NG Four January/February 2020

Carlton’s Victoria Picture Palace
by Bob Massey
By 1912 there were two cinemas operating in
Arnold.
The first was a simple building of timber and
galvanised iron, officially called the Electric
Picture Palace, but fondly known locally as the
Tin Hut. The second cinema that followed soon
after was a very different affair.
The St Albans Picturedrome was one of the first
of the true picture palaces that graced the area
during the 1920s and 30s. A very impressive
building .
Enoch Parker was a local Carlton businessman
and building contractor who could see that the
cinema was here to stay. He had visited the St
Albans Picturedrome and decided that it was
just what Carlton needed. Parker acquired
a plot of land on Station Road which he felt
would be an ideal site for this new venture. He
approached William Higginbottom, the architect
who had designed the St Albans Picturedrome,
to design him a cinema for Carlton.
Cinema design was very much a new discipline
at the time and using someone who had some
experience in the field was very important as
they were few and far between.
W H Higginbotton submitted his plans for the
new building in autumn 1912 and in October
that year the Carlton Urban District Council
approved the drawings. Work on the building
started in January 1913 with construction
carried out by Enoch Parkers own company.
A generator was installed to provide the DC
power required for the projector. The rest of the
building was lit by gas. The audience of 450 was
accommodated on a staggered level auditorium
in simple wooden tip up seats. Admission was
3d and 6d with the six penny seats in the grand
stalls (the slightly raised area at the back of the
auditorium). The paint work was pink and cream
with curtains to match.
By early spring 1913 the work was completed
and the cinema officially opened on April
30th 1913, less than 4 months after the work
commenced.
This new entertainment venue for Carlton was
called the Victoria Picture House. The films
being shown were of course all silent in those
days, but they were accompanied in this building
by a piano, violin and cello. The first film to be
shown was Willies Magic Wand, supported by
a short slapstick comedy and a topical review.
The great liner, the Titanic, had sunk with a large
loss of life only a few days before and Pathe had
produced a news report. This was also shown
as part of the same programme that night.
Mr Parker decided to run the cinema himself
and could be seen in the building most nights.
The projection of the films was carried out by
Mr Parker’s son Reginald as chief operator. It
was very much a family undertaking from start
to finish.
The cinema quickly became a great success
and was regularly filled to capacity. In 1921
after 10 years of operation, the cinema closed
for a short time while a balcony was installed.
When it reopened on November 21st 1921 the
capacity had increased to 600. The cinema now
had a staff of 16 with Reginald taking over the
management from his father. Arthur Davies
replaced Reginald as chief operator. Cinema in
Carlton was now well established.
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