The Older the Better (part 2)

Last week I lamented about London’s rich architectural legacy… so, where was I? Continuing the theme, I attended a local council planning committee this week. I will be the first to admit that I am not political in anyway. In fact it takes quite a lot of persuasion to get me to a polling station during a general election, but I have been enthusiastic about this debate. It’s over the future of the EMD Cinema in Walthamstow. If you don’t know what it looks like, read more here. It’s a beautiful building both to look at from the outside and on the inside – well, it used to be. It’s where Alfred Hitchcock went to watch films as a boy. I like to think of a young, tubby, rather earnest Alfred, probably heading to a Saturday morning double bill by himself and thinking, “I bet I could be good at this!” It’s also been a live music venue and has seen acts like The Beatles, Jonny Cash and the Rolling Stones perform.




If you walk past the cinema today you wouldn’t even notice it. It is completely covered in boarding and scaffolding. The building has been shut for nigh on ten years; in 2003 a church group from Brazil bought the place and wants to turn it into a mega-sized place of worship. I have nothing against religion or church groups but to see such an iconic building cut off from its history, and forced, like an Elizabethan dancing bear, to perform tasks so alien from its instincts, is heart breaking.



At the council meeting on Wednesday night there was a huge presence of local residents protesting against the church plans and I should also mention that the church too had brought its supporters, mainly from neighbouring boroughs to cheer on its case. The arguments to keep the cinema as an entertainment venue highlighted the potential for economic regeneration for the area and also its brilliant history. Both are sound arguments. The economic side appeals to my head and the history appeals to the heart.



Both sides were extremely vocal and on the most part relatively friendly to each other, though one woman told me I shouldn’t be frequenting dens of pornography and lust. I assume she was referring to the cinema and not the council meeting… One extreme exception however was the church’s pastor who was allowed to speak. I can only say he came across as an aggressive bully, more likened to a city trader then a man of the cloth, but that’s more likely naïve idealism on my part. This pastor, I fear, treats history and historical artefacts like I did as a boy – with oblivious ignorance.



The verdict from that meeting was extremely positive for our cause. The planning committee chose to reject the church’s request not only to build within the cinema but more importantly to allow its use to be changed. We left the hall as victors of a battle but not of the war. As we walked home we passed some church supporters waiting for a bus, we heard one philosophically state, “It wasn’t God’s will.” I hope the Pastor comes to the same conclusion and sells the cinema, so it can be saved before it rots and falls to the ground.



Everyday we walk past fantastic history but rarely do we stop, look up and think about what that building has seen, what people walked through those doors, how it adds to the rich tapestry which is London. Pall Mall Barbers salutes you EMD Cinema and hope one day to advertise your film listings in our shop window!



Beware: Paul, Mal and Barbara are coming!


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