In 1919, Oswald
Stoll, who owned the largest chain of theaters in the UK at the time,
decided that he wanted to move more into the film industry and formed Stoll
Picture Productions for both production and distribution.
In 1920, he purchased an airplane factory that was
used during the war and converted it into a film studio, called Cricklewood
Studio.
Stoll hired director Maurice Elvey and began producing
a variety of films that were well accepted. Stoll also hired Cricklewood
out to independents such as American J. Stuart Blackton. Blackton is credited
with producing the first feature length colour film in the UK but Blackton's
films were not well received and Blackton went back to the US in 1923. Other
production companies such as Welsh-Pearson and British and Dominions also
filmed at Cricklewood.
Stoll Picture ceased production in 1926 and put the
distribution of independent production at Cricklewood through New Era and
Butcher's Film Service.
On the advent of sound, Cricklewood was slow to install
sound stages and equipment and was used primarily for shorts and 'quota
quickies'.
With production coming to a halt, Stoll completely
renovated Cricklewood in 1937 adding new sound stage and equipment.... but
it was too late. Cricklewood was sold off in 1938.
Here are films in our database produced at Cricklewood
Back to British Studios
