Broadway Cinema

This art deco cinema, designed by Letchworth Garden City architects Robert Bennett and Wilson Bidwell and built by Howard Hurst, opened in 1936. The angular facade conceals a spacious octagonal foyer. Externally, plain brickwork and patterned concrete blocks frame the traceried windows. Originally the decor was finished in a peacock blue and gold colour scheme to complement the matching uniforms of the usherettes. Nearly 200 lights were put in the ceiling, with concealed lamps on every other seat, while a ventilation system purified and temperature-controlled air drawn in from outdoors. Red and blue neon lights were installed to complete the build. Put to alternative uses during the Second World War, the Broadway was refurbished in 1955 to show Cinemascope films. In 1996, a major refurbishment, funded by the newly established Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, created twin screens downstairs in the stalls both holding 175 seats, while retaining the sweep of the former circle in an upstairs 450-seater Screen One. A further refurbishment in 2008 saw the former restaurant converted into a fourth screen that holds 50 people. 3D arrived in 2010 along with refurbished seating, and digital technology in 2012. In 2017 a major conversion involved the extension of Screen 1 to allow regular live performances in addition to films. A new timber proscenium stage was added with a suspended steel-framed lighting rig and new lighting gallery installed in the roof void. New AV equipment, sound decks and sound absorption panels were included, with a new cinema screen above the stage to retain the cinematic capability. A three storey steel-framed and brick-clad extension to the rear of the building – mirroring the current building’s style – gives the Broadway Cinema around 300 sq m of extra space to accommodate theatre use. Dressing rooms are located at stage level with a green room on the intermediate mezzanine floor and a loading bay for goods and personnel. A substation was built into the extension to cater for the additional electrical load of the new complex lighting and sound systems, and a heavy goods lift installed.