Cinemas

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="005fd5a3.jpg"> <div> <B>  </B><B> </B><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial Rounded MT Bold" ><B>www.derelictlondon.com</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B><IMG SRC="02c5d430.jpg" border=0 width="93" height="67" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=50 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="006d2b03.jpg"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#C0C0C0" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <A HREF="derelict_london_com.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Derelict London.com"><U><I><IMG SRC="3c896370.gif" border=0 width="150" height="55" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></U></A></div> <div> <B>Cinemas/Bingo Halls/ Theatres</B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id1982.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Derelict London Book"><U><IMG SRC="2bc477640.jpg" border=0 width="119" height="100" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id473.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="cinema"><U><IMG SRC="1a8db7540.jpg" border=0 width="439" height="340" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id478.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"><U><IMG SRC="7d206e70.jpg" border=0 width="262" height="231" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A> <A HREF="id478.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"><U><IMG SRC="7d4b0eb0.jpg" border=0 width="176" height="235" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A> <A HREF="id478.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"><U><IMG SRC="7d6afe90.jpg" border=0 width="175" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <B>Walthamstow </B><B>(Buxton Rd) - Nov 2003</B></div> <div> this was the Dominion which opened on Dec 22 1930 and seated 1,685 people, built on the site of the </div> <div> Princes Pavillion, it closed in 1958 and was then used for wrestling, it reopened in Oct 1958 as a cinema </div> <div> only to close again for convertion to bingo in 1961, the frontage has been reduced in height and used to be </div> <div> twice as tall </div> <bR> <div> Derelict London visitor DB remembers:</div> <div> <I>" it was a Music hall / Cinema combined.. On its opening night it was shrouded in heavy fog..and it is noted that "The</I></div> <div> <I>carriages arriving, were only visible by the foyer lights"... It is noted and logged at "Vestry House Museum", Walthamstow </I></div> <div> <I>Village.. ( It used to back onto my infant school...but its all changed now...roads </I></div> <div> <I>have gone...playgrounds gone...half the school was demolished to make way for a new access road...)"</I></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id473.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="cinema"><U><I><IMG SRC="1caefab90.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="185" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></U></A></div> <div> <I>same view of the front in 2006 - bingo signs removed & more boarding </I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id474.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"><U><IMG SRC="7cafdef0.jpg" border=0 width="253" height="239" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A>  <A HREF="id474.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"><U><IMG SRC="7cc54f00.jpg" border=0 width="340" height="240" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <B>Walthamstow</B><B> (Bakers Arms) </B></div> <div> Listed for preservation by the Department of Culture Media and Sport on the advice of English Heritage</div> <div> The Empress Cinema in Hoe Street near the junction with the Bakers Arms, dates from 1913, built by local </div> <div> builders and merchants, Good Brothers</div> <div> It became the Cameo in March 1961, closing in 1963 to become a bingo club, then it reopened to show </div> <div> uncensored sex films in 1970 as the Tatler Film Club, the opening films were Love Lamp Seven and Free </div> <div> Love Confidential, it eventually closed in Aug 1981 to become an amusement arcade </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id477.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"><U><IMG SRC="7ce3ad70.jpg" border=0 width="314" height="215" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A> <A HREF="id477.