REWIND: Letchworth Nub News Rewind feature section is back this festive season

Hello and welcome to our occasional Rewind section where we highlight a person or place in our town every week in our Friday newsletter and then over the weekend on our website.

For this week we are showcasing the history of a much-loved, iconic Letchworth landmark - The Broadway Cinema.

So, read on for the latest Letchworth Nub News Rewind feature - with huge thanks to all the team at brilliant North Herts Museum for the information below, which first appeared alongside the evocative black and white picture on their Instagram feed.

Letchworth Rewind: Our town's Art-Deco cinema. CREDIT: Nub News

Letchworth Nub News Rewind:

Those of us living in Letchworth and its neighbouring towns will be more than familiar with the striking Art- Deco style building that is the stunning Broadway Cinema.

The angular structure with its octagonal foyer was designed by Letchworth Garden City architects Robert Bennett and Wilson Bidwell and built on the corner of Eastcheap and Gernon Road by Howard Hurst, in 1936. 

The Broadway and cinema in general played a pivotal role in the expansion of Letchworth Garden City, back in the early 20th century. This new form of entertainment was so popular during this time period that Letchworth already had a cinema before The Broadway's opening.

The neighbouring Palace Cinema (now Poundstretcher and formerly Blockbusters), built in 1909, was one of the first purpose-built venues in the country.

However, it struggled to accommodate public demand and in the year film production reached an all-time high, filmgoers had the option to venture along the same street to a more ornate and spacious cinema. By the end of the 1930's there were over 23 million cinema visits in the country every week.

In keeping with the style of its grand façade, The Broadway originally opened with a black-tie gala screening of Follow the Fleet, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

The well-dressed attendees would have gathered in the foyer, which was originally decorated in peacock blue and gold, and waited for the usherette, in a pillbox hat and a uniform matching the foyer's colour scheme, to show them to their seats.

The original auditorium was much larger, and had a 1,420 capacity, made up of a circle area (now screen 1) and stall areas (now screens 2 and 3). At one point there was also a restaurant located on the 1st-floor above the foyer, with its own separate street entrance. 

With thanks to the brilliant North Herts Museum - for more on the superb museum on Hitchin's Brand Street visit their website