ABC Cinema
Encyclopedia
The ABC Cinema 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 Henry Weston and opened by the Duchess of Beaufort
. It formerly had a ballroom and restaurant, but in 1978, the large screen was done away with and the building split into three mini cinemas. 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. While the front section of the building has been divided off to create "The Old Picture House" restaurant, the majority of the building including the main auditorium, balcony and ballroom has remained empty since its closure in 1999. Several plans have been put forward to develop or convert the building but as of yet none have come to fruition. In November 2010, David Fells (the manager of the local Redgrave Theatre) and Alan Mandel Butler (local actor and entrepreneur) announced their intension to form a new charitable company. The aim of this company is to raise the necessary capital to reopen the Picture House as a mixed-use theatre and film space. Details of their project can be found at www.whiteladies-picturehouse.com
It has been designated by English Heritage
as a grade II listed building.
Whiteladies Road
Whiteladies Road is a main road in Bristol, England. It runs north from the Victoria Rooms to Durdham Down, and separates Clifton on the west side from Redland on the east...
in Clifton
Clifton, Bristol
Clifton is a suburb of the City of Bristol in England, and the name of both one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
It was built in 1920–1921 as a cinema
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
, called the Whiteladies Picture House by James Henry LaTrobe and Thomas Henry Weston and opened by the Duchess of Beaufort
Mary Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort
Victoria Constance Mary Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort was the daughter of the 1st Marquess of Cambridge and Lady Margaret Evelyn Grosvenor.Princess Mary was born at White Lodge, Richmond Park...
. It formerly had a ballroom and restaurant, but in 1978, the large screen was done away with and the building split into three mini cinemas. As part of the ABC
Associated British Cinemas
ABC Cinemas was a cinema chain in the United Kingdom. A wholly owned subsidiary of Associated British Picture Corporation , it operated between the 1930s and the late 1960s...
chain, the cinema was eventually absorbed by Odeon
Odeon Cinemas
Odeon Cinemas is a British chain of cinemas, one of the largest in Europe. It is owned by Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group whose ultimate parent is Terra Firma Capital Partners.-History:Odeon Cinemas was created in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch...
, in a merger undertaken by the private equity firm Cinven
Cinven
Cinven is a British private equity firm founded in 1977 with offices in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Milan and Hong Kong. Currently, the company has raised four funds, with the last one signing up €6.5 billion...
. With another Odeon nearby on Broadmead
Broadmead
Broadmead is a street in the central area of Bristol, England, which has given its name to the principal shopping district of the city.- History :The name of the street was first recorded in 1383 as Brodemede...
's Union Street, the decision was taken to close down and sell the Whiteladies in 1999 with a restrictive covenant
Restrictive covenant
A restrictive covenant is a type of real covenant, a legal obligation imposed in a deed by the seller upon the buyer of real estate to do or not to do something. Such restrictions frequently "run with the land" and are enforceable on subsequent buyers of the property...
forbidding its future use as a cinema. While the front section of the building has been divided off to create "The Old Picture House" restaurant, the majority of the building including the main auditorium, balcony and ballroom has remained empty since its closure in 1999. Several plans have been put forward to develop or convert the building but as of yet none have come to fruition. In November 2010, David Fells (the manager of the local Redgrave Theatre) and Alan Mandel Butler (local actor and entrepreneur) announced their intension to form a new charitable company. The aim of this company is to raise the necessary capital to reopen the Picture House as a mixed-use theatre and film space. Details of their project can be found at www.whiteladies-picturehouse.com
It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a grade II listed building.