The Empire Cinema

Information from Hilary McDonald, 2013, as part of Bedford Central Library 'Times Past Bedford Cinema's Project'

The Empire Cinema, 27 Midland Road, 1959 [ref: BP65/67/3]

An advertisement in the Bedford Mercury announced that the Bedford Empire, a new electric cinema, would open on Whit Monday 1912. Commissioned by Bill and Ernie Blake, Blake Bros (Theatres) Ltd., the Empire cinema opened on 27th May 1912 at 27 Midland Road, Bedford. It was so popular that people had to be turned away. Films shown on the opening night included, Deep Sea Diving and Doing His Duty. Throughout the show of silent films, the Empire Orchestra, directed by Haydn Farnhill played ‘appropriate music’.

The following week, on 31st May 1912, The Mercury carried a detailed account of Messrs Blake Brothers’ ‘latest and greatest’ cinema which had been ‘wholly built, furnished and designed by local firms’. With a spacious and imposing interior hall, a grey, blue and white décor and red upholstered seats, the whole cinema had been created for the comfort of its patrons without regard to cost. The cinema, designed by local architect E.H.C Inskip, had capacity for 200 seats in the circle and 374 in the stalls. Darlow’s gun shop on Midland Road had been demolished to make way for the new picture house. A photograph of the shop after it had been sold shows advertisements in the windows for the ’New Electric Palace Cinema’.1. In the event, the Blakes named their new place of entertainment ‘The Empire’ because Percy Felce had already used that name for his recently opened cinema in the High Street.

News reels brought in the audiences and it was proudly advertised that the Empire had shown a film of the Derby at 8.35pm on the very day that the race had been run in June 1912.

From the outset, the Blakes had designed the Empire for variety shows and concerts as well as films. On the opening night the stage was still being constructed. A Beds Times report 16th April 1915 described the Empire as packed with soldiers for a concert which included music by the band of the 6th Argylls and Sutherland Highlanders. And in June that year a ‘turn’ at the Empire was provided by The Five Sisters accompanied by two grand pianos, two mandolins and a flute and later in October, the Dental Riskits performed deeds of daring on the trapeze. During the First World War years, the Blake brothers allowed the Empire to be used without charge, for weekly Sunday evening concerts to entertain the troops quartered in Bedford. At a concert given in April 1919 marking the end of hostilities, they were sincerely thanked by the Bedford Borough Recreation Committee for the Troops for their public spirited action.

Interior of The Empire Cinema, c.1920 [ref: BTNegM8/52]

There were two evening shows at 7.00 and 9.00 pm with matinees at 3.00pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays. By 1925 there were matinee screenings each day. The programme changed twice a week. 1930 saw a dramatic change in film exhibition at the Empire. For in March that year the Bedfordshire Times announced, ‘In the near future, the programme at the Empire will be an all talking one of the best quality’ and reported that the latest Western Electric sound equipment had been installed. The following month, the Empire announced a ‘Sensational opening of the talkie season’ with The last of Mrs Cheyney. The Bedfordshire Times reported favourably. Such was the novelty that advertisements carried the line ‘See and hear the talkies in Bedford’s most perfect theatre for sound.’ Bedford’s Plaza cinema introduced talkies the same month but the rival Picturedrome cinema had been the first to screen a film with sound at the end of December 1929. On December 28th 1934, the Empire was sold to Granada (Bedford). By 1935, continuous film programmes were shown between 2.00 pm and 11.00pm.

Also in June that year, 'Happy kiddies’ matinees' on Saturday mornings at 10 o’clock, priced 3d, were advertised. Apparently the Empire was the first cinema in Bedford to do this. Regular attendance was rewarded by a tin badge and a membership card to record visits. The morning shows were so popular that children queued all the way down Allhallows to get in.

Cinemascope arrived in December 1954 - the second Bedford cinema to make the change – and there was a grand opening attended by the mayor and accompanied by a fanfare of trumpets from the Sea Cadets, to celebrate this as well as a refurbished and improved Empire, (heating and lavatories in the circle and better ventilation). The Bedford Record reported ‘The wide screen and all the grandeur of Cinemascope come to a transformed Empire’. The manager at the time was Gwyn Howells. In July 1959 at the Bedfordshire County Council Stage Plays Committee meeting it was noted that, Ronald Ernest Blake (grandson of the original proprietor Ernie Blake) was the new manager of the Empire Cinema and cinematograph licence holder. He managed the cinema until 1966. The Empire was one of the Bedfordshire cinemas used by the Committee for viewing and making decisions on films. Ernie Blake continued to be very involved with the cinema eventually retiring January 15th 1966.

By the 1970s, despite improvements, the Empire was struggling. Midnight matinees were introduced in 1970 and the following year, the Granada Group re-decorated the interior and re-equipped the Empire with an updated projection suite using Westar projectors and Westrex sound amplifiers. At the time, it was claimed that the Empire was one of the best-equipped theatres in the Granada Group. However, the cinema had gained a reputation for showing mainly sex and horror films - a ‘well known hall of x films’ and in the mid 70s, articles on the future of the Empire began appearing in the local press ‘An Empire on which the sun may soon set’. In the Autumn of 1975 the cinema closed initially for a short period, supposedly for lack of suitable films to show. In the event, it re-opened the following year when a renovated Empire became part of the Granada in St Peters. Re-launched in April 1976 as Granada 3 with just one evening showing each day, its first film was Death Race 2000.

Cinema map

The Empire still failed to run profitably and Granada (Bedford) Ltd. closed the cinema on 20th June 1977. Despite objections that the cinema building was of architectural merit, it was demolished, in September 1977 and later replaced by an Eastern Electricity showroom. The Bedfordshire Times commented that the demolition was the last chapter in the Empire’s fall from grace.

Sources: 

• Bedford Library Newspaper Cuttings Collection: Cinema: No.46a, from Bedfordshire Times, 3rd February 1978.
• Bedford Central Virtual Library website

List of sources at Bedfordshire Archives:

• X597/1/1: Plan on tracing paper (drawn in pencil) showing layout of stage and auditorium, 1912
• X597/1/2: Plan of Gallery and operator's room, with yard and section of drains (paper), 1911
• BTNegM8/52: Interior of the Empire cinema, Midland Road, c.1920
• Z50/13/232: Interior of the Empire cinema, Midland Road, c.1920
• BP65/67/3: View of the front of the Empire cinema, 1959
• BorBPH3/184: 27 and 29 Midland Road  (The Empire Cinema;  Allan Herbert Kelly, caterer).  (1 negative)