God vs the movies
Our local council has been embroiled in a long-running farrago regarding the local cinema. Walthamstow’s EMD cinema was once a much-loved Granada cinema, complete with 30s décor and Christie organ. In addition to the screens, the cinema was built with top-notch staging so in the 50s and 60s the likes of Gene Vincent, Buddy Holly, The Beatles, The Kinks and The Stones played there. In recent years though, the cinema has fallen into decline and now it lies unused in a fairly miserable state.
However, those trusty friends of the large historic building, Christian evangelicals (in this case the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, UCKG) have come to the rescue. Like Finsbury Park Astoria, they have bought the building and plan to transform it into a place of worship.
There has been much public outcry and local campaigning against this decision. Waltham Forest is the only London borough not to have a cinema, people have a genuine fondness for the traditional Grade II* listed cinema and there is very little trust in our local council anyway, particularly its attitude towards regeneration, the arts and heritage. None of this is helped by the fact that there are rumours that various cinema operators have proposed viable plans for refurbishing the EMD and running it as a profitable venue again, but have been rejected by the council. It is all a long, sorrowful story of mistrust between the local authority, the church and cinema campaigners.
So far so typical, sadly enough. This week though, two quotes from local councillors have really made me wonder what world I’m living in.
Councillor Matt Davis: ‘Do you not think the council needs to manage people’s expectations on the EMD, and make it clear that people can get Mick Jagger out and bunches of kids protesting but it won’t make a difference?’
Councillor Terry Wheeler: ‘[a new church will be] more attractive, to particularly young people, than a modified cinema.’
What is happening when public protests (even if they include Mick Jagger) are dismissed so out of hand? And more to the point, what kind of world is it where the council can even think about claiming that a church will more appealing to young people than a cinema?
I’m so out of touch with young people though these days that I wouldn’t have a clue. Maybe he is right. Maybe religion is more appealing to the ‘yoof’ than movies. This can’t possibly be true, can it?
Tags: architecture, j'aime le cinema, London, religion
July 3rd, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Nothing Waltham Forest Council say or do actually surprises me anymore. Apparently they failed to deliver ballot cards to half the properties during the European election either, so nobody knew where their polling station was. I had to ring up to find out, and by doing so discovered that the number they put on their website for more information was also incorrect.
There again, I suppose communities get the politicians and councils they deserve, and the population of WF are so unquestioning and apathetic that they can get away with it.
On another topic entirely, you mentioned on my blog ages ago that you had an article Everett True wrote about Riot Grrrl you could post on to me. Do you still have it? On the offchance you do, could you drop me a line on dave.bryant23 AT gmail.com? I completely and totally forgot about your message, and thanks for your offer.
July 3rd, 2009 at 2:12 pm
WFC were probably assuming that no one wanted to vote, so they could sneakily save a bit of money on the side. And I have to defend the local population here. Lots of people are unpathetic and unquestioning, but there is a pretty strong coalition of anti-council campaigning groups – like the McGuffins, Fight the Height and my local residents association. Even Stella Creasey, MP in waiting, has been pretty vocal in slagging them off.
July 3rd, 2009 at 2:18 pm
I’d got for cinema everytime not sure why they can’t build a purpose built church. There must be enough people in the are to support a small scale picture house.
July 3rd, 2009 at 3:37 pm
If you wanted to look at it from a particular angle, you could say that the cinema is like a church – rows of people staring blankly in front of them, escapism etc. etc. I’ve been to Finsbury Park Astoria/Rainbow (now a UCKG church) and its done up really nicely inside, works well as a happy clappy kind of church.
July 6th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
It’s kind of reassuring that there are cinema operators out there who think they could run the place at a profit but I don’t know why it should be such a problem for the council not to give it a go, particularly if there’s a lot of local support for it. There are a few old classic cinemas near me: one’s a bank now, another an off-licence, and the Tooting Granada, another with a great history, is one among many now doing brisk business as a bingo hall (cue more religious metaphors?). At least it’s been preserved in its original style and it does become a cinema again (sort of) on Open House weekend when you can get shown around by the bloke who used to be cinema manager.
July 6th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
I don’t think anyone could even begin to understand the council’s attitude to arts and heritage on our side of town Hoops. When they’re not cutting the museums and libraries service, they’re proposing ‘integrated solutions’ with housing, shops and cinemas in the centre of town which spectacularly collapse under closer inspection.
I know it’s difficult to re-use old buildings which were built with another era in mind, but as you point out there are uses – even if its a boozer or a bingo hall. At least that still allows ‘the general public’ some kind of access to the building. Although I suppose the chuch would argue that their intentions are exactly the same!
Tooting Granada looks fantastic (good old Suggs). My family are originally from the Balham / Tooting area – I wonder if they went there…