THE ELTHAM SOCIETY Tony Moss, President of the Cinema and Theatre Association, talked to the Eltham Society about "Cinemas in and around Eltham" and revealed how the present handful of cinemas in South East London are all that remain of a hundred or more that flourished in their heyday.

In the early days shows were normally travelling affairs set up in halls and other local buildings - they often caused fires, sometimes with casualties, so licensing was introduces in 1910 and about that time custombuilt cinemas began to appear. Tony’s talk covered Beckenham, Bexley, Blackheath, Bromley, Lewisham, Downham, Rushey Green and Chislehurst in addition to the Eltham area, the names of the theatres quoted such as, Regal, Roxy, palace, Astor, Granada, Lyric, Grand Hall and many others, were redolent of an era that disappeared several decades ago.

In Eltham itself, Mr Browning, a local Estate Agent, opened the Eltham Cinema in 1913 at the corner of the High Street and Westmount Road; an early accompanist on the piano for the then silent films was Lena Crisp (poor old soul), who later won fame working with Frankie Howerd for many years.

The cinema closed in 1931 but the building survives until 1968. In 1922 the Eltham cinema was opened with seating for 1200 and a café-restaurant, in the middle of the High Street, in 1964 it became the ABC and closed in 1972 soon to be replaced by shops.

In 1936 and 1500 seater Odeon was built at Well Hall roundabout, regarded as a luxury theatre in its day, it became a Coronet in 1981, sadly closing in 2000.

There are Council plans to re-open and refurbish it - too much to expect it to include a cinema, no doubt!

Another Odeon had appeared on Eltham Hill in 1938, changing its name to Gaumont in 1948. It lasted until conversion to Bingo in 1967. At one time there had been a proposal to create a super-cinema back at the corner of Westmount Road, but nothing came of it.

How sad that a community that had three flourishing cinemas for nearly 30 years now has none.