Excellent VFM and an interesting and varied programme of films. About the nearest we have to a central London full-time rep cinema these days. Worth venturing into Leicester Square to visit this cinema (and IMO not much else). They have a website at http://www.princecharlescinema.com
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.
Hosted pop music concerts in the 1960s, with all the big names of the day visiting at some point (Beatles, Stones, Who etc).
The Compton organ was removed during the refurb of 1969/70, and sold to a private collector.
During the early/mid 1970s the Southend Odeon ran a popular Saturday morning kids picture club in the bigger #2 auditorium, “The Super Saturday Show” with the usual fare of cartoons and wholesome Childrens Film Foundation shorts, and an interval in the middle. I used to go regularly! At the end of the show, the National Anthem was still played.
The Odeon actually closed in 1998. There was an attempt to keep this splendid building open after the new multiplex opened in Southend, but it was presumably not economically viable to run the two cinemas simultaneously. The last films shown were “Space Jam” in auditorium 1, and “Star Wars” (on reissue) in #2.
Building is currently (Dec 2004) still being demolished. Construction of the new Essex University site starts in January 2005.
The Granada Walthamstow (latterly EMD) reopening as a cinema would be welcomed locally but I somehow doubt it will happen. I believe that Ken Roe’s comment may unfortunately be based on out of date information? The sale of the building to “The Universal Church for the Kingdom of God”, in 2003, was reported locally, and some of the contents and fittings of the cinema were cleared out soon thereafter. The building is currently boarded up and in a very poor state. See photos at http://www.derelictlondon.com/cinemas.htm
Excellent VFM and an interesting and varied programme of films. About the nearest we have to a central London full-time rep cinema these days. Worth venturing into Leicester Square to visit this cinema (and IMO not much else). They have a website at http://www.princecharlescinema.com
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.
A few loose ends:
Hosted pop music concerts in the 1960s, with all the big names of the day visiting at some point (Beatles, Stones, Who etc).
The Compton organ was removed during the refurb of 1969/70, and sold to a private collector.
During the early/mid 1970s the Southend Odeon ran a popular Saturday morning kids picture club in the bigger #2 auditorium, “The Super Saturday Show” with the usual fare of cartoons and wholesome Childrens Film Foundation shorts, and an interval in the middle. I used to go regularly! At the end of the show, the National Anthem was still played.
The Odeon actually closed in 1998. There was an attempt to keep this splendid building open after the new multiplex opened in Southend, but it was presumably not economically viable to run the two cinemas simultaneously. The last films shown were “Space Jam” in auditorium 1, and “Star Wars” (on reissue) in #2.
Building is currently (Dec 2004) still being demolished. Construction of the new Essex University site starts in January 2005.
The Granada Walthamstow (latterly EMD) reopening as a cinema would be welcomed locally but I somehow doubt it will happen. I believe that Ken Roe’s comment may unfortunately be based on out of date information? The sale of the building to “The Universal Church for the Kingdom of God”, in 2003, was reported locally, and some of the contents and fittings of the cinema were cleared out soon thereafter. The building is currently boarded up and in a very poor state. See photos at http://www.derelictlondon.com/cinemas.htm