cross in 1998

In the 1992 Cannon was bought by MGM and once again the cinema was renamed. In 1995 the cinema was taken over by ABC Cinemas. The cinema exterior was altered slightly, with a new red canopy. The large floor to ceiling window was removed. A new box office was added in the recess where the window once stood. The colour scheme in the screens was golden.

The life of the ABC was fairly short lived as in 2000 ABC was merged with ODEON Cinemas by its owner Cinven.[19]

The ODEON in 2015 shortly before becoming Everyman

When the ABC Gerrards Cross was rebranded as ODEON a big £250,000 refurbishment was undertaken. Firstly, the cinema was given disabled access for the first time in Screen One. Secondly, a new larger food concessions area was created by taking out a few rows from the back of Screen One.[20] The exterior was also renovated. The tiles originally added in the 1960s were covered with navy blue tiles and large neon ODEON letters were added.

In 2009 ODEON Gerrards Cross had its first digital projector installed, with 3D capability. In 2011 it was made fully digital, with the ability to air live shows from venues such as the Royal Opera House, the National Theatre and the Metropolitan Opera House.

In April 2015 it was announced that Everyman Cinemas were in negotiations to purchase ODEON Gerrards Cross along with 3 other ODEON Cinemas.[21] The ODEON was closed on 6 August 2015.[22] The new owners immediately began extensive refurbishment works.

In January 2019 plans were approved to create a third screen in the car park of the cinema.[27] After a few months of construction and a brief closure, the Everyman Gerrards Cross reopened in June 2019 with 3 screens, almost exactly 40 years after it was twinned in 1979. The new auditorium, which sits neatly in a space between two existing extensions on the side of the building, is approximately 55 feet (16.5m) by 26 feet (8m) and houses enough space for a small 43 seat screen. The bar area was moved approximately 90 degrees to accommodate the new entrance to Screen 3 and a new, bigger kitchen was also constructed in the extension. The screen boasts a new Sony 4K projector, which is more powerful than the older 2K NEC projectors which serve Screens 1 and 2. It is also not located in the original projection room.[28][29]