Thanks for that. I am not quite sure if I understood you, but my recollection of the area which dates back to the 1950s is that based on the above diagram, Woolworths would have been a treble fronted shop from 62-58 Kingsland High St. If you look at the map, you will see a notation “20 Ridley Rd, right of way” and “20 High St Kingsland right of way”. The map doesn’t make it clear but this is an alleyway that connects Kingsland High St and Ridley Rd, (Stanborough PL)hence the right of way. If Woolworths and Amherst Hall were joined on to each other, it would have had a road running through the middle. That is assuming that Woolworths was there in the 1940’s. It was certainly there in the 50’s.
My interest was that I had passed the Amherst Hall probably a thousand times as a child, and I was aware of the rich history that Hackney had for Cinemas. I can recall there being 17 and though I was aware that this building had been a cinema, it was “before my time”, and in recent years, I wondered what the story was behind this former cinema.
I’ve just looked at the uploads you have provided, and notice that there was a house painting business at 42 HSK owned by Stanborough and Son. Another little bit of history explained. Thank you very much and many thanks for the uploads. They have added context. I am a lover of history, and history without context is not real history to me.
Of all the local cinemas that I can recall, this was the most paltatial in Hackney. There was nothing about it that merited the title of “Fleapit” that was so often associated with other cinemas in the area.
This was another cinema that I often passed as a child, though I don’t think ever visited it. After it’s closure as a cinema, it became a branch of Smart Weston, which is also now defunct. Smart Weston can best be described as “Burton’s for the younger man”.
The Snooker hall above was previously a disco, “The Chez Don”
Another of my childhood memories. Admission before 4 pm was a pre-decimal 9d (just under £0.04 in decimal coinage) for under 14’s after which it went up one shilling.
The ground floor of the current building is the local probation office, which was attached to the local(now defunct) Magistrates Court directly opposite.
I remember watching Errol Flynn in “Robin Hood” and “The Lady and the Tramp” in a double bill here. I must have been about 5 or 6 years old.
Round about 1987 I was working on the then disused forecourt of Dalston Junction station, and parked my car opposite the exit that was in Roseberry Place. I noticed the door was open and stuck my head in. The place was now pretty decrepit and there was a horrible smell of exhaust fumes from the car auctions combined with the strongest odour of damp I had ever experienced. That took a lot away from my happier memory as a child.
I always thought that “news theatres” at main line stations was a great idea, because the entire programme including, short and cartoon was over in 60 mins.
By the time I first visited this cinema, it had moved on to double features. I had just missed my train and instead of waiting for the next one, I watched “The Sand Pebbles”, not being aware that the film was over three hours long. I was supposed to be visiting a friend in hospital in Epsom. I eventually arrived at my destination nearly five hours late.
I saw the mention of a bouncer. Among the last managers of this cinema, was George Cooper, identical twin brother of boxer Henry Cooper who fought Muhammud Ali for the world heavyweight championship. George had also been a pro boxer.
I heard several stories of him carrying out “evictions” with the errant customer trying to demand their money back. Once they got into the light of the foyer and saw “Henry Cooper” confronting them, must dropped their claim for a refund.
Regarding the sudden closure, I heard that the owners were concerned that Westminster City Council might place a preservation order on the building because of it’s “ancient” history, so they acted quickly to make sure there was nothing to preserve.
I was amazed to find this Cinema. I used to pass by it most days as a child in the 1950’s by which time it was closed, and I have only discovered it’s name and full history today. It appears on a 1953 map as “Amherst Hall”, and it was only when I remembered that many of the places with the Amherst name on it were spelled with “Amhurst” that I found this on Google.
Though it had been closed long before I was born, the building was easily recognisable as having been a cinema. I recall there being a row of 2 or three double doors and you could see the push bar devices through the glass.
There was another similar building in another alleyway about half a mile north, which I believe might have been in Millers Terrace. Does anyone have info on that please?
At one time, this was part of the Classic chain.
