Erith Playhouse

The building was originally the Oxford Cinema, which opened on 27 July 1913, showing silent movies. It continued as a cinema until 1938, when it closed, opening again as a news cinema for a short time. During the Second World War it was used as a store for furniture from the bombed homes in the locality, and it is rumoured to have had some more salacious uses at other times, bearing in mind its proximity to the river and nearby wharf, with their workforce of sailors!

The conversion of the cinema for theatrical use was begun by the volunteers of Erith Theatre Guild in 1947. The Guild had been formed in 1943 to promote greater co-operation between the various amateur entertainment groups in the area, and the affiliated groups combined to mount an annual production. The first of these was Berkeley Square in 1944. Performances had to be staged in school halls, local buildings, and on tour in various unlikely venues. At the end of the war, despite the shortage of money and materials, the Guild made plans for its own theatre, and eventually obtained a lease for the old cinema from the local council.

Wikipedia