Soho Theatre Walthamstow
186 Hoe Street,
London,
E17 4QS
186 Hoe Street,
London,
E17 4QS
5 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 34 comments
The location marker is in the wrong place. The location was further north; opposite and immediately south of the junction with Cairo Road.
The former restaurant area, latterly occupied by The Victoria pub, has been demolished as part of an upgrade.
By the end of August 2020, all tenents in the buiding had vacated and restoration began in earnest. For the first time in half a century the Pit console of the Christie organ was raised – and was in a very sorry state, having been left to rot, and submerged in the 2011 flood. The stage console is in only slightly better condition after nearly two decades of cold, damp and pigeons!
GRANADA AUDITORIUM
GRANADA PIT ORGAN CONSOLE
“Preview peek at how a former music hall will be converted” : The press never get anything right – at least where cinemas are concerned…….
new article https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2019/05/21/43099/soho_theatre_unveils_its_new_site
The Stow Film Lounge are screening Quadrophenia here on 18 May
the Christie organ is still in the building but needsots of work before it will play again.
The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God has now sold Waltham Forest’s EMD (formerly Granada) Cinema site, including the adjacent pub (formerly the cinema cafe) and shops, to the Antic Pub Collective as of May 2015. It remains to be seen whether the building will reopen as a cinema, especially with a 9-screen multiplex having recently opened next door. One can hope though!
Excellent, thanks Joe.
This photo of the auditorium of the Granada Theatre was published in the November 1, 1930, issue of the American trade journal Motion Picture News. It was one of several photos illustrating an article on Spanish and Moorish architecture that begins on this page of the magazine, which features another, smaller, photo of the theater.
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.
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
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.
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.