EMD Cinema
186 Hoe Street,
Walthamstow,
London,
E17 4QS
186 Hoe Street,
Walthamstow,
London,
E17 4QS
3 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 28 comments found
The cinema’s owners UCKG had their 2nd application to convert the building into a church (with some community access) REJECTED unanimously by Waltham Forest Council on 18 May 2011. The church plans to appeal, as they did for their original application in 2003.
Meanwhile a charitable building preservation trust called Waltham Forest Cinema Trust' has been established to buy and restore the building as a full time cinema and live events venue.
See www.walthamforestcinematrust.org
www.savewalthamstowcinema.org
www.mcguffin/info
Facebook ‘save our cinema'
Twitter 'save our cinema’
According to this blog item, the theater has suffered significant deterioration and damage caused by some squatters that temporarily occupied the theater and from neglect on the part of the church that owns the property. The blog has links to some videos about the theater that include some historical photos as well as one of the flooded main auditorium:
View link
This 2009 article from the BBC has an undated interior picture within it (scroll down): View link
A set of vintage photographs of the Granada Theatre:
View link
An article from 30 March 2010: View link
UCKG – the church who have owned the cinema since 2003 (and kept it closed since then) have just submitted a new planning application to convert it into a church.
If Waltham Forest Council approve the plans, the borough loses it’s last and greatest ever cinema. Cinema operators including City Screen/Picturehouse want to buy and restore the building (which happens to be on a site used for entertainment since the 1870’s).
Please visit www.mcguffin.info and ‘Save Walthamstow Cinema’ on Facebook to find out what’s happening and how to object to the plans so we can get this beautiful building returned to the nation as a cinema in Hitchcock’s birthplace.
Another photo is here.
There’s a Facebook group for those trying to get the cinema reopened. A high profile campaign supporting this has attracted support from Sir Mick Jagger, Meera Syal, Tony Robinson and Tony Benn… the Facebook group can be found here: View link
some photos taken summer 2008 of the exterior showing the deterioration
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/3376246995/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/3377080624/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/3377072098/
Save
Walthamstow’s
Last Cinema
“One of London’s two finest surviving cinemasâ€
Andrew Gilligan, Evening Standard, 2008
This hidden gem should be reopened
and available to all, but we are
about to lose it forever unless we act NOW!
Come to the Public Meeting
4.30pm, Sunday 29th March 2009
St Mary’s School Hall
Rectory Road, Walthamstow
Here is another photo. Shouldn’t the name be EMD Cinemas?
This website has some information and photos.
Page 12 of brochure linked above.
Stroll down to see another vintage photo of the auditorium (right after the Mayfair Tooting photo):
View link
Two vintage photographs of the former Granada Theatre, courtesy of the Cinema Theatre Association archives:
View link
Three photos from 1987 here:–
Exterior:
View link
Auditorium:
View link
Organ:
View link
I have fond memories of this cinema – it was, and hopefully still is a unique building. It really angers me that these ‘ravers’ broke in days after the closure and caused damage. They have no consideration for the history and arcitecture of the buildings they wreck, and no thought to how their actions could negatively impact chances to save these buildings.
I loved the foyer – the high ceilings and mirrored walls. And the main screen – wow! I always got there before the lights went down so i could enjoy the interior. I moved out of london a while ago, and today checked to see what the latest news was….
After all this time – it’s august 2007 now, this situation hasn’t changed.
Anyone have any interior photos? I photograph cinemas but do not have the main screen of the Granada.
This is a recent photo of EMD Walthamstow.
sadly the council have plans for a mulitplex on the neighbouring cleared site above a market/shop complex, which has discouraged cinema operators from taking on the expense of restoring and reopening the Granada, with some imagination the cinema could be the main screen and entrance for this proposed mulitplex as the lobby area is huge.
The EMD / Granada Walthamstow remains boarded up and bearing a “For Sale/To Rent” sign at present. Local film society The McGuffins are still actively campaigning for it to be saved. See their website at http://www.mcguffin.info/ for info and online petition.
Two photographs taken in September 2004:
http://flickr.com/photos/53257210@N00/115484373/
http://flickr.com/photos/53257210@N00/115484018/
Regardless what the name on the building states from its last operator, this will always be the ‘Granada Theatre’ to lovers of great theatres. Let us hope that 2006 will bring a new life to the building and it re-opens. In the meantime, here is a recent exterior photo of the shuttered building (the centre bay, above the main windows was originally more elaborate and was removed during the war):
View link
Please note that the London Borough of Waltham Forest has never owned or sold any share in this cinema.
The opening comment on this page – from Phil Clark – is therefore misleading and must be amended.
Sorry getting cross-eyed here staring at the screen The Finsbury Pary Astoria (Rainbow Theatre) link should be /theaters/1243/
Thanks for the update, that is good news and I am pleasantly surprised to hear it when so many fine old cinema buildings are being lost. Let us keep our collective fingers crossed that the cinema does reopen eventually. There are indeed no cinemas in LB Waltham Forest, the nearest probably being Stratford at present (LB Newham) a distance of some 10km.
btw The link shown for the Finsbury Park Astoria (=Rainbow) is incorrect.