ABC Southgate
174 Bowes Road,
London,
N11 2JG
174 Bowes Road,
London,
N11 2JG
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If anyone’s interested, here’s a link to a photo of my Uncle, Len Toliday who managed the Ritz and played the very Compton mentioned by Ken above - https://drive.google.com/file/d/17VxRaERj1ou0MABk7CpmsxA9jdUnsXui/view?usp=sharing
Just to clarify. The Odeon was in Southgate, in The Bourne. The Capitol was in Winchmore Hill, by Fords Grove. Both ABC’s. There was also an ABC, the Ritz, in Bowes Road, also part of Southgate. And let’s not forget the ABC Savoy in Southbury Road in Enfield. I was a “minor of the ABC”. Happy days!!
This building is under threat of being knocked down, thanks to London Borough of Enfield. There are plans to redevelop this piece of land and demolishing is an option they cannot rule out. This is a landmark for the area and none of us want this. I am the chairman from the local residents association BHORA. We are trying to make this a listed building to prevent this action being taken.
A73uk.. This cinema was probably the ODEON, Southgate, located in The Bourne near Southgate Circus. Later the Capitol, now demolished for office block. The Queens was in Palmers Green (where Waitrose store now is)
According to mu Mum there was also a cinema in
Bourne Endnear Winchgate junction just before Southgate circus, she suspects it was “The Queens” cinema & she thinks it closed in the mid 60`s.A photograph I took of the ABC Southgate in October 2004:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/222780394/
markthemod…As I mentioned in the opening description, the Ritz Cinema was equipped with a Compton 3Manual/10Rank organ. It would have been located in the orchestra pit, most likely where the baptismal pool is now located?
The balcony and main auditorium is now fully seated.In complete traditional rows.Unfortuanatly I don’t know the seating capicity.
Up until the late nineties the building still had bakelite telephones, they may still be there now.
There is a small baptismal pool near the screen that is beleived to be for an organ originally.Does anyone know if this is credible;I’m not sure if the cinema is too new to have had an organ.