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Architect of the Week: George Coles

8/9/2013

21 Comments

 
George Coles (1884-1963) is one the most famous, and certainly most prolific, architects of the Golden age of Cinema building. He grew up in Leyton, East London where his mother ran a sweet shop, and he attended Newport Road School and later Leyton Technical Institute. After beginning a career in architecture, Coles formed a partnership with Percy Henry Adams in 1912. Their company acquired a reputation for their cinema designs, and they produced many designs for Oscar Deutsch’s Odeon chain, as well as numerous other Cinema chains. Most of their designs were built in the Greater London area, but they also appeared in Brighton, Bournemouth, Halifax and Sheffield ,among others.


Two of his most celebrated cinemas are the Gaumont State Kilburn (1937) and Muswell Hill Odeon (1936) both Grade II* listed. These two designs show the range of Coles designs. The Gaumont State cinema has a monumental facade with a central tower finished in cream coloured faience and a lobby that is panelled with green vitrolite. It is a great example of the more is more school of cinema architecture that proliferated in the interwar period.


The Muswell Hill Odeon by contrast takes a more pared down, moderne approach. It has a curved frontage, again clad in cream faience, but without the frills of the Gaumont. This was partly down the opposition of the church across the street to having a cinema so close. The interior was subsequently made to be lavish and luxurious in contrast to the more sombre facade. The cinema design is one of the only remaining interwar cinemas influenced by German Expressionism.


Of the nearly 90 cinemas that Coles designed the vast majority are no longer cinemas, and a significant proportion have been demolished altogether. But some still survive intact to show Coles designs, and we will be tweeting some of these over the next week.
21 Comments
Ann Hares
20/7/2014 09:07:17 am

I am George Coles granddaughter and can remember as little girl seeing his designs on huge drawing boards in his office. Visits to him in his beautiful country home in Sussex at the weekends were highlights of my childhood. I was the only grandchild and was always seated next to him at the table no matter hoe important other guests were. I believe he was also involved in some of the subways design and would like to know more about that.http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcommunity/2014/07/tinders-infamous-tiger-selfies-could-go-extinct-thanks-to-new-york-legislation.html

Reply
Josh
23/7/2014 08:11:23 am

Hi Ann,

Thank you for your comment. It is always great to hear from people who knew the architects we feature, and even better to hear from one who has such an insight. I haven't come across anything linking your grandfather to subways, but I will keep an eye out and let you know if I do.

Reply
Susie Clapham
24/3/2015 06:37:45 am

Dear Ann,

I would like to request permission to use some of your Grandfather's work is there a way I can get in touch with you?

Kind regards,

Susie

Reply
Norman Wilkins
27/12/2014 09:56:03 am

I worked for George Coles 1960-1961. It was my first job on leaving school and he paid me in guineas! The office was in Craven Street WC2, alongside Charing Cross Station. I remember he had two partners. One was Walter Forrest but the other's name escapes me for the moment. George was very much the boss and he took lunch at Simpsons in the Strand, every day. A pleasant place to work and I only left because I was daunted by the eight years it would have taken to qualify. It was only recently that I found out how famous he was and I remember working on a BHS project at Staines, amongst others. I also remember he was involved with the old Swan & Edgar store on the corner of Regent Street. I have only pleasant memories of having worked for George Coles.

Reply
Josh
22/1/2015 11:52:48 am

Hi Norman,

Great to hear your memories of working for George Coles, and great to hear he was a nice person as well.

Regards

Josh

Reply
Alexandra Osben
21/8/2015 04:28:00 pm

I believe that the other architect working with Coles may have been Irving Patterson. He was friends with my grandparents and I now live in what used to be his house. We have a few George Coles drawings that were left here when we moved in!

Reply
NICOLA TURNER
6/12/2021 08:57:28 pm

The other was my grandfather "Jack" Frederick John William Turner. I still have some of their headed notepaper.

Reply
Kathleen Healy
14/12/2021 05:02:34 pm

I live in Staines and am trying prevent the demolition of the former Debenhams building that I believe he designed. It was originally a Kennards store. It is at the end of the High Street and a large grand building. Do you recall it?

