Everyman Bristol
 | |
  Everyman Bristol | |
| Former names |
ABC Cinema Whiteladies Picture House |
|---|---|
| Location | Bristol, England |
| Coordinates | 51°27′55″N 2°36′42″W / 51.4652°N 2.6117°W |
| Operator | Everyman Cinemas |
| Type | Cinema |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1920 |
| Built | 1921 |
| Opened | 29 November 1921 |
| Architect | James Henry LaTrobe and Thomas Henry Weston |
The Everyman Bristol (grid reference ST576742) is a historic building on Whiteladies Road in Clifton, Bristol, England.
It was built in 1920–1921 as a cinema, called the Whiteladies Picture House, by James Henry LaTrobe and Thomas Harry Weston (1870–1923) and opened by Duchess of Beaufort on 29 November 1921. It formerly had a ballroom and restaurant but, in 1978, the large single screen was removed and the building split into three screens. As part of the ABC chain, the cinema was eventually absorbed by Odeon, in a merger undertaken by the private equity firm Cinven. With another Odeon nearby on Broadmead's Union Street, the decision was taken to close down and sell the Whiteladies in 1999 with a restrictive covenant forbidding its future use as a cinema.[1]
The cinema has been designated by English Heritage as a grade II listed building.[2] While the front section of the building has been divided off to create a restaurant, the majority of the building, including the main auditorium, balcony and ballroom, has remained empty since its closure in 1999. The building has been allowed to deteriorate and is currently on Bristol City Council's "at Risk" register, deeming it to be in danger of being lost due to lack of use, under-use, disrepair, or dereliction.[3] Several plans have been put forward to redevelop the building. The most recent planning application to convert the building into a gym and flats was rejected by Bristol City Council, went to appeal and was finally defeated in March 2013.[4]
In November 2010 a not-for-profit company, Whiteladies Picture House Ltd, was set up by Alan Mandel Butler and David Fells (manager of the local Redgrave Theatre) to raise awareness of the building and its history and to begin the journey of raising the necessary capital to reopen the Picture House as a mixed-use venue with a 450-seat theatre and a 200-seat cinema.[5] The company reached out to the local community to aid in its campaign and were instrumental in blocking the planning application to convert the building into a gym and flats and bringing the building back into the public eye. In 2013, Alan Mandel Butler left the company to pursue other projects and David Fells began working with Jonathan Lees Architects to develop plans to preserve the existing historic fabric of the building, including the original Art Deco auditorium.[6]
Everyman Cinemas have now taken on the lease and are opening their first branch in Bristol on May 20 2016. They will be 're-opening the doors of the ninety-six-year-old art deco venue with a broad line-up of films and events as well as our great food and drink.' [7] The redevelopment also includes five new flats on the upper floor.[8]
References
- ↑ Empire magazine, March 2007
- ↑ "ABC Cinema". Images of England. Retrieved 2007-03-13.
- ↑ "Register of Listed Buildings At Risk" (PDF). Bristol City Council. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
- ↑ "'Relief as Whiteladies Picture House Flats Plan Finally Rejected'". Bristol247. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
- ↑ "Future Plans". Whiteladies Picture House Ltd.
- ↑ "Clifton Life, No. 158, pp. 80-1".
- ↑ http://www.everymancinema.com/venues/bristol/
- ↑ Pennock, Lewis (5 April 2016). "Former cinema in Whiteladies Road will reopen as Everyman next month after 15-year closure". Bristol Post. Retrieved 8 April 2016.