Located in Southall, Middlesex. The Dominion Cinema opened on 14th October 1935 with John Beal in “Laddie” and Elizabeth Bergner in “Escape Me Never”. It was built for the small independent circuit of Abraham Goide and his partner Glassman. Designed by architect Frank Ernest Bromige, the facade was spectacular and included a slender fin-tower feature. It was even more beautiful especially at night when the gentle curves and rounded windows were illuminated by back-lighting and strips of neon tubing.
The Dominion Cinema was equipped with a 60 feet wide proscenium opening, a stage 22 feet deep and there were six dressing rooms for use when variety performances were held as part of the programmes. There was also a cafe and a ballroom incorporated into the building.
It was converted into a bingo hall for a few years. IWA Southall acquired the Cinema and used it as a major picture house for the large Indian community in Southall and across London. It screened Bollywood’ films and became a major focus for building social capital, reducing cultural isolation and supporting local communities. Sadly with the advent of other technologies the picture house declined around around 1979 and the building lay empty and unused until the early 1980s when it was transferred to Ealing Council by the IWA and The Dominion Community Centre was built on the site. By January 2018 this had become Southall Library. IWA Southall then occupied its own premises adjoining the Dominion Centre from where it continued its social justice campaigns and is still located today.