Reply
Ms Hazel Louise Brooks
20/1/2015 01:04:45 pm

I have been interested in art-deco type cinemas (and others) for many years and my favourite architect has always been George Coles, I love his designs. I have wanted to make an accurate model for many years of his ODEON that once stood at Shannon Corner, New Malden/Merton but have lost the many photographs that I took both when the building stood and whilst it was being demolished, is it possible to get copies of Mr Coles` drawings at all? This would be a massive help to me. Thanks for reading. Hazel

Reply
Josh
22/1/2015 11:51:32 am

Hi Hazel, Thanks for your comment. Your model making project sounds very interesting. The only place I can think of that might have something is the RIBA Library http://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Visitus/Library/VisitOurLibrary/VisitOurLibrary.aspx

They have a online catalogue that you can browse http://riba.sirsidynix.net.uk/uhtbin/webcat

Good Luck!
Josh

Reply
Peter Lawley
17/5/2016 02:58:28 pm

The Shannon Corner Odeon was the most beautiful of all buildings which featured in my childhood. I went there frequently to the Saturday morning children's shows, as well as to features, including 'Oklahoma' and 'Reach for the Sky'. It closed when I was eleven years old. I shall always regret its passing.
P.S, I hope you are a member of the Cinema Theatre Association!

Reply
Ms Hazel Brooks
17/5/2016 03:43:45 pm

Hi Peter, nice to meet a fellow fan. I am a member of the CTA and through their archives I have a complete set of drawings for the Shannon Corner ODEON though the model is on hold at the moment. The CTA do have a rather splendid model of the frontage in their archive too. Do you remember the salmon-pink dual carriageway that ran past the ODEON before they put that Dreadful flyover up?

Peter
27/5/2016 10:47:53 pm

Hazel
Please...
Drop me a line to
lawleypeter@btinternet.com

Reply
Ms Hazel Louise Brooks
7/8/2021 03:29:17 pm

Hi Peter, tried to email you but it bounced. Can you mail me at
hazelbrooks55@gmail.com please.
Hazel

Carolyn Brockman
22/3/2015 06:34:53 am

Hello there,
My dad, Guy Coles now sadly deceased was George Coles' nephew, he and my aunt used to tell us some wonderful stories about him and staying at his wonderful home, Bucks Head. It is fascinating to hear more about his life,
Carolyn Brockman

Reply
Jim Kealy
16/5/2020 06:13:26 pm

Hello,Do any of your correspondents know if a book on George Coles is available ,or planned ?, as I'd like to buy one.
Thank you.
Jim Kealy

qqfinc@icloud.com

Reply
Joshua Abbott link
19/5/2020 03:21:56 pm

Hi Jim,

Thanks for your comment. I don't know of any book specifically about George Coles, but I can recommend the wonderful "Odeon Relics" book by Philip Butler, which features many of his designs https://www.amazon.co.uk/Odeon-Relics-2019-Nineteen-Thirties-Twenty-First/dp/1999759613

Best Wishes

Josh Abbott

Reply
sally vivian
22/9/2020 09:07:19 am

I worked for George Coles and Partners from about 1974-1979. There were 3 partners at the time. Mr Coles, Mr Turner and Mrs ?. Their offices were at 7 Craven Street WC2.

The partners were on the ground floor and the staff were on the first floor. A housekeeper lived on the top floor and made us tea and wonderful cakes. She claimed the building was haunted!

I remember being horrified when they decided to have a clear out and set to chucking out large numbers of beautiful hand coloured drawings of the old cinema. We tried to persuade them to give them to us, but no they had to go in the bin! A real tragedy.

Reply
Bernard link
15/12/2020 08:55:37 am

Hi thanks for sharinng this

Reply
Louisiana link
7/8/2021 02:45:10 am


Very much appreciated. Thank you for this excellent article. Keep posting!

Reply
galuapluservices-2 link
19/11/2021 10:06:32 am

Great article! Thank you for sharing this informative post, and looking forward to the latest one.

Reply



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