The Picture House, Oxford Street

The Picturehouse, also known as Oxford Picture House or Oxford Theatre, sat on the corner of Chepstow Street and Oxford Street, In operation between December 1911 and October 1980, its first picture was the ill-fated 'Captain Scott’s Expedition to the South Pole'. It was shown a mere day after the successful attempt to reach the same target was achieved by Norway’s Roald Armundsen and his team.

Smaller and less elegant than the Gaumont, with which it was later twinned with, the Picturehouse auditorium had wood paneling and hung with tapestries. Now a fast food restaurant, the buildings exterior still exhibits signs of its past with the red brick and orange terracotta ‘The Picturehouse’ signage still being visible.

Arthur McLelland (pictured in his uniform above) worked at The Picturehouse as a pageboy during the 1920s. The job was shortlived, between the ages of 14 and 15 as it could only be guaranteed as long as his uniform fit him smartly After this point, he and other boys working the same role were unceremoniously laid off. In this clip he remembers the habits of his regulars.

Image: Arthur McLelland age 14 in his pageboy uniform Ref: NWFA Photo Deposit 78/1