The Picturehouse, formerly The Forum

The Picturehouse, formerly The Forum, is a former combined cinema and variety theatre that opened in 1930. It was designed by J Stanley Beard as part of J Stanley Beard and Clare for Herbert A Yapp's Wyanbee Theatres. ABC took it over in 1935, after which it operated exclusively as a cinema. Between 1970 and 1996, the auditoriums, stage area and fly tower were subdivided to create six cinema screens. The building was refurbished in the 1980s under the direction of Tessa Kennedy. In 2019, it came under the management of Picturehouse Cinemas and underwent further refurbishment.

Materials and Construction

The building has a steel-framed structure faced in red Dorking bricks, embellished with cream and blue faience tile and bronze panelling (now painted). There is a painted black plinth replacing the previous polished stone cladding. The large hipped steel-truss roof has been recovered in modern corrugated metal.

Plan

The building has a rectangular footprint with a rounded corner entrance at the east (at the junction of Drayton Gardens and Fulham Road) and a stair tower at the south-west corner. Four levels of lobbies and bars lie between these features. Extending to the north is the former auditorium space, which has canted walls at the upper levels at the north end where the former backstage area was located.

Exterior

The building is in a Classical style influenced by Italian Renaissance and Roman architecture with Art Deco detailing. It consists of four floors with an additional basement level, topped by a large hipped roof.

At the east corner is a tile-clad curved four-storey entrance bay. The ground floor has several set-back 1980s double doors with brass handles, separated by piers that support the first-floor balcony. Near the base of two of the piers are tiles with raised lettering reading "ARCHITECTS / J STANLEY BEARD & CLARE/ F F R I B A" and "CONTRACTORS. /BOVIS, LIMTED./1930." Above the entrance is a curving billboard which has been replaced several times; behind it is the original first-floor balcony with metal railings. In front of the set-back upper three floors are four giant-order Corinthian columns with decorative capitals, as well as a pair of square pilasters. Torchères added in the 1980s are attached to the columns. Between the columns are windows set within bronze panelling; above the second-floor windows are small pediments with shell decoration. Some of the glazing has been replaced; the original lead-pane amber and blue coloured glazing survives at the third floor and within the margin glazing of the second-floor windows. Above is a curving entablature topped by balustrading set between square piers; the piers were originally topped by urns which have been removed. The cornerpiece has a large stepped tiled parapet with blue incised scroll decoration.

The Fulham Road elevation has seven bays: two tile-clad projecting canted end bays and five set-back central bays. The canted bays each contain a two-storey round-arched window with Vitruvian scroll keystones and early multi-pane metal frames. Below are recessed blue-tile aprons with laurel wreath decoration, above square windows with large metal grilles. The south-west bay also has a blocked ground-floor opening and a door to the basement. There are further narrow ground-floor windows on the corner returns. Between the end bays, the central five bays have cream tiling on the ground floor, brick upper floors, and a basement level below delineated by a wall comprising piers and panels of decorative ironwork. Two sets of ground-floor doors at each end are accessed via steps with balustrades that sail over the basement level. Between the doors are three large ground-floor windows which have been lowered to create larger picture windows. In front of the central three bays is a first-floor tile-clad Juliette balcony supported by console brackets, with a metal balustrade; earlier ornamental torch lighting attached to the balustrade has been removed. The first and second-floor windows retain the original metal-frame margin glazing bars. The three central windows are set within tall round arches topped by shell motifs and large keystones. The flanking windows are within brick plain reveals. There is a tile band above, with three square windows in plain brick reveals; the central window has been replaced by louvred shutters while the flanking windows retain their large diamond glazing bars. The parapet is tile-clad and a tall brick stack rises above at the south-west corner.

The brick-faced Cavaye Place elevation includes a row of fire exits at its south end. It has irregular fenestration, with the main concentration of metal casement windows at the south end; the rest of the elevation is largely uninterrupted brickwork displaying some modifications including the replacement of doors with windows and some boarded-up openings. This elevation, which includes shallow recesses divided by brick pilasters at the north end, is partially obscured by an adjacent terrace.

