Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Shepherd's Bush Palladium

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Type
  
Cinema, later a pub

Country
  
England

Structural system
  
Brick, concrete.

Address
  
Shepherd's Bush Green

Architectural style
  
Edwardian architecture

Architect
  
John Stanley Coombe Beard

Location
  
Shepherd's Bush

Completed
  
1910

Opened
  
1910

Town or city
  
London

Renovated
  
1923

Shepherd's Bush Palladium httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Former names
  
Cinematograph the Essoldo The Classic Odeon Cinema

Similar
  
Shepherd's Bush Pavilion, Shepherd's Bush Market tu, Shepherd's Bush railway st, Hurst Spit, Coronation Chair

The Shepherd's Bush Palladium (alternatively Shepherds Bush Palladium) is a former cinema in Shepherd's Bush, London, originally built in 1910 as the Shepherd's Bush Cinematograph Theatre. The building has had a number of owners over the years and finally stopped showing films in 1981. After standing empty for some time, it was eventually converted into a pub and for many years was owned and operated by the Walkabout chain of Australasian-themed bars. In October 2013 the building was sold to a property developer, and in 2014 it was the subject of a pre-planning application to demolish the building and replace it with a 16 storey block of flats.

Contents

Map of Shepherd's Bush Palladium, Shepherd's Bush, London, UK

History

The Palladium was completed on 3 March 1910 and was originally called the Shepherd's Bush Cinematograph Theatre. The original owner was Montagu Pyke; the building was designed by an unknown architect. The original seating capacity was 900.

From the beginning there were problems. In January 1921 the manager of the Cinematograph complained to Hammersmith Council - which owned the local electricity supply station - that there was too little power available to screen films, and that therefore the theatre had to close at 6.15pm. He claimed compensation of £60 for loss of business.

In November 1923 the building reopened with 763 seats as the New Palladium (later called the Palladium, the Essoldo, the Classic, and finally the Odeon 2), designed by architect John Stanley Coombe Beard. Beard designed many cinemas in and around London, judged by one architectural historian as "excellent, if stylistically slightly eccentric".

During World War 2 the building narrowly escaped being hit by a flying bomb, which in 1944 hit the neighbouring Shepherd’s Bush Pavilion, destroying the original interior. The Pavilion did not re-open until 1955.

The Palladium was modernised again in 1968 and the seating was reduced to 500; reopening was delayed by a fire. In 1972 the building was renamed The Classic.

The building was taken over by Odeon Cinemas in 1973 and renamed Odeon 2. However, it did not flourish and the cinema closed in December 1981 for the last time.

Walkabout era

After standing empty for some time, the Palladium was eventually converted into a pub. Until October 2013 the building was owned and operated by the Walkabout chain of Australasian bars. Early in 2011 the owners applied for an extension to its opening hours, but the application was rejected owing to opposition from local residents. In October 2013 the Walkabout closed for good, and was sold to a developer.

Threat of demolition

As of March 2010 the Palladium is not a listed building, but it falls within the Shepherd's Bush Conservation Area, established by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham to promote the protection of local buildings of historic interest, and improve the character of the neighbourhood. In 2014, it was the subject of a pre-planning application to demolish the building and replace it with a 16 storey block of flats.

References

Shepherd's Bush Palladium Wikipedia