Campaigning to reintroduce a cinema to Crystal Palace
Roll film…
The camera’s definitely rolling with the Picture Palace Campaign here in Crystal Palace. It looks as if the battle to bring a cinema back to the No. 25 Church Road site could roll right through to the credits.This is most definitely going to be an epic to rival Ben Hur!
The hope is for a Renaissance picture house, woven into the local community, which will bring diverse, innovative and enlightening cinematic treats, children’s films, live opera transmissions, and possible satellite Q&As with stars of the big screen from around the world.
The rapidly growing volume of support for the campaign reached its most visible (and audible) peak at a meeting held on October 18th in which several speakers took to the microphone to voice their support and involvement in restoring the cinema. This has been the most significant local example for me of how a virtual gathering of thoughts and sentiments has galvanised an actual community. This film only started rolling back in June this year when small pockets of individuals started responding to information coming through about the proposed change in usage of the now infamous site “No. 25 Church Road”. The local forum site Virtual Norwood was where many of us first became aware of the proposals for the venue, formerly The Rialto back in 1928. From then, things have mushroomed and earlier this month Bromley Council was presented with a petition of over 7000 signatures from the Picture Palace Campaign organisers objecting to proposals to alter the use of the venue.
No. 25 Church Road has been a hotbed of conflict before. In 1590 the area was under siege as parish boundaries where been drawn. It was then that the boundary beaters from the Vicar of Penge’s parish thrashed those from the Vicar of Croydon’s thus deciding the borough fate of the cinema’s site.
Now, however there’s not so much bloody conflict (hopefully none!) as heartfelt concern. The Crystal Palace community is passionate about maintaining its identity as it endeavours to thrive, in triangular formation, on the borders of 5 London Boroughs.
And cut.
Credits:
- Chairperson Annabel Sydney (Picture Palace Campaign)
- Director of Programming Clare Binns (City Screen Picture House Group)
- Reverend Andrew Rumsey (Vicar of Gipsy Hill)
- Sue Nagel (Triangle Traders Association)
- Councillor Lib Peck (Lambeth)
- Right Honourable Malcolm Wicks MP (Croydon North)
- Publicity Erica Green
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