The six month old Commodore Cinema, 20 May 1939
Cippenham has only ever had one cinema. Originally named the Commodore it opened its doors on 30 November 1938. A stone’s throw from Everett’s Corner, it was situated on the Bath Road at the east side of the junction with Stowe Road. Of large proportion, it dwarfed other buildings in Cippenham Green at 90 by 180 feet with a height of 68 feet. Reflective of late deco trends, its orthogonal concrete pillared frontage had a simple elegance, distinct in appearance from the other cinemas in the district. The plain, mainly brick façade of Slough’s Granada which also opened in 1938 looked bland by comparison. The Adelphi, being more representative of the fashion at the start of the decade, presented a considerably more opulent appearance, and was arguably the most attractive. The Commodore was built at a cost of fifty thousand pounds by the Manor Park Construction Co., which had been responsible for the nearby housing estate of that name. The development contained a ballroom (boasted to be the largest in the country) at ground level, above which was the auditorium and café – a typical arrangement for a cinema of the era. The auditorium with its seating capacity of 1500 was designed to host live entertainment in addition to cine projection. It possessed a 45 feet wide proscenium and a 17 feet deep stage which was equipped with a Lafleur (Hammond) electronic organ. Backstage, four entertainers’ dressing rooms had been provided. The filmed opening night ceremony was presided over by the Mayor of Slough, E. T. Bowyer and was attended by 600 people including other local dignitaries and film artists from the nearby Pinewood and Denham Studios. A telegram from the actress Valerie Hobson wishing the cinema well was read out by the cinema manager. In contrast, the Granada’s opening night earlier the same year was presided over by Leslie Howard and telegrams were received from Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Clarke Gable and Bette Davis among other great names. Perhaps this was an early sign of how things would be, for although Cippenham’s cinema measured up in more ways than capacity, it never enjoyed the same level of success as its nearby counterparts. Films shown on the opening night were Start Cheering and Mad about Music. The Commodore stayed open through the war putting on a film billing that was changed bi-weekly and dances every Tuesday and Saturday. A reminiscence can be found on the internet from someone who remarked how nice it was to see the cinema lit up in neon once again after the war had ended. In October 1949, the cinema was purchased by the Essoldo circuit and from then on it was known as the Essoldo. Through the fifties, its weekly dance was popular; nicknamed Dollies - although nobody can remember how the name came about. As a cinema, however, the Essoldo never seemed to show the films that people wanted to see. Perhaps being further from the centre of Slough it couldn’t attract the numbers to justify more costly cinematic offerings. Many people today have memories of watching films in the fifties at the Granada, Adelphi and Ambassador in the Farnham Road, but few can remember going to the Essoldo.
The Essoldo Cinema in Cippenham circa 1957
At the start of the sixties, the Essoldo was occasionally a music venue for bands. For instance, Mick Dee & the Jaywalkers are documented to have performed there 15 April 1961. Although not a recognisable name today (or even back then) at times their line-up featured one future member of the Animals and two of Deep Purple. As a music venue in this era, however, the Adelphi considerably outshone the Essoldo. The Rolling Stones, Walker Brothers, Roy Orbison and many other rising stars of the sixties performed at the Adelphi. The Beatles played there on two occasions. Eventually the Essoldo ceased to operate as a cinema and other uses were found for it. It was certainly used as a Bingo hall in the sixties and early seventies which was a common fate for cinemas as the success of television increasingly impacted on cinema going. Once again, however, the Essoldo was outdone by the Adelphi, with it's glitzy 'Las Vegas' atmosphere and higher stake games. It is known that at some time there was a hairdressing salon in the Essoldo, and that it was used for dance lessons.
Alternative Night in Cippenham, 1982
Flier from 1982 advertising a motley selection of bands appearing on Thursday's Alternative Night at Libertys
For some time in the early seventies the Essoldo's doors were closed completely, but around 1980-81 the ballroom was converted into a snooker hall. Snooker had been growing in popularity since being televised and the new Herald Snooker Club appeared a successful venture although it is difficult to find anyone with memories of what it was like. Around this time the building frontage was altered to create separate entrances for the snooker club on the left and the upstairs on the right. The auditorium was converted into a discothèque night-club named Alexandras and subsequently Libertys [sic]. The club did well and its soul-nights at the weekend were often filled to capacity. Patrons enjoyed bar extensions to 2 am at a time when late licenses were rare. There were sporadic incidents of fighting and other violence, but no more or less in comparison to nearby clubs. Libertys seemed more than a cut-above other clubs such as Henry's or Studio 1, having a spacious layout with large dance floor and a balcony. The décor was sumptuous and seating areas were ample and plush . Less mainstream music tastes were also catered for earlier in the week with nights for rhythm & blues, heavy rock and metal, futurism and new romanticism. The latter nights entertained the local misfits and transsexuals etc. from as far away as Uxbridge. After a few years, Libertys began to flag in popularity and the name was changed to Shoes. The whole building finally closed down. It was demolished in 1986 and a Jaguar car showroom was built in its place. Many people, spanning generations have fond memories of nights spent there.
Essoldo Demolition
Captured by an A-level photography student from a rear garden in Stowe Road, 1986.

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Libertys Flier image courtesy of Keith Davis Aerial image source: Britain from Above. www.britainfromabove.org.uk

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