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Report - - The Dominion Cinema - Walthamstow - July 2009 | Theatres and Cinemas | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - The Dominion Cinema - Walthamstow - July 2009

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Speed

Got Epic?
Regular User
This place was easily the worst cinema explore of 2009, it really was not much more than a shell! The stage end was more intact but the entrance end had been virtualy demolished, the small circle had gone and it was full of junk. Still, good to see whats left!. :gay

On this site was an earlier cinema - Prince's Pavilion which opened in 1909 and was rebuilt to seat 1,000 in 1912, it closed 24th May 1930 and was demolished (one wall survives today, located at the rear of the Dominion, with faded paint still showing from the former interior of the Prince's Pavilion).

The Dominion Cinema was opened on 22nd December 1930 with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. in "Little Accident". It was designed by Frederick E. Bromige while he was working for the Clifford Aish practice. The Dominion Cinema was Bromige's first solo work as an architect and his final project under Aish.

Seating was provided in a stadium plan with a raised section at the rear which didn't overhang the rear stalls area. It was equipped with a Wurlitzer 3Manual/10Ranks organ.

It was taken over by Associated British Cinemas (ABC) in April 1931 and they operated it until 15th March 1958 when it closed for film use. It became a venue for wrestling for a few months and then re-opened as a cinema again on 6th October 1958 screening Danny Kaye in "Merry Andrew". It finally closed as a cinema on 4th March 1961 screening Claude Dauphin in "The Full Treatment" and Peter Reynolds in "The Breaking Point".

It was converted into a Mecca Bingo Club, latterly operated by Jasmine which was closed in August 1996.

Plans were going ahead to convert it into a nightclub, but these fell through and the building remains boarded up and unused in 2010.

How it used to be! :Dominion Walthamstow



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Speed

Got Epic?
Regular User
No afraid not, there wast much left to see in the whole place, any reminents of the organ were probably all destroyed long ago. If you look carefully the photo with the light up bingo sign is taken from behind the grilles but i dont remember seeing anything else of interest, if i had i would probably have taken a photo as i was scraping the barrel for enough pictures for a report...
 

Mini nut

My local and favourite, gone.
Banned
OK, thank you. An organ builder bought the Wurlitzer back in the 60s and as he didn`t want the console he dragged it into the car park and burned it!
 
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