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"><U><IMG SRC="7d01dd60.jpg" border=0 width="285" height="214" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <B>Walthamstow</B><B> EMD Cinema (Hoe St) </B></div> <bR> <div> The outside was designed by Cecil Masey and the interior by Theodore Komisarjevsky, both in a Moorish style. </div> <div> Komisarjevsky was a refugee Russian prince working for Sidney Bernstein in creating truly escapist </div> <div> entertainment for the masses. Foyers were lined with mirrors, and gilding and marble effects heavily used </div> <div> to make the customers feel like royalty. This was one of Bernstein's flag-ship Granada cinemas back in </div> <div> 1930 and still has it's Christie organ which has reportedly suffered only minor damage from vandalism </div> <div> and pigeons and organ enthusiasts at least hope to have it up and running in the future! </div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="7d8e39e0.jpg" border=0 width="227" height="158" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="7da789d0.jpg" border=0 width="120" height="157" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Interior pics courtesy of</FONT> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>WALTHAM FOREST CIVIC SOCIETY</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> The man who created the Museum of the Moving Image has been called upon to bolster support for</div> <div>  Walthamstow's ailing EMD Cinema says The North London Guardian.This cinema, when opened, had</div> <div>  three screens and could seat up to 3000 people. <B>During the 1960s it hosted gigs by the Who, the </B></div> <div> <B>Stones and the Beatles, among many others</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I>Leslie Hardcastle, who ran the National Film Theatre for 35 years, recenyly visited the Hoe Street venue</I></div> <div> <I>He said the Grade II-listed building  should be turned into a multi-purpose venue. "There's enough room </I></div> <div> <I>to put a coffee house, an information technology suite, and all sorts of other things in here.There's a lot of</I></div> <div> <I>space here going to waste and it needs to be preserved. The country protects its stately homes and </I></div> <div> <I>castles, and makes sure they continue to operate, so why not the cinemas?" </I></div> <bR> <div> Another press story from the N London Guardian:</div> <div> <I>"THE EMD cinema has been devastated during a marathon 30-hour illegal rave which saw clubbers </I></div> <div> <I>enjoying an orgy of drug-taking and mindless vandalism. The historic Grade 2 listed building was covered </I></div> <div> <I>in graffiti, and seats and projection equipment were ripped out and stolen during the frenzy. </I></div> <div> <I>Dozens of residents had no sleep as up to 500 ravers broke in on Sunday at around 2am. They were </I></div> <div> <I>still there at noon on Monday. Booming music and noisy clubbers kept residents awake and police were</I></div> <div> <I> powerless to act as they were hugely outnumbered."</I></div> <bR> <div> The cinema was bought by the UK church of God (UKCG)* who wanted to turn it into a meeting centre / church. </div> <div> There was a lot of local opposition to this, resulting in the local council turning down UKCG's plans. </div> <div> The UKCG then appealed to the Government but lost. The cinema is still empty and awaiting conversion to a</div> <div> "Help Centre"</div> <bR> <div> <I>DB recalls:</I></div> <div> "In the early 80's, i used to work there, around the back of the cinema was the handymans workshop. One day, whilst doing an</div> <div>  outside light check, i noticed a man walking down, towards the back of the cinema. I called out and the man stopped. He looked</div> <div>  familiar to me but i just couldnt place him, but i knew that i knew the face. He told me he was looking for the cinemas "handyman"..</div> <div>  I followed him down to the workshop, and called out to the "handyman" that he had a visitor...Both men started to look at me and the </div> <div> man, who i thought i 'knew', asked / told me..."You dont recognise me..do you..??".. I replied "I have seen you around here before"... </div> <div> And then the handyman told me who it was... It was "<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Bobby Moore</B></FONT>", the footballer..the world cup 1966 footballer... THE one and only </div> <div> Bobby Moore...Turns out that Bobby Moore knew the handyman from when they were both children, they had grown up together in </div> <div> Barking and used to go to the cinema when they were both younger. One friend became a handyman, the other captained England </div> <div> and lifted the World Cup."</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id675.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"><U><IMG SRC="ca513e00.jpg" border=0 width="275" height="224" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <B>Catford</B><B> Plaza (ABC Cinema)</B></div> <div> The last remaining cinema in the Borough of Lewisham - the only London borough without a cinema?