Gaumont State Cinema

Entertainers Gracie Fields, Larry Adler and George Formby performed at the official opening broadcast live on BBC Radio on 20 December 1937. Since then, the Gaumont State has been one of the most popular music venues in London and has hosted a number of historic performances. From the late 1980s until 2007 the building was run as a bingo hall by Mecca Bingo. In 2007 the bingo hall was closed, and the building and surrounding site were put up for sale. A campaign to "Save the Kilburn State" from unsympathetic property developers, and restore it as a cultural centre, was started in the same year by local residents. The building was eventually acquired by Ruach City Church, led by Bishop John…

Designed by George Coles and commissioned and built by Phillip and Sid Hyams, the cinema opened in 1937. The Gaumont State was one of the biggest auditoria in Europe, with seating for 4,004 people. The name State is said to come from the huge 120 ft tower, inspired by the Empire State Building in New York City. The exterior of the cinema is designed in an Art Deco Italian Renaissance style, covered in cream ceramic tiles. The tower, designed in the style of a 1930s New York skyscraper, can be seen for miles around, and bears the name "STATE" in large red neon letters. The interior was designed in the opulent style of cinemas of the day, and includes a Wurlitzer organ which is today one of…