Description: Liberty Cinema is situated in the heart of the predominantly Asian community of Southall, London. Built in 1929 as a sumptuous and unique Chinese-style picture house, it was designed by George Coles, one of the most prominent cinema architects of the time. It has an ornate faience-clad exterior topped with a pagoda roof surmounted by writhing dragons as well as an elaborate molded plaster interior to match. The quality of the building is reflected in the Grade II* listing.

Issue: The fortunes of the Liberty mirror those of many traditional cinemas. After successive changes of ownership in the 1970s, it closed for business and was converted for use as an indoor market in 1982. During that time, little or no maintenance was carried out, and the site was placed on English heritage’s Buildings at Risk Register. The structure was purchased in 1998 by the present owner, a local businessman, who intended to restore the Liberty as a cinema. Later the same year disaster struck when a fire severely damaged the auditorium interior, placing its future in jeopardy.

Strategy: English Heritage’s London region responded to the crisis by offering a substantial grant-aid package in order to replace the damaged plaster of the auditorium, repair the external faience and recreate the original decorative scheme of the interiors. In order to establish the original scheme, the Architectural Paint Research Unit within English Heritage’s Building Conservation and Research Team was asked to undertake research into the decorative development of the building. Paint samples were taken as archive information was limited and these provided evidence for the recreation of the original scheme, essential in establishing an integrated finish for the cinema. The team decided it was important to recreate the lavish appearance of the original as faithfully as possible with gold leaf and glazed areas. They also prepared the specification for the redecoration scheme and tenders were sought from decoration firms with experience in historic redecoration.

Outcome: Architectural paint research produced a clear understanding of the decorative development of the Liberty and this enabled the reconstruction of the original decorative scheme and make informed and justifiable conservation decisions along the way. The flamboyant architecture of the cinema now shines out in an area otherwise lacking historic buildings of this quality. It can be argued that the conservation and representation of the original scheme adds to the appreciation and value not only of the building but of its location. Most importantly there is strong support within the local community for the preservation of the cinema and its proposed return to use as a picture house showing both Bollywood and Western films.