Eglinton Street United Presbyterian Church opened in 1825 on the corner of Eglinton Street and Bedford Street. By 1920, the church had closed and was converted to the Bedford cinema in 1921.

The original Bedford burnt down in March 1932 just after the last show, three divisions of Glasgow Fire Brigade fought the blaze for several hours and damage was estimated at ten to twelve thousand pounds. Owner Bernard Fruitin immediately commissioned a replacement, conceived as a luxury first-run house jointly with the La Scala and the Regent.

The New Bedford was designed by Lennox and McMath and built to a high standard with remarkable speed by many of the best craftsmen in Glasgow, Mr A.B King, one of the Bedford's directors claimed that there was "no need for firms to go south to get work done when the men at home could do the work and their workmanship was second to none".

Among those involved in the construction were Guthrie and Wells responsible for the interior decoration and the City Glass Company who created the stained glass work.

Publicity promised "perfect reproduction with the latest type of RCA apparatus,

embodying all the latest scientific improvements". In addition, "the heating and ventilation plant is a marvel of modern engineering and provides a constant supply of purified air which ensures a perfectly wholesome atmosphere".

Patrons were also reassured that the building had more exits than regulations required and that the theatre could be emptied twice before anything serious could happen!

The New Bedford opened on December 26th 1932 - the 1930s were the golden age of cinema building in Glasgow so it's maybe not too surprising that on the opposite side of the river in Scotstoun, The Commodore opened on the same day.

The Bedford's first film was the European premier of the Joe. E. Brown comedy You Said a Mouthful, a telegram supposedly sent by Joe himself wished "success to your theatre and best wishes to you and all your patrons this holiday season, trust you all enjoy yourselves".

The exterior was an angular art deco design built from reconstituted, painted stone with a beautiful terrazzo and glass sky and rainbow mosaic above the entrance, created by J & R Howrie of Kilmarnock.

117 Eglinton Street, Laurieston

Opened: 1921
Closed: July 8th 1973

Designed by: Lennox and McMath

Number of screens: 1
Number of seats: (1932) 2300
Number of seats: (1934) 2071