This is TRULY tragic, though I can’t say I’m surprised. Unfortunately, buildings in Southall tend to be renovated to a high standard, having masses of money thrown at them, but then allowed to fall into disrepair. When the conversion was undertaken in 2000, a Holly/Bolly mixture of programming was promised, that being one of the main criteria for English Heritage’s involvement. Quite understandably, given the demographic, this never happened, and the closest cinema for Hounslow area residents remains ‘Cineworld – The Movies’ in Feltham.
I drove past the Himalaya Palace yesterday, and even the boarding that was in situ LAST week has been boarded over, so presumably vandals have been at the place already. Oddly enough for a closed/boarded theatre, all the signage is still in place.
The original planning approval was dependent on the developers being able to guarantee completion of the project, so this doesn’t surprise me at all. My only concern about the whole thing concerns parking in the Ealing area – becoming virtually non-existent – so where 16 screens worth of punters are going to go is a bit of a puzzle!
Are the film projectors still there? I remember a hybrid show some years ago, when the Blues Brothers appeared live on stage preceeded by a screening of the original film.
Of course, what I MEANT to say was that screens 1 and 2 were periscoped, and screen 3 was direct projected from below floor level. Sorry for the momentary aberration!
A friend of mine was one of the projectionists here at the time of conversion to 4 screens, and I spent quite a lot of time visiting. The conversion was achieved in a stupidly short time, and the cinemas reopened whilst the projection area for screens 1-3 was effectively a building site – the floor was unsurfaced, for example! This resulted in the trashing of a brand new print of ‘The Goodbye Girl’ during it’s first two weeks of release, due to the amount of dust and grit still floating around in the atmosphere, which went down VERY well with the distributors. The positioning of the actual screen at the front of the former circle, meant that the projector had to be sunk into the projection room floor to get a straight throw at it. Although screens 2 and 3 were periscoped, as I remember, this wasn’t an option in the new Studio 1.
Studio 4 had been a swimming pool at some time during its life, and the projection room, which must have been the swimming attendant’s office, was still tiled accordingly.
The projectors in Studios 1-3 were new(ish) Westar 2000’s, Studio 4 being driven by a dual guage Westar 35-70mm machine from the Prince Charles, though it was never able to show 70mm in its new home. All screens had Westar longplay towers.
I worked near the green in the mid 1980’s, and used to shop in the Woolworth’s store on an almost daily basis. I never realised it could EVER have once been a cinema.
This is even BEYOND being sad. How can local authorities allow this kind of dereliction without intervening? There should be laws in place enabling councils to slap heavy fines on owners who allow their property to get into this sort of state.
Is the projection via a mirror, or is the projection equipment modified to handle prints back to front? The only other instance I’ve seen of rear projection in a cinema was in Koln, in Germany, where the box was alongside the auditorium. You could actually SEE the projector through a glass wall during the show – VERY intriguing!
I went to see the first of the Christopher Reeve ‘Superman’ films at the Warner, and was very disappointed with the picture and sound quality by comparison with the Dominion Tottenham Court Road and the Odeon Marble Arch.
There are, surely, two issues here which ‘begger’ belief, especially as we’re supposedly a world-leading power. First of all that we have laws in place in this country which enable its usage as a cinema to be blocked by the operators of a multiplex 8 MILES away, and secondly that the council of a town with INTERNATIONAL significance can allow ANY building to get into this state. In Richmond, Surrey, Odeon themselves re-opened a derelict cinema just around the corner from their main screens, with great success.
What a great idea. Shame it’s not in a reopened ‘classic’ venue, but it’s GOT to be good for the future public exhibition of ‘film’
This is TRULY tragic, though I can’t say I’m surprised. Unfortunately, buildings in Southall tend to be renovated to a high standard, having masses of money thrown at them, but then allowed to fall into disrepair. When the conversion was undertaken in 2000, a Holly/Bolly mixture of programming was promised, that being one of the main criteria for English Heritage’s involvement. Quite understandably, given the demographic, this never happened, and the closest cinema for Hounslow area residents remains ‘Cineworld – The Movies’ in Feltham.
