Duxford: Gymnasium, chapel and cinema

Gymnasium and chapel, built between 1940 and 1941 to designs by Frank Hawbest of the Air Ministry (drawing nos. 14604/40 and 15424/41), with a cinema projection annex added to the south-west gable around 1955.

MATERIALS: rendered brick walls, steel-framed windows, and corrugated asbestos roof covering.

PLAN: range of rectangular-plan blocks laid out on a north-east – south-west axis: gymnasium block with an attached chapel to the north-east end, and a projector room annex added to the south-west end. A toilet block is attached to the north-west elevation of the gymnasium (now cinema and gymnasium), and a changing / storage block attached to the south-east elevation.

EXTERIOR: the gymnasium block (now cinema and gymnasium) and chapel are double-height single-storey structures, the roof of the cinema and gymnasium block being higher than that of the chapel. The pitched roofs have a corrugated asbestos covering, with vents to the slopes (relocated from the ridge in the late C20 or early C21). The two-storey projection room annex, and single-storey toilet block and changing / storage block have flat roofs. The walls are constructed of red brick and rendered; the front (south-east) and rear elevations of the cinema and gymnasium block have buttresses to each of the nine bays. The cinema and gymnasium block has a band of steel-framed clerestory windows to the front and rear elevations. The chapel is five bays in length with slender steel-framed casement windows to the front and rear elevations, and one central window to the north-east end. The single-storey changing / storage block and toilet block each have double-leaf doors, those to the front elevation having a sign reading ‘ASTRA’ over. An additional set of double doors and steps provide emergency access from the north-west corner of the cinema auditorium. The projection room annex has a flight of steps along the south-west elevation rising to the projector room at first floor, over a ground-floor store.

INTERIOR: the interior of the cinema has a steel-framed fink truss roof supported on buttresses on the north-west and south-east walls. The auditorium has tiered seating (replaced in the late C20 or early C21), and a sloped floor descending to a stage and screen at the north-east end. A partition wall to the rear of the screen divides the cinema from a gymnasium at the north-east end. The former changing room and storage room of the gymnasium now provide an office and storage room for the cinema. The wall between the gymnasium and chapel has folding partition doors, most likely introduced around 1955 when the projection room annex was added and gymnasium divided. The chapel was divided in the C20 into a chancel (the congregation of which would sit in the gymnasium), a Roman Catholic chapel (at the north-east end) and a vestry. The gymnasium and chapel are now in use as store rooms.