</div> <div> "NEWS OF LEWISHAM HUMANISTS has campaigned vigorously in the past year against the proposal</div> <div> to change the use of the former ABC cinema in Catford. The Universal Church for the Kingdom of God </div> <div> had plans to use the building for worship and as a conference centre with library. Our opposition stemmed</div> <div> from the association of this church with abuse of the little girl Victoria Climbie. It was alleged that she was </div> <div> possessed by demons. after an attempt to 'exorcise' these she wasmurdered. The re-use of the building </div> <div> as a cinema is also sought"</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id676.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"><U><IMG SRC="153d0fcc0.jpg" border=0 width="271" height="204" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <B>Dagenham</B></div> <div> I've now been informed that this WAS  NOT A CINEMA! it is actually a former Burton's menswear shop!</div> <div> It was orginally faced in black stone as opposed to the more usual light grey and would have had a</div> <div> billiard/snooker hall on the 1st Floor. ( the Burton family were of a temporance persuation and believed </div> <div> in providing alternatives to licensed premises for public entertainment). </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="153fbcfa0.jpg" border=0 width="188" height="250" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <A HREF="id1186.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"><U><IMG SRC="15414ffb0.jpg" border=0 width="335" height="251" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <B>Mornington Crescent</B><B> - Camden Palace</B></div> <div> Charlie Chaplin once performed in the grade-II listed building, which has also hosted major  live </div> <div> music acts like The Clash. The venue has been closed down & sold recently and is (apparently)</div> <div> currently undergoing refurbishment. The blue plague informs us that the last ever Goon show ever</div> <div> staring Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan & Harry Secombe was recorded here in 1972</div> <div> Now reopened after a multi-million pound facelift &  renamed as KOKO!</div> <div> <I>Phil Clark writes: "it </I><I>was previously the Music Machine, and in that guise hosted regular music gigs in the punk era 1976-78.</I></div> <div> <I> Before that the Camden Theatre. As you say the last Goon Show was recorded here in 1972 but it was actually used for</I></div> <div> <I> regular Goon recordings during the 1950s. The cast would famously slip out during the musical breaks to the pub over the </I></div> <div> <I>road. At one point in the early 70s the Camden was threatened with demolition but thankfully saved"</I></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id1187.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dalston Theatre Varieties Music Hall"><U><IMG SRC="154361080.jpg" border=0 width="353" height="264" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A> <IMG SRC="28215e070.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="263" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>Dalston Theatre</B></div> <div> Originally opened as a circus in 1886, the small front entrance on Dalston Lane still existing today is </div> <div> original to this date. In 1897, the auditorium was rebuilt as a variety theatre seating 3,516. In 1920, </div> <div> the interior was redesigned into the Dalston Picture House. It closed in 1960 and the front foyer </div> <div> became a nightclub, the auditorium first became a warehouse, then a car auction room and lastly </div> <div> another nightclub. It has all been  closed since 2000. </div> <bR> <div> Hackney Council in Feb 2006 approved proposals for the total demolition of the Victorian and Georgian </div> <div> heritage buildings  The Council Planning Sub-Committee ignored the objections raised by local market </div> <div> traders, businesses, arts groups and residents of Dalston, and voted to level the site, while simultaneously</div> <div>  acknowledging that Councillors have not been presented with any plans for what will replace the historic</div> <div>  buildings.</div> <bR> <div> The decision was greeted by loud protest from the 60 members of the public who had succeeded in </div> <div> attending the meeting, despite the council’s confused attempts earlier in the evening to limit public entry</div> <div>  to just half the public gallery’s usual capacity. 100 members of OPEN had peacefully protested outside</div> <div>  the Town Hall before the meeting started.</div> <bR> <div> OPEN’s chairman, Bill Parry-Davies, reacted to the council’s decision with dismay. "This wastrel council </div> <div> has a reputation as philistines with no regard for Dalston’s history and culture and being only concerned </div> <div> with selling our property to finance their bankrupt ideas for the Town Hall Square. They didn’t take the </div> <div> chance to change that reputation tonight." He also expressed disbelief that there had been no leeway </div> <div> in the meeting for saving even those elements of the site that English Heritage and others had praised. </div> <div> "The application to demolish the whole site in its entirety, precluded any consideration of retaining the</div> <div>  beautiful Georgian and Victorian frontages" he said. "It’s a disgrace that there was no opportunity for</div> <div>  council members to vote on retaining any aspects of the site."