I drove past the Himalaya Palace yesterday, and even the boarding that was in situ LAST week has been boarded over, so presumably vandals have been at the place already. Oddly enough for a closed/boarded theatre, all the signage is still in place.
The original planning approval was dependent on the developers being able to guarantee completion of the project, so this doesn’t surprise me at all. My only concern about the whole thing concerns parking in the Ealing area – becoming virtually non-existent – so where 16 screens worth of punters are going to go is a bit of a puzzle!
Are the film projectors still there? I remember a hybrid show some years ago, when the Blues Brothers appeared live on stage preceeded by a screening of the original film.
Follow this link to have a very sad look inside……
View link
We believe it must have closed in 1996
Of course, what I MEANT to say was that screens 1 and 2 were periscoped, and screen 3 was direct projected from below floor level. Sorry for the momentary aberration!
A friend of mine was one of the projectionists here at the time of conversion to 4 screens, and I spent quite a lot of time visiting. The conversion was achieved in a stupidly short time, and the cinemas reopened whilst the projection area for screens 1-3 was effectively a building site – the floor was unsurfaced, for example! This resulted in the trashing of a brand new print of ‘The Goodbye Girl’ during it’s first two weeks of release, due to the amount of dust and grit still floating around in the atmosphere, which went down VERY well with the distributors. The positioning of the actual screen at the front of the former circle, meant that the projector had to be sunk into the projection room floor to get a straight throw at it. Although screens 2 and 3 were periscoped, as I remember, this wasn’t an option in the new Studio 1.
Studio 4 had been a swimming pool at some time during its life, and the projection room, which must have been the swimming attendant’s office, was still tiled accordingly.
The projectors in Studios 1-3 were new(ish) Westar 2000’s, Studio 4 being driven by a dual guage Westar 35-70mm machine from the Prince Charles, though it was never able to show 70mm in its new home. All screens had Westar longplay towers.
I wonder if the DP70’s were still there when it closed?
Well, that IS some good news for the new year.
Thanks very much, I’ll have a look at that.
Some extraordinary photos are to be found here – including the two projection boxes, containing bits of Cinemeccanica and Kalee lamphouses.
View link
I worked near the green in the mid 1980’s, and used to shop in the Woolworth’s store on an almost daily basis. I never realised it could EVER have once been a cinema.
This is even BEYOND being sad. How can local authorities allow this kind of dereliction without intervening? There should be laws in place enabling councils to slap heavy fines on owners who allow their property to get into this sort of state.
Not difficult to see why it’s grade 1 listed, is it?
My previous link has become corrupted. THIS is what the Odeon looks like in 2009.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ksavs/1033625986/
Is the projection via a mirror, or is the projection equipment modified to handle prints back to front? The only other instance I’ve seen of rear projection in a cinema was in Koln, in Germany, where the box was alongside the auditorium. You could actually SEE the projector through a glass wall during the show – VERY intriguing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj5wXnQhkwE
This video, shot in 2002 during happier times, has just been posted on youtube by Fred J Fullerton aka fp30e. It’s well worth a look.
At one time, the shopping arcade was also known as ‘Oxford Walk’.
I went to see the first of the Christopher Reeve ‘Superman’ films at the Warner, and was very disappointed with the picture and sound quality by comparison with the Dominion Tottenham Court Road and the Odeon Marble Arch.
The next building to the right was actually part of Hanwell tram/bus garage, so the car showroom is probably the most likely candidate!
If this is where I THINK it is, it was actually in Cherington Road, NOT the Broadway.
I believe the place was finally closed following complaints about noise pollution, which might well have some bearing on possible future uses.
http://www.cinephoto.co.uk/
Follow this link for some behind the scenes views of the Odeon Richmond
There are, surely, two issues here which ‘begger’ belief, especially as we’re supposedly a world-leading power. First of all that we have laws in place in this country which enable its usage as a cinema to be blocked by the operators of a multiplex 8 MILES away, and secondly that the council of a town with INTERNATIONAL significance can allow ANY building to get into this state. In Richmond, Surrey, Odeon themselves re-opened a derelict cinema just around the corner from their main screens, with great success.