Hammersmith Apollo
45 Queen Caroline Street,
London,
W6 9QH
45 Queen Caroline Street,
London,
W6 9QH
7 people
favorited this theater
The Gaumont Palace, Hammersmith, is one of the UK’s largest and best-preserved super cinemas. Designed by Robert Cromie for a joint collaboration between exhibitor Israel Davis and the Gaumont British Theatres chain (in 1928 he designed the magnificent Davis Theatre, Croydon). The Gaumont Palace opened on 28th March 1932 with 3,487 seats, the opening programme was Tom Walls in “A Night Like This” and Helen Twelvetrees in “Bad Company”. It was equipped with a large stage that is 35 feet deep, which has proved to be the buildings reason for survival. The proscenium is 63 feet wide and there are twenty dressing rooms. The Gaumont Palace was also equipped with a Compton 4Manual/15Ranks theatre organ. There was also a cafe/restaurant located on the balcony foyer area.
The enormous width (192 feet) of the site allowed Cromie to provide an excellent fan shaped auditorium which for its size is remarkably intimate. The rear of the circle is 170 feet wide and the circle only overhangs the stalls by 10-12 rows providing excellent sightlines from all parts of the house.
The Art Deco style decoration in such a large auditorium is slightly underpowered but nevertheless this is an outstanding, nearly unaltered, example of cinema architecture and is Robert Cromie’s finest surviving cinema.
It now seats 3,419 with standing room for 302 more. It is well used for concerts, opera, ballet and musicals. (“Riverdance” had a two-year run here).
The building was renamed Odeon in 1962 and it screened its last regular film on 8th August 1984, Roy Scheider in “Blue Thunder”. It became the Apollo in 1992. It is available for sponsorship and the name gets the sponsor prefixing the Apollo (e.g. Labatt’s Apollo or Carling Apollo) in recent years.
By 2005 it was operated by Clear Channel, they were encouraged by Hammersmith & Fulham Council and the Cinema Theatre Association to reinstate the original Compton organ console which had been removed from the building and put into storage in the 1990’s. The organ chambers were retained in the building and now with it’s console connected up again it is now playable. From June 2007, the theatre has been operated by the MAMA Group. In December 2009, the theatre was equipped with 2K digital projectors and a collapsible screen.
The Hammersmith Apollo was designated a Grade II Listed building by English Heritage in 1990. This was upgraded to a Grade II* Listed building status in 2005.
Contributed by
Ian Grundy
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Recent comments (view all 18 comments)
Hi
I’ve now uploaded several more pics of the organ and the launch party in July 2007:
View link
Peter
During the peaking years of the disco era (1978) I played drums at the Hammersmith with disco giant Sylvester, and also returned to the theater a few nights after our performance to catch my friends, George Clinton and Parliment/Funkadelic. The Hammersmith reminded me of the some the theaters in the USA such as the one and only Apollo Theater in New York. It’s good to know the Hammersmith is still going strong and it’s well kept. Long live the Hammersmith!!
I understand from other reports as to the following:
New digital projectors have been installed in the original projection box at the Apollo, together with a very large collapsible screen.Audio systems are rigged and derigged for film events.
64 ft wide screen.
2 barco 2000 2k overlapping projectors : installed fulltime by HMV/Curzon.
very impressive picture : used for the world premier of “it might get louder ” docu feature.
projectors are staying full time.
The Who’s 1973 album Quadrophenia View link has a large photographic booklet accompanying the album. Within this booklet it has a great picture of the group leaving the then called Odeon Hammersmith: at 2 minutes and 48 seconds into the clip, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI3SyaqZwpE.
All very wonderful and nostalgic for both band and cinema…
View link
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.
Hi Keith…
…to answer your question on the film projectors, I have absolutely no idea.
Sorry.
Very Nice.
Re the film projectors:
The original 35mm system was removed some years ago and the digital system described in a previous post is now in place. One of the the last films to be shown in 35mm was “Who Framed Roger Rabbit ” in 1988…..was it really that long ago?
photos taken on the night of the World premiere of The Infidel in April 2010
exterior
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/4688806273/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/4689440586/
stalls lobby
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/4689447778/
circle lounge
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/4688808355/
auditorium with the screen in place (partly raised) and all the stalls seating installed
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/4689444774/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/4689446274/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/4689450880/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/4689449438/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/4688816533/
great wall mask detailing
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/4688809499/
David Gray’s “Life In Slow Motion” tour played the Hammersmith in 2006. Just happened to catch the venue’s name on his “Hospital Food” live performance on YouTube. Not much of the Hammersmith, other than darkly lit stage shots.