The Broadway Cinema is very different to the modern out of town multiplexes. Great care has been taken to preserve the character of the building, in particular its classic 1936 art deco features, whilst ensuring that seating, sound projection and facilities for film- goers meet the latest and highest possible standards.

In 1909, the first cinema outside London, the Palace Theatre, opened in Letchworth Garden City thanks to the efforts of 40 Letchworth families including the Balls, the Warrens, the Hursts and the Thompsons.

The Palace Theatre was refurbished in 1924. Six years later, on a new site a few yards away, the Broadway Cinema was created after a campaign of door-to-door share selling in the town to generate sufficient additional capital. The cinema opened on 26th August 1936 with a black tie gala screening ‘Follow the Feet’ starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The Garden City architects Bennett & Bidwell designed Broadway Cinema and were behind many, now famous, Letchworth public buildings and housing, including Rushby Mead and Jackmans Place.

The Broadway Cinema (1900s)

The Broadway Cinema closed its doors temporarily at the end of February 1996 with a special screening of ‘Winbag the Sailor’ starring Will Hay. To ensure the continued prosperity of the Broadway Cinema, the 60 shareholders of Letchworth Palace Ltd. had come together with the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation in a £2m (intensive four month) refurbishment programme to revitalise the cinema from a single to a triple screen facility. The new independent company brings together The Letchworth Palace Ltd, the cinema’s previous owners, and Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation to form the joint venture company ~ Broadway Cinema Ltd.

The regenerated Broadway cinema opened its doors to the public on Friday 12th July 1996, after a very successful Gala night on 11th July 1996. The top 10 films, following a campaign in ‘Insight’ eleven months after opening included top titles such as:

• Independence Day
• 101 Dalmatians
• Star Wars
• Twister
• Mission Impossible
• Evita
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame
• Space Jam
• The Nutty Professor
• James & The Giant Peach

The rich tradition of local cinema, became more interesting in Letchworth when a young lad seeing his first film, ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ at Broadway cinema, grew up to become one of the country’s top film directors – not a script, but reality!

Simon West, former Fearnhill School (Letchworth Garden City) pupil spent a fair amount of his youth living in Letchworth, and returned to the town, where he holds real affection, five and a half years ago, to stage the European Premiere of his film ‘Con Air’ at Broadway Cinema.

Another box office smash to add to his credit is Tomb Raider, based on one of the best-known computer games and it’s central cartoon character Lara Croft. This film, part of which was made in Hertfordshire was released in 2002 and proved a massive success.