Bude

The Picture House opened on the corner of Burn View and
Lansdown Road on 2 March 1922. It was quite large with 600 seats
(the population of Bude being 3,000). The first film was The Ten
Commandments accompanied by piano. The cinema was built by
Walsall businessman Robert Edgar Booth but soon passed to W J
Graver for a number of years and in 1933 was transferred to Mrs
Annie Elizabeth Graver. Sound had by then been installed, the
chosen system being BTH - British Thomson Houston.

The plans for this building show that the frontage was quite plain
but had a distinctive corner entrance with a dome and flag pole on
top. The wall above the frontage rose to a point, very much as the
wall of the auditorium visible today does. Set into this wall was a
round window, however beyond the wall was the low flat roof of
the foyer. This foyer area contained toilets and the projection
box, on a single level. The auditorium had an orchestra pit in front
of the 20' deep stage. The stage appears to have been well
equipped judging by the fly tower that remains today.

The Cinema 100 plaque on the outside was unveiled by Maurice Booth son of Robert, aged 84. Mr George
Edmund Graver replaced the Picture House in 1936 with a new Picture House elsewhere in the town. The
building is now in use as a garage and shop.

Before Mr Graver decided to build a new Picture House he had plans drawn up to enlarge the existing
building. The plans were prepared by his architect brother Colin H Graver M.Inst.RA of London, and dated
11th May 1935. The plan was to install a balcony by raising the roof. This would have involved a much
taller side elevation, onto which would be placed in large letters "Picture House". The other significant
change planned was the foyer. The entrance was to move to the centre of the facade and the pointed
false wall removed. This would reveal the higher auditorium wall set behind the foyer block. This had a
new and impressive art-deco style design to it. The stairs to the balcony would be within this new facade.

Revised plans were drawn up for the foyer block on 24th June 1935. The new design was for a two storey
foyer block, with stairs leading from the foyer up to the front and then returning toward the auditorium
to access the balcony. A less impressive auditorium wall design now included a new projection box. This
double height facade at the front was not as impressive as the one originally proposed for the auditorium
wall, but did feature a nice sign. The sign ran up the centre of the facade from the top of the canopy and
over the top of the wall onto the foyer roof. The design was similar to some Granada signs. Alas none of
the works described took place.

The Rebel cinema was built in 1988 by the Collard family who had
previously ran Rebel films, an outfit that distributed trailers and
publicity. They had moved to Bude to run a garden centre called
the Rainbow. They actually build the cinema themselves and the
architect was Martin Back.

Opened on 11 August 1988 with a charity screening of Snow
White & the Seven Dwarfs, the cinema seated 120 with the
projection box over the foyer. There were 1930's light fittings in
the foyer saved from The Strand cinema, Bideford. The cinema
was sold by the family in October 1992 to Michael Flook who sold
the cinema on in 2000, but remains in operation today, with 110
seats. The projectors were Westrex 7000 and Dolby sound.

Set in a good sized car park the cinema is off the main A39 road
5 miles outside Bude at Treskinnick Cross near Poundstock.
When first opened the cinema would have been beside the main
road, but road improvements have left the cinema out of site.
With the nearest cinema 25 miles away it benefits from a large,
but low population catchment area.

The fairly plain exterior has an off centre entrance surrounded
by a simple classical shape of columns and lintel, repeated
around the edge of the facade. The Rebel website has
photographs of the foyer and auditorium.

Replacing the original Picture House in Bude, the large new Picture
House was on Crooklets Road, set on top the hill overlooking the
town. It had 999 seats (for tax reasons) and was in the art-deco
style of the period. Opened on 23rd July 1936 with the film Soft
Lights & Sweet Music featuring Ambrose and his orchestra.

The cinema was built for George Edmund Graver, who was
operating The Picture House at Burn View, which it replaced. The
builders were Cann Brothers of Bude. The plans were by his
brother Colin H Graver of London for Bude Picture House Ltd
dated 14th December 1932. The building adjoins the golf course
and was on view on all four sides. The opening programme notes
that 100 tons of British steel were used for the frame. It also
notes that to the left is a ground floor balcony foyer and to the
right access to the stalls. The auditorium lighting was all hidden,
using the Holophane system of colour effects and the space
dominated by a long ornamental lay light. The lay lights allowed
daylight into the auditorium when films were not showing.

The cinema had a wide frontage with a set of 4 doors, above which
were horizontal windows, balanced by vertical windows to either
side. To the sides of the frontage and set slightly back were two
towers containing stairs to the balcony and also having the vertical
window features of the frontage. The art deco style was slightly
Moorish/Arabian in theme. The plans also show a similar facade
on the rear of the building, however much plainer in detail. The
balcony was a raised rear stadium seating area. This substantial
building must have been hard to fill in this remote part of
Cornwall.

The Picture House was taken over by Shipman and King Cinemas Ltd
, based in London's Strand by 1954.
CinemaScope was fitted in the 1950s and Kalee projectors in the
1960's and the original BTH sound system replaced by Western
Sound. The proscenium width was 42', the stage 17' deep with 4
dressing rooms and the screen measured 36' by 19'. In an attempt
to make the building pay it was converted in the 1970s to Headland
Leisure Centre, with two screens in the balcony, both seating 117,
and a roller skating rink in the separate stalls area. Closed in 1986
and demolished. A supermarket replaced it.