From Hollywood to Broxburn ... and beyond
The Courier has teamed up with our friends at the Almond Valley Heritage Trust to bring our readers photographs and stories from West Lothian’s past.
This week – From Hollywood to Broxburn and beyond.
From their headquarters in Broxburn, and from a network of depots, the powerful Chevrolet vans of Film Transport Services (Broxburn) Ltd. raced along the highways of 1930s Scotland delivering newsreels and the latest cinema releases.
The mastermind behind the operations was Ivor Reginald Grove, born in 1892 into a Welsh mining family, who trained as an electrician before entering the cinema business at the age of 19.
Joining the Navy at the outbreak of World War One, he was made responsible for film and theatrical shows on board ships and went on to organise film entertainments at naval bases.
In 1920, he became proprietor of the Kinema House in Uphall, and the following year formed the first specialist film transport company in Scotland.
Film Transport Services (Broxburn) Ltd was formed in 1927, with a share value of £7000.
Within a few years, a similar film transport company was formed in his native Cardiff, and through further growth and acquisition, a nationwide distribution network was established, serving 2,000 cinemas.
At the same time, Grove grew his cinema interests as managing director of Lothian Star Theatres, building a new generation of massive deco-style picture houses at Armadale, Bathgate, Bo’ness, and West Calder during the late 1930s.
Ivor’s empire also extended to picture houses in Lochore and Arbroath, and interests in a number of Glasgow cinemas.
The nerve centre of Film Transport Services was Fairfield Garage, constructed in about 1928 and strategically sited beside the A8 trunk road at the east end of Broxburn.
The impressive three storey frontage of Fairfield House was of a similar bold deco style to Grove’s cinemas.
Films were stored and repaired there, and delivery vehicles garaged and maintained.
It was also a filling station and public garage undertaking servicing, repairs and the sale new vehicles.
Ivor and Isabella Grove lived close to the garage at Fairmount villa until about 1938, when they purchased the substantial Inchgarvie House in South Queenferry.
Ivor had been appointed a JP in 1930, and, on moving to Queensferry, devoted more time to public life, being elected a local councillor and appointed to a commission in the territorial army.
As war approached, his contacts and experience were of particular value in planning for local defence and government control of road haulage.
In 1941 Grove was appointed the first commandant of the Army Kinematograph Services; his combined experience in transport and cinema being the ideal qualification for leading a service responsible for setting up temporary cinemas in the theatre of war.
The Kinema Corps. continued to deliver film entertainment, education and propaganda in India following the war.
Brigadier I.R. Grove died in August 1955; Film Transport Services (Broxburn) Ltd. was wound-up in 1953.