</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="28c96ffa0.jpg" border=0 width="367" height="250" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <IMG SRC="28cbdbfa0.jpg" border=0 width="219" height="250" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> </div> <div> Charles Collins (tenant of the Dalston Theatre 1963-1999 and founder of the Club Four Aces reggae club):</div> <div> "This [demolition] will destroy the memory and history of black culture in Dalston."</div> <div> for further info on the campaign to save this building: <A HREF="http://www.opendalston.net " TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.opendalston.net "><U>www.opendalston.net </U></A></div> <bR> <div> Hackney Council and the London Development Agency are seeking to demolish the theatre and </div> <div> re-develop the site as part of a major new development entitled Dalston Lane South, which will </div> <div> feature residential tower blocks of up to 19 storeys.</div> <bR> <div> CJ Ross writes:</div> <div> This is a flyer from when myself and some university friends used to travel across London to a 'rave' club at 12 Dalston Lane, The Four Aces</div> <div> Club. This would have been around 1993-4 and there would be Labrynth club nights on Friday and Saturday nights. It was located in the</div> <div> entrance area, whilst the main auditorium on Roseberry Place housed a ragga/swingbeat/hip-hop-type affair. Sometime around '95/'96, </div> <div> Labrynth took over the main auditorium as well, before eviction and relocation to Tottenham, but this was after I was a regular. I know that</div> <div> illegal raves carried on in the theatre for many years since. Rumour also had it that it was once a residence of George Harrison, hence his</div> <div>  picture being used by Labrynth, as can be seen on your picture of the Roseberry Place entrance. But I have my doubts.</div> <bR> <div> It was an interesting place, a club that stayed open until 6am but served no alcohol. Which may help to suggest the type of atmosphere inside. </div> <div> The clientele was a mixture of students, such as us and local 'yoot', of all races, who seemed to vary in age from 12 to 30. The atmosphere </div> <div> was happy, but there was a definate air of menace around the place.The club was made up of numerous rooms. The main entrance area </div> <div> was about thirty metres long, ten metres wide and made up the main dance area. This usually consisted of hardcore and jungle music, played </div> <div> by the likes of Nicky Blackmarket, DJ Sy and Kenny Ken. There was a small stage area at the back end (opposite to the entrance) with the DJ</div> <div> situated high to the left and a giant stack of speakers to the right. A small staircase went under the stage to the 'tunnel' area, perhaps the</div> <div> dodgiest arena in the club. This also housed the cloakrooms and toilets. A doorway off to the right hand side of the stage was clearly a fire </div> <div> escape, but the steps were used as a make-shift chill-out area. Just before the DJ box, on the left, was a doorway which led to the garden</div> <div> and a stairwell into the basement. The basement either played more 'acid-y' sounds or the same as the main area. The garden was usually </div> <div> busy and the fire escape (which can be seen in your photo) led up to the top floor which was of a more relaxed, 'housey' nature. An</div> <div> alternative route to this top floor was a narrow, steep stairwell located not far from the main entrance.</div> <bR> <div> Considering the times we had and the passage of time, I'm surprised I can remember so much about the place. It wasn't the type of club that</div> <div> not too many of my peers would consider going to and some who went were intimidated by the place. I myself, found little wrong with it, </div> <div> perhaps the odd dodgy moment, but nothing bad. Perhaps my greatest long-term fear about the place was the amount of times we re-filled</div> <div> our water bottles from the taps there. God knows what kind of state the pipes were in.</div> <div> It holds a special place in my youth and it would be sad to see it destroyed</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="29f3f85e0.jpg" border=0 width="248" height="350" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Nov 06 - update from The Hackney Gazzette:</div> <div> <I>"WRECKING crews for a dilapidated Hackney landmark have been put on hold pending legal proceedings.</I></div> <div> <I>The High Court has made an order banning council contractors from demolishing </I><I><B>Dalston Theatre</B></I><I> in Dalston Lane</I></div> <div> <I>until a detailed hearing takes place on December 1.