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_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Theatres in Shepherd's Bush, London The Shepherd's Bush Empire - The Pavilion Theatre / Gaumont Cinema / Odeon 1 - Pyke's Cinematograph Theatre / Essoldo / Odeon 2
Above - A Google StreetView image showing the three Theatres built side by side on Shepherd's Bush Green, the Shepherd's Bush Empire, Pykes Cinematograph Theatre and the Pavilion - Click to Interact.
The Shepherd's Bush Empire, Shepherd’s Bush Green, London
Above - Photograph of the Shepherd's Bush Empire in its heyday with Max Miller on the Bill. |
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Left - The auditorium of the Shepherd's Bush Empire in 1923. Right - Programme for 'Shuffle Along' at the Shepherd's Bush Empire, in association with the London Coliseum, on Monday June the 25th 1923. In 1995 the Theatre was furthur converted, with some architectural restoration, into a music Venue and continues as such to this day. |
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Above - Details of a programme for 'Shuffle Along' at the Shepherd's Bush Empire, in association with the London Coliseum, on Monday June the 25th 1923. |
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There has however been a small extension built above the centre block and the entrance canopy has been modernised for the Theatre's use as a concert venue (See image below.) Left - An original postcard showing the Shepherd's Bush Empire in its early years. Right - The Shepherd's Bush Empire in 2006 - Courtesy Positive Design Works. You may like to visit the Shepherd's Bush Empire's own website here... |
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Some images and programmes for the Shepherd's Bush Empire
Above - The Shepherd's Bush Empire in 2012 - Courtesy Charles S. P. Jenkins.
Above - The modernised canopy of the Shepherd's Bush Empire in 2006 - Courtesy Positive Design Works.
Above - A photograph of an unusual feature in the auditorium of the Shepherd's Bush Empire, somewhat reminiscent of the stage boxes at the London Coliseum - Courtesy Tom Healey. |
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Above - The Shepherd's Bush Empire in 2006 - Courtesy Positive Design Works.
Above - The auditorium of the Shepherd's Bush Empire in 1999 - Courtesy Ted Bottle |
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Above Left - Programme for Variety show at the Shepherd's
Bush Empire May 30th 1949
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Above - Programme details for Variety show at the Shepherd's Bush Empire May 30th 1949
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Above - Programme details for Variety show at the Shepherd's Bush Empire Nov 24th 1952. |
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The Pavilion Theatre, 58 Shepherd's Bush Green, London Later - The Gaumont Cinema / Odeon 1 Cinema
Above - The Shepherd's Bush Pavilion in 2012 - Courtesy Charles S. P. Jenkins
The Theatre had a large auditorium, designed in the Italian Renaissance style, and capable of seating well over 2,000 people in its two levels, stalls and one balcony, and was equipped with a stage 70 foot wide by 20 foot deep. There were also 4 dressing room for its artistes and the Theatre was equipped with a Compton 4Manual/17Rank Organ. Right - The side elevation of the Shepherd's Bush Pavilion in 2012, also showing the former Pyke's Cinematograph Theatre next door - Courtesy Charles S. P. Jenkins.
In July 1944 the Pavilion was seriously damaged by a flying bomb and the Theatre had to close, not reopening again for another decade. The restoration of the Theatre was eventually carried out by Samuel Beverley, who was Verity's former business partner, and included restoration of the exterior of the building and a complete rebuilding of the interior in a more modern style with a lower seating capacity. The Theatre reopened as the Gaumont Cinema on the 25th of July 1955. Left - The main entrance of the Shepherd's Bush Pavilion in 2012 - Courtesy Charles S. P. Jenkins. The Theatre was again reconstructed in 1969 when Odeon, who had taken over the building in 1962, closed the building and carried out extensive reconstruction of the interior. This included extending the balcony forward to the proscenium so creating an 815 seat cinema upstairs, and converting the former stalls area into a Top Rank Bingo Club. The foyers were also altered at this time and an escalator was installed so that patrons could easily reach the cinema level. The Cinema was renamed on its opening, on the 7th of March 1970, as Odeon 1, and the former Pyke's Cinema, next door, was rebadged Odeon 2. The Cinema was closed altogether in October 1981 and then the building was just used for Bingo downstairs until that too closed in 2001. Plans to restore the building later that year, and reopen the cinema, unfortunately never happened and the 2008 plans to convert it into an hotel also fell through. The cinema was however converted into a concert and events venue which remained until 2011 when plans were finally approved to convert the building into an hotel. Demolition of the interior began in April 2012, the facade is to be retained. Much of this information on the Pavilion Theatre was gleaned from the excellent Cinema Treasures Website. Photographs were kindly sent in by Charles S. P. Jenkins. |
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Pyke's Cinematograph
Theatre, 57A Shepherd's Bush Green, Later - New Palladium Cinema / The Essoldo Cinema / Classic / Odeon 2 / Walkabout
Above - The former Pyke's Cinematograph Theatre on Shepherd's Bush Green in 2012 - Courtesy Charles S. P. Jenkins - The former Pavilion Theatre can be seen to the right of this photograph. Pyke's Cinematograph Theatre, was situated on Shepherd's Bush Green, sandwiched in-between the earlier Shepherd's Bush Empire and the later Pavilion Theatre. The Cinema opened on the 3rd of March 1910 with a seating capacity of 763 people, and was the 6th Cinema in the Pyke Cinema Circuit to be built, altogether there would be 16 Cinemas in the chain by 1911.
Above - The side elevation of the former Pyke's Cinematograph Theatre in 2012 - Courtesy Charles S. P. Jenkins
Above - The side elevation of the former Pyke's Cinematograph Theatre in 2012 - Courtesy Charles S. P. Jenkins
Above - The side elevation of the former Pyke's Cinematograph Theatre in 2012 - Courtesy Charles S. P. Jenkins The Cinema was reconstructed in 1923 by the architect John Stanley Beard and reopened in November that year as the New Palladium Cinema, however the 'New' was dropped from the name in 1946. In 1955 the Cinema was renamed Essoldo. In 1968 the Cinema was closed and modernised but a fire in the building just before it was to reopen delayed that a little, when it did reopen it had a lower seating capacity than its original, of 500 people. In March 1970 the Cinema was rebadged Odeon 2 when the former Pavilion Theatre, next door, had a cinema constructed in its former balcony area and named Odeon 1. The Cinema closed in October 1981 and remained derelict until it was finally converted into a public house for the Australian Walkabout Chain, which it remains to this day. As can be seen from the photographs above most of the original signage for the Theatre remains on the side elevation of the building today and reads: 'Cinematograph Theatre, Continuous Performances, Seats 1/-6d & 3d'. Much of this information on the Pyke's Cinematograph Theatre was gleaned from the excellent Cinema Treasures Website. Photographs were kindly sent in by Charles S. P. Jenkins. |
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The
Shepherd's Bush Empire was designed by the renowned 
The
Theatre, with a capacity of 2,332, housed 
Over
the course of its more than one hundred years in existence, since the
Theatre opened on the 17th of August 
The
Shepherd's Bush Pavilion, which was situated just down the road from
the 
The
imposing brick frontage of the Pavilion won an 
