Part 1 of the history of cinemas and entertainment in Laindon.
Before Laindon had a purpose-built cinema, much of the area's entertainment was organised locally. Residents remembered picture shows being held in the building later known as the Winston Club, while youth clubs, football, boxing, cycle polo, dances and community events provided recreation in a district where public entertainment venues were still limited.
The Laindon Picture Theatre opened in High Road in 1929. It stood between Somerset Road and New Century Road, on the corner of New Century Road, beside a small parade of shops. The building was far more than a basic film hall: it could seat about 680 people and had a stage together with two dressing rooms, allowing it to host variety performances and local functions as well as films.
Local-history research places the opening at the end of March 1929. Shortly before opening, proprietor Louis Silverman advertised for musicians to form a small orchestra to play in the evenings. This reflected the transitional period in cinema history when live musical accompaniment still formed part of the experience even as sound films were beginning to transform the industry.
The first proprietor was Louis Silverman, who ran the theatre with members of his family. Silverman also served on Laindon Parish Council. The cinema quickly became one of the district's main public venues, providing regular film programmes alongside stage events, carnival functions and community gatherings.
The theatre's stage and dressing rooms meant it could accommodate variety acts, talent competitions and civic or community events. The building became part of Laindon's social life at a time when many residents did not own cars and travelled locally on foot, by bicycle or by bus.
The Picture Theatre gave Laindon a permanent entertainment venue at the same time that the High Road was becoming increasingly busy with shops and businesses. It was a meeting place, a cinema, a stage and a community landmark, and would remain in use for around forty years under its later Radion name.