Building record MDO43664 - Moderne

This cinema was built in 1935 to designs by Edward George de Wilde Holding a specialist cinema architect practicing in Bournemouth from 1927 until 1938. It had 1500 seats, considerably larger than most cinemas of the time which typically had less than 1000.

The Moderne cinema was built in 1935 to designs by Edward George de Wilde Holding a specialist cinema architect practicing in Bournemouth from 1927 until 1938. It had 1500 seats, considerably larger than most cinemas of the time which typically had less than 1000. When opened in October 1935, the cinema comprised stalls and a circle, with an upper lobby comprising a cafe and ice cream parlour, and offices on a mezzanine. There was provision for an organ, although none was ever installed. Following its closure, in 1963 the building re-opened as a bingo hall. Since then the seating in the stalls has been removed and some minor alterations have occurred. It closed in 2008 and stood vacant.

The cinema was designed by de Wilde Holding in 1935 and remodelled in the late 20th century. It has a steel-frame clad in bricks of sand and lime, with flat roofs. In plan it comprises a symmetrical façade, a narrow entrance hall, a double-height foyer with a former café and offices to the upper foyer, and a large auditorium with balcony.

Exterior: The entrance façade on Wimborne Road is in a subdued Art Deco style with the central bay raised above the entrance. The central entrance passage is flanked by shop units; that to the right has terrazzo flooring at its entrance. Above is a canopy that runs the width of the building. There are two canted bay windows at first floor, lighting the flats above the shops, but the original metal-framed windows have been replaced with ones of uPVC. The Art Deco detailing to the upper parts of the frontage are spare but include a cluster of vertical mouldings to either end of the elevation and three circular relief motifs to the upper part of the central bay. Historical photographs of the façade indicate that there was a further block of vertical mouldings to the central section of the middle bay which are no longer visible, and are possibly hidden behind a fascia displaying the Gala sign. The other elevations are unadorned and most window openings have been blocked.

Interior: The passageway has a cream and green terrazzo floor. Two sets of glazed double doors with original horizontal glazing bars lead to the entrance hall which has three shallow steps halfway along its length. It has a late-20th century false ceiling above which there appears to be Moderne mouldings, possibly in a wave pattern. A second series of doors, also with horizontal glazing bars, leads to the double-height foyer which also has a moulded ceiling. The ticket kiosk has been retained, but re-fronted, and on the right side of the foyer is a sales counter. There is a curved dog-leg staircase to the left which is flanked by four cylindrical, but blocky columns rising to the upper foyer; it has a central metal balustrade and flanking handrails. The stairs lead to an open vaulted balcony foyer where the café and offices are located. The café area is lit by four windows with decorative leadwork and retains its linoleum floor covering and original tubular steel chairs. A pair of original doors to the far left provide access into the kitchen which retains some fitted cupboards. At either end of the upper foyer are two sets of double doors with port-hole style windows that provide access to the balcony. The double-height auditorium is arranged as a raked floor stalls and a stepped balcony.

The former stalls are accessed via a rather plain inner lobby located beyond the principal lobby. The three sets of doors leading into the stalls are all late 20th century. For bingo operation a platform has been added to the rear portion of the stalls, and all original raked seating has been replaced with fixed tables and bench seating throughout. However, the original recessed lighting saucer domes equipped with glass up-lighters survive. The side walls of the auditorium are arranged as a series of bays dictated by the regularly spaced ribs that extend across the ceiling to form membrane-like trusses and down to slanting troughs, also of fibrous plaster, set in the side walls. They are inclined towards the proscenium. The lower sections of the side and rear walls of the stalls retain a surface of horizontal banded plasterwork with the front lower section, towards the stage, of zig zag Moderne type. A series of narrow ceiling ribs sweep down towards the rectangular proscenium which is flanked by bull-nosed pilasters that rise up across the ceiling. No ventilation grilles are visible but are said to survive, however it is not known what form or design they have. A continuous fibrous plaster streamlined cove runs from the balcony along the side walls of the auditorium forming part of the overall design scheme; its rear face is covered with tiger print fabric, a design that was originally employed throughout the cinema, but has been largely replaced. A historic photograph of the auditorium indicates that a far more vibrant, and bold, even futuristic decorative scheme was originally employed to the upper sections of the auditorium walls, but this has unfortunately been painted over. Inter-war cinemas survive in high numbers. English Heritage has carried out a themed study on cinemas which prompted the listing or upgrading of a number of examples. We are therefore highly selective when considering further examples for listing. To be considered of special interest interwar cinemas must possess a very clear degree of completeness and architectural interest. While good external elevations are a significant factor, the quality and intactness of the interiors are key considerations in assessing special interest. The architect Edward de Wilde Holding built nine other cinemas, and converted two further buildings for cinema use. Only one example is listed; the Tivoli in Wimborne Minster, Dorset of 1936, but the building is listed primarily for its 18th century facade. Having been constructed in 1935, the Moderne falls within the main boom period of cinema building in England. In terms of the architectural vocabulary used, streamlined Art Deco, the building was clearly designed to respond to its location in the seaside town of Bournemouth. It marries elements of a nautical theme, the circular motifs to the façade and port-hole style windows to some of the internal doors, which are typical of seaside architecture with a streamlined `art moderne' scheme that was becoming popular in cinema design of this period. However, the Moderne is not as impressive as listed examples such as the Regal in Manchester. This cinema dates to 1929-30 and has a high quality and rich Art Deco plaster decoration to the auditorium as well as a particularly handsome faience composition to the exterior.