</I></div> <div> <I>The derelict theatre occupies a site earmarked by Hackney Council and the London Development Agency (LDA)</I></div> <div> <I> for a development of multi-storey tower blocks, ahead of the planned 2010 Dalston Underground link. </I></div> <div> <I>Mr Justice Sullivan made the order regarding the theatre and adjoining Georgian terraced houses on Friday after the</I></div> <div> <I> council's legal representatives refused to voluntarily put off the demolition work before the court date next month.</I></div> <div> <I>The hearing has been scheduled following an application by the Dalston-based Organisation for the Promotion of </I></div> <div> <I>Environmental Needs (OPEN).</I></div> <div> <I>The council is currently employing 24-hour security for the site at a weekly cost of £16,000.</I></div> <div> <I>It is not the first time this year that contractors for the development have been called off at the 11th hour. On Thursday</I></div> <div> <I>last week, Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, lifted a three-week ban she had </I></div> <div> <I>imposed on the works and announced there would not be a government review of the plans for the site.</I></div> <div> <I>The building had previously been protected by an injunction made by Mr Justice Collins on April 5, although the</I></div> <div> <I>council granted new planning consent for the redevelopment works to the LDA in September.</I></div> <div> <I>Two weeks ago protesting squatters, who had occupied the theatre since February, were evicted by police and</I></div> <div> <I>contractors boarded up the premises to prevent future unauthorised entry."</I></div> <bR> <div> June 2007 - The Dalston Theatre has now been demolished</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id1187.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dalston Theatre Varieties Music Hall"><U><IMG SRC="1cb2615a0.jpg" border=0 width="353" height="346" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <B>Hoxton</B><B> </B><B>- The Cinema</B></div> <div> The Cinema  opened in 1914 and closed in 1956. After being empty for 4 years it was used as a </div> <div> meat storage facility until 2001. Plans are underway  to re-open the building as a community cinema</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id1189.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"><U><B><IMG SRC="18124cf90.jpg" border=0 width="332" height="249" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B> </B><A HREF="id1189.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"><U><B><IMG SRC="1814bcfa0.jpg" border=0 width="188" height="250" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <div> <B>Coronet Cinema, Eltham</B></div> <div> The Odeon Cinema opened in 1936 to serve the suburban development in the Well Hall area</div> <div> of Eltham. Subsequently it became the Coronet but is now closed</div> <div> Just across the roundabout from the Coronet cinema, opposite an anonymous bus stop along </div> <div> an anonymous suburban road lies a simple grey marble plaque. . Engraved with the epitaph 'In</div> <div>  memory of Stephen Lawrence'. Black teenager Stephen Lawrence was murdered by thugs at</div> <div>  this bus stop. A bungled police investigation means no one has been convicted for his murder.</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id1188.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="London Arena"><U><IMG SRC="156f60080.jpg" border=0 width="352" height="264" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <B>Isle of Dogs - London Arena</B></div> <bR> <div> Built on the site of the old Fred Olsen tomato and banana warehouse, the London Arena was</div> <div> opened in 1989, and is large enough internally to hold a football match. The capacity of the</div> <div> Arena can be altered hydraulically, and can seat up to 12,000 people. As well as pop concerts, </div> <div> (The Brit. awards were held here recently), and sporting events, the main flooring space could be </div> <div> converted into an ice-rink.</div> <bR> <div> The arena now closed, will be replaced with new homes, offices, a hotel and leisure facilities, plus an upgraded DLR station.</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id1188.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="London Arena"><U><I><IMG SRC="1e9a5e420.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="322" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></U></A></div> <div> <B>Brixton - Rex Cinema</B></div> <div> opened 1911</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="27fb5e070.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="263" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>The State Leytonstone</B></div> <div> The round bit on the top was the projection box.