The Plaza - then & now

Another blend of old and new. The Plaza cinema circa 1952 and today, 2015; a car park!

A brief history
Located in Luton, Bedfordshire. The Hightown Electric Theatre was opened on 24th August 1912. It had an attractive stone facade, and originally had 550 seats, all on a single level.

In March 1928 it was taken over by the General Theatre Corporation(GTC) and two months later was taken over by the Gaumont British Theatres chain, who installed a Western Electric(WE) sound system.

Life under Gaumont did not last long, as in May 1929 it was sold to the Southam Morris chain, and was renamed Plaza Cinema from May 1931.
The Plaza Cinema was closed in October 1937 due to damage by a fire, and it never re-opened. It became a warehouse, and was use as storage until it was demolished in 1979. Today, a small car park occupies the site.

The clever ones out there will have spotted the contradiction in this post. If the cinema closed in the late 30s how was it showing a film in 1952? Just shows how unreliable historical records can be.

27 mile cycle ride today with Mick. I would describe it as 'leisurely'. I think we may do it all over again next week.