Towers Cinema

Former cinema in Greater London, England

Towers Cinema

Towers Cinema Hornchurch, as Mecca Bingo

Towers Cinema

Towers Cinema location in Greater London

General information
Type| Former cinema
Architectural style| Art Deco/Streamline Moderne
Address| 31 High Street, Hornchurch, ,RM11 1TP
Town or city| Hornchurch, Greater London
Country| United Kingdom
Coordinates| 51°33′48″N 0°12′52″E﻿ / ﻿51.5633485°N 0.2145259°E﻿ / 51.5633485; 0.2145259
Completed| 1935
Opened| 3 August 1935
Closed| 6 October 1973
(In use as a bingo hall 1973–2015)
Demolished| April 2017
Design and construction
Architect(s)| Leslie Hagger Kemp & Frederick Edward Tasker
Architecture firm| Kemp & Tasker
Other designers| Interior design by Clark & Fenn

Towers Cinema was a former cinema in Hornchurch, England. It was built in 1935 on part of the former Grey Towers estate and was noted for its Art Deco style of architecture. From 1973 it was used as a bingo hall until it closed in 2015. Despite the efforts of a local campaign to preserve the structure and to have it listed by Historic England, the building was demolished to make way for a Lidl supermarket.[1]

## History

[edit]

The Towers Cinema was built on part of the former Grey Towers estate, a stately home which was demolished in 1931. During World War I, the estate had been requisitioned by the Army Council for use as a military hospital and army camp. A new cinema, named The Towers after the old mansion house, was built on the southern boundary of the Grey Towers estate, at the west end of Hornchurch High Street.[2]

The cinema was commissioned by David J. James, a brewing industrialist turned cinema impresario, for his D.J. James Cinema Circuit. It was designed by Leslie Hagger Kemp (1899–1997) and Frederick Edward Tasker, of the Kemp & Tasker partnership, which designed new and renovated existing cinemas for James' independent chain. Opening its doors on 3 August 1935, it provided facilities including an auditorium to seat 1799 patrons; a shallow stage with dressing rooms; a café-ballroom on the first floor that could seat 200; a cosmetics saloon for use by ladies; and an ample car park. The ornate interior of the cinema, including the auditorium, was designed by the firm Clark & Fenn.[3][4] The opening programme was a double-bill screening of The Phantom Light starring Binnie Hale and Vagabond Lady starring Robert Young.[5]

In March 1937 James sold his chain of cinemas for a considerable sum[clarification needed] to Eastern Cinemas (GCF) Ltd which were then taken over by the Odeon chain in 1943. The characteristic neon ODEON signage was then applied covering the word Towers (which is cut into the fabric of the building but later restored in 2010).

The cinema closed on 6 October 1973, with a screening of the James Bond film Live and Let Die as the final show. The building was converted into a Top Rank bingo hall (later Mecca Bingo) later in 1973, and it remained in use as a bingo hall until the facility closed in 2015.[5][6]

## Architecture

[edit]

When the cinema was converted into a bingo hall, many alterations to the foyer and lower auditorium were made. The café-ballroom was divided into smaller offices by the installation of dividing walls and a false ceiling which covered a highly ornate coffered ceiling. Many other original features still remained, including the wall and ceiling decoration and the private boxes in the main auditorium.[7]

The architects' firm Kemp & Tasker designed a number of Art Deco cinemas in the south of England, among them the Odeon Cinemas in Romford and Stepney. Their Odeon Cinema building in St Albans, Hertfordshire was restored and re-opened in 2015.[8] Leslie Hagger Kemp designed the former Union Cinema in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, built in 1936–37 which has achieved Grade II listed status; he was associated with the Regal in Camberwell built in 1938–39 also listed at Grade II. Apart from cinemas, Kemp and Tasker won the Daily Mail 'Ideal House' competition in 1934 (at the same time they were working on The Towers Building).[citation needed]

## Preservation campaign

[edit]

The building was sold in 2015 to the retail chain Lidl and was to be demolished to be replaced by a supermarket.[9] Following a campaign to save the building,[10] Havering London Borough Council temporarily protected it in 2015 so Historic England could assess its heritage value.[11] Demolition was opposed by the heritage charity, the Twentieth Century Society.[12]

An approach was made by the Everyman Cinemas chain to purchase the building, but submitted their offer too late. In August 2016, Havering Council approved the scheme to demolish the Towers Cinema, and Lidl announced a plan to retain the “Towers” concrete lettering and to create a public art installation at street level.[13][14]

## Demolition

[edit]

The former Towers Cinema building was demolished in April 2017 to permit construction of a new supermarket on the site. The Hornchurch branch of Lidl opened for trade on 15 March 2018.[15]

## See also

[edit]

* Grade I and II* listed buildings in Havering
* The Rex, Berkhamsted
* George Cinema, Portobello

## References

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1. ^ Craig, Zoë (30 August 2016). "Beautiful Art Deco Cinema To Be Demolished". Londonist. Archived from the original on 31 August 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
2. ^ Foley, Michael (2005). Front-Line Essex. The History Press. ISBN 9780750952545. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
3. ^ Evans, Brian (15 May 2010). Hornchurch, Elm Park And Harold Wood Through Time. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781445628783. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
4. ^ Cherry, Bridget; O'Brien, Charles; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2005). The Buildings of England: London. Vol. 5\. East. London, New Haven, [Conn.]: Yale University Press. p. 178\. ISBN 9780300107012. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
5. ^ a b Roe, Ken. "Odeon Hornchurch". Cinema Treasures. Archived from the original on 3 September 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
6. ^ "Towers Cinema Hornchurch, Essex". Modernist Britain. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
7. ^ "The Towers Cinema Hornchurch". DerelictPlaces.co.uk. January 2016. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
8. ^ "Restored art-deco cinema reopens". BBC News. 13 December 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
9. ^ "Havering Council halts demolition of Mecca Bingo Building in Hornchurch". Havering.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
10. ^ Chloe Farand. "Bingo battlers turn to listed status to save Hornchurch Mecca Bingo - News". Romford Recorder. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
11. ^ Sam Gelder. "Mecca Bingo Hornchurch demolition halted by Havering Council - News". Romford Recorder. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
12. ^ "C20 opposes demolition of former Towers Cinema and changes to Toastrack — The Twentieth Century Society". www.c20society.org.uk. 5 May 2016. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
13. ^ Nagesh, Ashitha (30 August 2016). "Historic Art Deco cinema to be bulldozed to make way for new Lidl". Metro. Archived from the original on 31 August 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
14. ^ "Lidl Hornchurch". Lidl. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
15. ^ Coleman, Liam (15 March 2018). "New Lidl opens in Hornchurch". Romford Recorder. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2018.

## External links

[edit]

* "The history of the Mecca Towers Building". HornchurchLife. 26 September 2015. Archived from the original on 9 September 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.