At the south end of the Drayton Gardens elevation is another tile-clad canted corner bay which includes a tall round-arch shallow recess and blocked opening below, both with large keystones. There is a blocked ground-floor entrance at the base of this bay. The rest of the elevation is brick with some tile details. The five-bay three-storey elevation has a central ground-floor former door which has been replaced by a window. Above is a metal cantilevered canopy. Above the canopy, the elevation includes five recessed panels with brick and tile surrounds, divided by brick pilasters with decorative tile capitals. At the north end of this elevation is a four-storey block flanked by two-storey blocks. The ground floor includes further entrances providing access to the former backstage area; this includes a tall two-storey flat-arch opening at the north end, originally the scenery entrance, which has been partially infilled and has a later door inserted. The windows at this end are multi-pane metal casements of various dates. There have also been some later brick patch repairs and infill additions.

There is a large hipped roof over the auditorium with metal fire escapes and a smaller hipped-roof lantern over part of the north end, where there has also been an additional storey added over part of the former fly tower. Other later additions to the roofscape include plant structures and a tall brick vent tower that has been added to the south-west corner of the building.

Interior

The building's interior principally consists of six cinema screens located over three levels within the main auditorium and former stage area. These screens were added piecemeal between the 1970s and 1990s with various phases of refurbishment; the current appearance of the screens dates to 2019. Screens 3 and 6 have been inserted into the north end of the building, resulting in the partial infilling of the fly tower and the loss of stage area and dressing rooms below. There is little visible evidence for the auditorium's 1930s decoration. The lower part of at least one fluted Corinthian pilaster is visible at first-floor level at the top of the fire escape in the north-west corner of the building. Also at this end, at the ground floor, is a small section of a plaster band with scroll detailing. Other visible surviving elements of the 1930s auditorium include the remains of the gilded band of the proscenium arch within screen 3 at the first floor. Within a modern projector room to the rear of screens 4 and 5 on the ground-floor level, a section of the original ceiling under the circle balcony, including plaster decoration and beams, is also visible. It is unclear to what extent other parts of the 1930s auditorium decoration that lined the walls or the proscenium arch have survived behind the later wall coverings and inserted ceilings.

The 1930s layout of the circular lobby survives along with the main stairwell, but the lobby's current decorative scheme is largely the result of the 2019 refurbishment, including the creation of an adjacent refreshment counter within the south-east corner of the former auditorium. However, there is some decoration at the top of the pilasters which divides the entrance door bays, and a Greek-key cornice which are likely to be of the 1930s. In the middle of the bottom set of steps of the principal staircase and on the first-floor landing are decorative railings which may be part of the original decorative scheme. There are brass handrails throughout the building, some of which may be original. Two further staircases on the south-west corner of the building are original, one connected to all levels and one running from the third to the ground floor; these have simple metal handrails.

The bars, lounges, projection room and staff rooms were located on the south side of the building. These areas have undergone various phases of refurbishment, including the removal of internal subdivisions; their current decoration appears to mainly relate to the 2019 refurbishment. The bar at the centre of the first floor retains a panel with a Guilloche surround which appears to be original. There are also four alcoves in the north wall of a curving corridor which are part of the original layout, with later decoration. Also at this level is the circular former tea lounge which includes a section of the metal grille, formerly from the auditorium, which has been reused at the top of a modern bar back.

The building's original internal three-panel doors have largely been replaced; however, a small number have been retained, principally located in staff, backstage areas and service stairwells. There are several wood veneer doors with handles that match those of the 1980s front doors that are likely contemporary with that phase of refurbishment. Other doors are more recent replacements.

To the north side of the building are narrow fire escape staircases. At the north-east corner of the building are some of the former dressing rooms and service areas which have been used subsequently as accommodation and retain some original three-panel doors and parquet flooring; this area is currently not in use.

On the south side of the building, the basement level includes the former boiler rooms and service chambers which largely conform with the original layout. This area retains original three-panel doors and elements of former machinery and plant relating to the early running of the theatre and cinema.

The roof has a substantial steel-truss structure with a network of walkways between the trusses. It is unclear if the dome which topped the auditorium still survives.