MGM-British Studios Meanwhile, Amalgamated Studios Ltd constructed a large studio on the north side of Elstree Way between 1935 and 1937. A January 1937 deal for eight films to be made for the American studio Columbia Pictures soon collapsed. The company was unable to meet the cost of building work, and sold the facility to the Rank Organisation, which was not interested in using the studios itself, but wanted to stop John Maxwell's rival British International Pictures (BIP) from being able to compete more effectively with its own new Pinewood Studios. During the war, the studios were leased from Rank by the
Open top buses in the United Kingdom Open top buses in the United Kingdom Open top buses are used in the United Kingdom for sightseeing and seasonal summer services. The first open top buses in the United Kingdom were regular double deck buses, but these were later replaced by buses with enclosed top decks. One of the first operators to provide open top buses for its seaside routes was Brighton, Hove & District in 1936. While most operators rebuilt old vehicles for such services, Maidstone & District Motor Services purchased six new Leyland Tiran TD5s with open top bodies built by Weymann in 1939. World War II