There is an error on the topography: Colvestone Crescent ended at Ridley Rd (Not Kingsland Rd). It is Ridley Road market. Not Rigby Road.
Thanks for that. I am not quite sure if I understood you, but my recollection of the area which dates back to the 1950s is that based on the above diagram, Woolworths would have been a treble fronted shop from 62-58 Kingsland High St. If you look at the map, you will see a notation “20 Ridley Rd, right of way” and “20 High St Kingsland right of way”. The map doesn’t make it clear but this is an alleyway that connects Kingsland High St and Ridley Rd, (Stanborough PL)hence the right of way. If Woolworths and Amherst Hall were joined on to each other, it would have had a road running through the middle. That is assuming that Woolworths was there in the 1940’s. It was certainly there in the 50’s.
My interest was that I had passed the Amherst Hall probably a thousand times as a child, and I was aware of the rich history that Hackney had for Cinemas. I can recall there being 17 and though I was aware that this building had been a cinema, it was “before my time”, and in recent years, I wondered what the story was behind this former cinema.
I’ve just looked at the uploads you have provided, and notice that there was a house painting business at 42 HSK owned by Stanborough and Son. Another little bit of history explained. Thank you very much and many thanks for the uploads. They have added context. I am a lover of history, and history without context is not real history to me.
Best wishes.
Of all the local cinemas that I can recall, this was the most paltatial in Hackney. There was nothing about it that merited the title of “Fleapit” that was so often associated with other cinemas in the area.
This was another cinema that I often passed as a child, though I don’t think ever visited it. After it’s closure as a cinema, it became a branch of Smart Weston, which is also now defunct. Smart Weston can best be described as “Burton’s for the younger man”.
The Snooker hall above was previously a disco, “The Chez Don”
Another of my childhood memories. Admission before 4 pm was a pre-decimal 9d (just under £0.04 in decimal coinage) for under 14’s after which it went up one shilling.
The ground floor of the current building is the local probation office, which was attached to the local(now defunct) Magistrates Court directly opposite.
I remember watching Errol Flynn in “Robin Hood” and “The Lady and the Tramp” in a double bill here. I must have been about 5 or 6 years old.
Round about 1987 I was working on the then disused forecourt of Dalston Junction station, and parked my car opposite the exit that was in Roseberry Place. I noticed the door was open and stuck my head in. The place was now pretty decrepit and there was a horrible smell of exhaust fumes from the car auctions combined with the strongest odour of damp I had ever experienced. That took a lot away from my happier memory as a child.
I always thought that “news theatres” at main line stations was a great idea, because the entire programme including, short and cartoon was over in 60 mins.
By the time I first visited this cinema, it had moved on to double features. I had just missed my train and instead of waiting for the next one, I watched “The Sand Pebbles”, not being aware that the film was over three hours long. I was supposed to be visiting a friend in hospital in Epsom. I eventually arrived at my destination nearly five hours late.
I saw the mention of a bouncer. Among the last managers of this cinema, was George Cooper, identical twin brother of boxer Henry Cooper who fought Muhammud Ali for the world heavyweight championship. George had also been a pro boxer.
I heard several stories of him carrying out “evictions” with the errant customer trying to demand their money back. Once they got into the light of the foyer and saw “Henry Cooper” confronting them, must dropped their claim for a refund.
Regarding the sudden closure, I heard that the owners were concerned that Westminster City Council might place a preservation order on the building because of it’s “ancient” history, so they acted quickly to make sure there was nothing to preserve.
I was amazed to find this Cinema. I used to pass by it most days as a child in the 1950’s by which time it was closed, and I have only discovered it’s name and full history today. It appears on a 1953 map as “Amherst Hall”, and it was only when I remembered that many of the places with the Amherst name on it were spelled with “Amhurst” that I found this on Google.
Though it had been closed long before I was born, the building was easily recognisable as having been a cinema. I recall there being a row of 2 or three double doors and you could see the push bar devices through the glass.
There was another similar building in another alleyway about half a mile north, which I believe might have been in Millers Terrace. Does anyone have info on that please?