New Picture House

Opened

Tuesday 21st October 1913 by PCT in the former banqueting hall of the

Royal Hotel. The opening film was Forbes Robertson in 'Hamlet, ticket

prices were 6d for the stalls, 1s for the balcony. Orchestral music was

provided as an accompaniment.

Ground Floor plan

First Floor plan

Proscenium design

Proscenium section

The

conversion was by architects Atkinson & Alexander, who provided

seating for 850. The contractors were Millar & Sons, Edinburgh; the

steelwork was from Young & Co., London, the panelling by Ogilvie

& Co., Aberdeen and McLaughlin & Harvey Ltd, London, with

fibrous plaster wrok by the Bromsgrove Guild and H Gaze & Co.,

London. Scagliola work was by Bellman, Ivey & Carter of London, the

bronze by the Elbron Metallising Company of London, the bronze entrance

doors and casements were by H Hope & Sons, Birmingham, and the

marble by Whitehead & Son, London. The cafe and all furnishings was

fitted out by J Taylor & Son of Edinburgh.

The entrance

doors led to a vestibule with paybox and cloakroom, from where a second

set of doors led to a long foyer lined with pillars led in from the

street, with a lounge off to one side, and fireplace on the other.

Steps at the end led up to a small oval tea-room. A single flight of

steps to the right led to the entrance to the rear stalls, or further

steps up to the balcony and tea-room. The auditorium ran parallel to

the street. The proscenium was deeply coffered, and flanked by statues

of a lady on either side.

Entrance vestibule

Long foyer & fireplace

Oval tea-room

View to gallery

The Evening News described the building as follows:

The

architectural and the decorative designs of the interior are striking

in their effect. The style is classic but not severely so. The green

marble pillars at the sides of the theatre support a finely modelled

cornice, and the coffered ceiling imparts a handsome appearance to the

building. The side walls are beatifully panelled in oak, and hung with

rich /// tapestry. The proscenium is a fine example of the modeller's

art. Passing

through the white marble entrance with its pillars in Swedish green,

the visitor finds himself in a handsome vestibule and entrance foyer. A

tea lounge enters from the vestibule, and at the end of the foyer there

is an oval tea-room, pretily decorated in Louis XVI style. Then below

the foyer, the biggest of the cafes, 'The Wedgewood', is situated. This

large room has been tastefully decorated in the Adams style, with

Wedgewood blue as the distinctive colour note.

November 1925, a Hope Jones Unit organ supplied by Wurlitzer was

installed at the cost of £7,000, and was inaugurated with a special

recital by Reginald Foort FRCO.

The NPH was the first cinema in

Edinburgh to have a sycronised sound installation, and the Singing Fool

had a 5-week run at it in 1929.

The New Picture House

closed on Saturday 26th May 1951, when the site was sold and demolished

with along with the hotel for a Marks and Spencer's. The final films

were 'Pagan Love Song', and 'Cause for Alarm'.

Many thanks to the Cinema Theatre Association Archive for the images and information.

New Picture House

Photographs

Photographs