</div> <div> <I>pic courtesy of  Roy Dart who worked at the cinema  in the 1950's</I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id1527.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"><U><IMG SRC="2691c9620.jpg" border=0 width="457" height="354" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <B>Broad Green (Croydon)  - Safari Cinema (originally called The Savoy and then the ABC)</B></div> <div> Developers plan to demolish the 1930s Safari Cinema in London Road, West Croydon and replace it with 138</div> <div>  flats, including 52 key worker shared-ownership flats</div> <bR> <div> <B>The Beatles</B> played here  the night of March 21, 1963, and their first album, Please Please Me, was released the </div> <div> following day. <B>Cilla Black</B> and <B>PJ Proby</B> also played live shows here.</div> <bR> <div> Wally Plummer wrote in the Croydon Guardian:</div> <div> <I>"Imagine a young lad of 15-years-old, watching Yolton Korda's  1939 version of The Four Feathers. I saw it in the middle of an air-raid! </I></div> <div> <I>The announcement would flash up on the big screen that an air-raid was in progress, and the programme would continue. What with </I></div> <div> <I>the noise of the Sudan uprising of the 1890s on screen and the real life gun-fire outside the building, it sounded like stereophonic sound." </I></div> <div> <I> </I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >and P Quinn wrote:</FONT></div> <div> <I> "</I><I>The cinema survived the Blitz, it was a place that Croydon people escaped to inside to dream of </I><I>a better world</I><I>. But I fear it will not </I></div> <div> <I>survive the vested interests of developers and a council more geared than ever to keeping property developers, large chains, and </I></div> <div> <I>big franchises happy. What </I><I>Croydon Council</I><I> does not seem to grasp is that cities have layers: they are mixtures of old and new, </I></div> <div> <I>antiquated and ultra-modern. The Council should think hard before removing a small but significant layer from the town centre. </I></div> <div> <I>But I suspect that those of us who care and hold out hope for the future of this particular dream palace can only dream on.</I></div> <div> <I>PETER FREARSON writes:</I></div> <div> <I>"So sad to see this wonderfull old cinema like this ,as school boy I saw my first western in 3d and came out at the end quite convinced</I></div> <div> <I>I had a arrow in my school cap ,this was the 1950 s when there was a bit more room on the planet. "</I></div> <bR> <div> <I>Colin Marsh writes:  "my father, LEN MARSH, was Assistant Manager at the ABC – originally called the SAVOY – until the early 1960’s,</I></div> <div> <I>when he moved to an administrative job at ABC Head Office. Dad worked for ABC from c.1946 until the late 1970’s. and managed a </I></div> <div> <I>number of cinemas in and around South London, although West Croydon was his base. He acted as Relief Manager at cinemas in</I></div> <div> <I>Purley, Norbury, Streatham, Mitcham, Balham, Tooting, Beckenham, Camberwell, Forest Hill – and those are the only ones I can </I></div> <div> <I>remember. If anyone remembers my Dad – worked with him, perhaps – I would like to hear from them. Dad died in 1997, and I </I></div> <div> <I>am trying to piece together the gaps in our family history."  </I><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Colin.Marsh@UCS.AC.UK</FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id1527.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"><U><IMG SRC="2675cc590.jpg" border=0 width="460" height="345" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <B>Archway Theatre</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id482.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"><U><IMG SRC="877fabc0.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="188" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A> <IMG SRC="879fabc0.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="188" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Hackney Empire has reopened!</div> <div> The legendary <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#006699" FACE="Arial" ><B>Hackney Empire</B></FONT> was re-opened in January 2004 after a massive overhaul of the</div> <div>  theatre by Tim Ronalds Architects. Following the Hackney Empire Appeal Campaign led by Griff Rhys Jones</div> <div>  which raised £15 million, the theatre initiated a major programme of redevelopment and extensive restoration </div> <div> of the facilities, whilst preserving the original features that made it one of the most popular venues in London.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="derelict_london_com.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Derelict London.com"><U><I><IMG SRC="3c896370.gif" border=0 width="150" height="55" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>