The Cinema de Luxe in Margate, built in 1914-15 and altered in 1936, is a good example of an architecturally refined early cinema, with many original features and the additional interest of the streamlined work of 1936. Its facade is particularly good of its date. The Odeon in Newcastle upon Tyne, 1930-31 retains internal details with transatlantic origins as well as a handsome façade. Comparisons with such cinemas of the period indicate that the Moderne is a competent design which, although striving for a clean-cut, Art Deco design, is not as impressive as these listed examples (Listed Grade II). Furthermore the plain exterior lacks quality and interest; its external Art Deco detailing is typical, if not more sedate than many cinemas of this period. The façade is not particularly distinguished and has additionally suffered some later 20th century, albeit minor alterations. It has lost its distinctive, illuminated diagonal sign and the original metal-framed windows, further diluting its external architectural quality. It is acknowledged that the interior retains its original plan form and in the principal spaces, much of their original design and some good quality fittings, such as original doors, terrazzo and linoleum floor coverings. Furthermore the interior includes some good quality fibrous plaster decoration in the streamlined style that was becoming popular, possibly produced by the firm of specialist cinema designers, Eugene Mollo and Michael Egan, although a definite link with them has yet to be determined. That said an historic photograph of the auditorium provides evidence that the decoration that does survive here represents only a small proportion of what was formerly a far more eye-catching decorative scheme of streamlined or even abstract Moderne, much of which has gone. Although the plaster decoration survives intact to the lower sections of the auditorium walls, this is only part of what originally existed. This loss has seriously compromised the integrity of the overall design scheme and has had a detrimental effect on the special interest of the building. The applicant suggests that the Moderne compares well with the listed Odeon cinema in Muswell Hill, London and the Odeon in Chester. The former is listed at Grade II* and the quality of its architecture and fittings is far higher than this Bournemouth cinema, with Moderne influences carried through into the interior, where the design of the foyer is particularly high. The Odeon in Chester, Grade II listed, has a similarly styled auditorium to the Moderne with angled ribs to the side walls and ceiling, but the design of the latter's internal decorative scheme appears pared down in comparison. In addition the exterior of the Chester Odeon is far more imposing and has a greater degree of architectural merit. The applicant also makes reference to the fact that it is not uncommon that the design excellence was often focused on the interior of the cinema while the façade may appear more modest. The Grade II listed Palace Cinema (1926) at Bridport is cited as an example with a modest façade that has been listed. It is acknowledged that the frontage of this former cinema lacks the architectural quality of many listed cinemas; however, it is difficult to compare the Palace with the Moderne since the former is recognised as a remarkable survival of a 1920s cinema from the `silent' era, and retains a unique collection of contemporary murals in the foyer.

Furthermore the Palace is considered to be the best small town cinema of its date and type to survive in England. For a cinema to be considered for listing certain principles of selection need to be adhered to: these include the survival of the original exterior; the survival of auditorium decoration; the survival of foyers, bars and other front-of house spaces particularly where they reflect the class distinctions between different parts of the cinema; the survival of minor decorative features such as light fittings, glazed screens and barriers; survival of an in situ organ and, most importantly, whether the overall sense of space remains palpable. All in all, some elements of the Moderne are good, particularly the principal foyer, and many original fittings survive. Perhaps more significantly, the interior has not undergone the subdivision of internal spaces or the level of alteration that has occurred at many cinemas. However, although not technically an alteration, the loss of much of the auditorium's decorative scheme which formed part of the overall design has certainly compromised the interest of the building as a whole. While it is apparent that the interior does continue to have presence and is of some merit, it is not of a sufficiently high quality to make up for the shortcomings of the exterior. <1>

<1> English Heritage, English Heritage Schedule Entry, 166266 (Scheduling record). SDO17387.

505317/001

<2> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1479032 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Mar 28 2022 11:09AM