A century of entertainment which may soon vanish from Wellington Street in Woolwich

I am back on Wellington Street pondering the fate of the successor to the old Woolwich Hippodrome.

This grand theatre had a short life opening in 1900 and closing  just twenty-three years later when it became a cinema and was finally demolished in 1939.

But the war got in the way of a new picture house which didn’t come along till 1955.  This is the brick block beside the Town Hall.

It  too has had short life, becoming a first a night club, and then an uncertain future as a potential home to a church group who backed out of the deal and then in 2011 a community group with plans to reopen it as a cinema, theatre and music venue.

And now according to e-ShootersHill it will be demolished for a six storey block of flats and a cafe if the plans are approved.*













Pictures; The Woolwich Grand Theatre today from the collection of Colin Fitzpatrick and the Hippodrome from a postcard courtesy of Mark Flynn http://www.markfynn.com/london-postcards.htm

*Woolwich Grand Theare, The Theatres Trust  http://www.theatrestrust.org.uk/resources/theatres/show/2329-woolwich-grand-theatre

**Grand Plan http://e-shootershill.co.uk/grand-plan/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+e-shootershill+%28e-shootershill%29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail