• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

W. W. Turner and other theatre / cinema upholsterers

daveharte

New Member
Hi,
As part of the forthcoming exhibition about Birmingham's cinema history (see: https://flatpackfestival.org.uk/projects/wonderland) I am trying to find out information about some firms that did the seating and furnishings for cinemas. There are the firms I have come across:
  • A. R. Dean Ltd / Beck and Windibank Ltd - both these firms were based in Clement street, near the city centre, and both did theatre and cinema furnishings and decoration. I 'think' that Beck and Windibank were spun off from A. R. Dean to focus on furnishings. A. R. Dean was founded in 1874 I believe. In 1899, A. F. Windibank is listed as looking after the 'Theatre Furnishing Department' of A. R. Dean. In a clipping I have from 1926, Windibank is described as retired ("through ill-health, some year or so ago") and the firm is being run by L. R. and L. A. Beck (father and son). Although I have trade ads for these firms, what I don't know is when they finished trading. Beck and Windibank were still advertising in the late 1950s.
  • W. W. Turner Ltd - I'm unsure when this firm started. They supplied theatre/cinema seats, based in York road Kings Heath and then Station road Northfield. They have been mentioned a few times on the forum so I have a little bit of background info from those posts. Again, I don't know when the company was dissolved. I have found an advert for its upholstery services as late as 1975. The pic is of the back of a playing card (a corporate gift maybe?) that I found for sale on ebay.
Both the firms fitted out cinemas nationally. I would like to get a sense of how large the firms were at their peak but detailed information about them as businesses seem tricky to come by (although my inexperience as a researcher may be the barrier there).

Any further information or if anyone had a connection to either firm, then please do get in touch.

Dave
 

Attachments

  • WW_Turner[1].JPG
    WW_Turner[1].JPG
    170.6 KB · Views: 1
Back
Top