Hackney Empire, Mare Street

news Archive 08/2009

  • A new beginning for the Clapton Cinematograph Theatre?
    17/08/2009

    A NOTORIOUS former nightclub which has been the scene of stabbings and shootings could be returned to its former glory as a jewel in Hackney’s crown.
    The Palace Pavilion in Lower Clapton Road was plunged into controversy in 2006 after a spate of attacks in and around the club.
    The final straw came after 19-year-old Barrington Williams-Samuels was shot dead at the wheel of his car in front of the club in the early hours of January 2, 2006.
    Backed by Hackney’s then top cop, Chief Supt Simon Pountain, residents and councillors launched a successful campaign for the venue to be shut down.
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    Built in 1910 as the Clapton Cinematograph Theatre, the building is one of Britain’s oldest cinemas and operated as a cinema until 1979.
    In 1983, it was converted into a nightclub called Dougies before being renamed the Palace Pavilion.

    Last week campaigners from the Friends of Clapton Cinematograph Theatre finally gained access to the club.

    Cllr Ian Rathbone, from Leabridge ward, said until now no-one knew whether any of the building’s original features had survived.
    He told the Gazette: “There are strong elements of the cinema still preserved.
    “This tremendous find is a powerful testimony to the determination of the local community to fight to preserve our heritage and to try and re-establish a sense of community in our busy urban landscape.”

    Hundreds of supporters have already signed a petition to restore the building as a state-of-the-art cinema.

    He added: “The cinema would be a cultural meeting place, a place not only for the exhibition of films, but potentially an educational, training and conference facility.
    “It could operate in conjunction with the adjacent White Hart as its meeting and dining place - providing a use that could serve to draw together the various communities of Clapton and be a cultural beacon for neighbourhood renewal, and once again be a place where people can meet and enjoy being a community together.”

    Residents are being urged to help raise funds for the project. To pledge support, email (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

    WILL DAVIES - The Hackney Gazette