EMD Cinema: Walthamstow.

Received an e-mail from Travers Lewis. He's started a Downing Street petition in an attempt to have the EMD reopen again as a cinema. Add your name to the petition by clicking this link: 

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/emdwalthamstow/

If you visited this cinema when it was alive and would like to say a few words about it to be posted here, please e-mail me.

I don't often feature closed cinemas, but It would be good to hear from folk who have memories of this cinema.

This from Phil Clark: 'Opened in the 1930s and was variously an Odeon, the Granada and maybe an ABC. Twinned in 1970. Building then partly taken over by grotty pub next door (The Victoria - ugh) and the cinema declined in popularity during 1980s and 1990s, and was allowed to become quite run down although the interior is supposedly repairable. 

The EMD was sold to Asian family around 2000/2001 and ran Bollywood movies for a while but closed soon thereafter, the ascent of the DVD having killed off that market. Now belongs to what might be called a "fringe religious organisation" (UK Church of the Kingdom of God) who also own Finsbury Park Astoria a.k.a. Rainbow Theatre. 

The Walthamstow EMD was the last cinema in the entire borough of Waltham Forest and it remains closed at present since the church applied for "change of use" planning permission which was refused. Local council and film group The McGuffins want the cinema reopened and several cinema operators are said to be interested however this is unlikely to happen in the near future. 

One can only hope that sense does eventually prevail since there is certainly local demand for a well-run cinema running new releases and the next nearest cinemas worth visiting are at Woodford/Stratford.'