Safari Cinema

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Safari Cinema was an entertainment venue at 225 London Road in Broad Green, Croydon. It was opened in 1936, and closed in 2004. The building was demolished in 2005, and was described at the time as "the last of the historic cinemas from the Golden Age left in Croydon".

Broad Green, London district in London Borough of Croydon, UK

Broad Green is a small residential and retail area between Croydon and Thornton Heath in the London Borough of Croydon. The area was centred on a triangular green space bounded by shops and houses, which was developed at the end of the 19th century. The main landmark of the area, the Safari Cinema, was demolished in 2005.

London Borough of Croydon London borough in United Kingdom

The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in south London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of 87 km2 (33.6 sq mi) and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name. Croydon is mentioned in Domesday Book, and from a small market town has expanded into one of the most populous areas on the fringe of London. Croydon is the civic centre of the borough. The borough is now one of London's leading business, financial and cultural centres, and its influence in entertainment and the arts contribute to its status as a major metropolitan centre.

Contents

It was previously known as the Savoy (1936-1958), ABC Croydon (1958-1986) and the Cannon (1986-late 1990s).

History

Opened on March 9, 1936, by Associated British Cinemas, it was designed by William R. Glen and seated 2,300. It was a fair distance from the town centre. Lighting in the large spacious auditorium was entirely indirect, mainly from troughs on the ceiling.

On March 31, 1953, an electrical fault resulted in a fire that totally destroyed the auditorium. Post-war building restrictions were still in force and it reopened with a utilitarian appearance on December 27, 1953. In July 1958 it closed to allow a more extensive reconstruction to take place. When it reopened as the ABC on October 19, it had 2,118 seats and was lavishly appointed.

Tripling caused the next closure, from May to November 1972. The rear circle became 650-seat screen 1, with the stalls split into screen 2 (390 seats) and 3 (187 seats). All had simple unadorned decor. Renamed Cannon in 1986 and Safari in the late 1990s, it closed in 2004 and was demolished in March and April 2005.

Closure

It closed primarily because of opening of a Warner Village cinema (now Vue) in the Grants entertainment venue. Safari had been known as a Bollywood cinema, showing many Bollywood films as well as Hollywood blockbusters. After the closure Warner Village reserved one screen for Bollywood films [1]

Warner Village Cinemas

Warner Village Cinemas was a chain of multiplex cinemas operated by Warner Bros in the various locations throughout Europe. Created in the late 1980's in the UK as 'Warner Bros. Cinemas', these locations acted as a rival to Paramount and Universal's 'UCI' Cinema chain. This Warner brand of theatre debuted as the multiplex theatre format location was beginning to replace the traditional in-town style of cinema in the UK. In November 1996, a joint venture between Warner Bros. International Theatres and Village Roadshow Australia was established where the locations would start to share the prospective studios names, leading to the title 'Warner Village'. The chain expanded by building more sites from 1997 to November 2002, with 40 sites open. The Warner Village chain is considered a continuation of the former UK cinema chain Warner Cinemas, which had operated for many decades prior to the formation.

Grants of Croydon entertainment complex and former department store in Croydon, London

Grants of Croydon is an entertainment complex at 14–32 High Street, Croydon, London. Originally built in 1894, Grants became a Grade II listed building in 1990. In 2000 Grants was re-developed into an entertainment centre. It was bought by Scottish Widows in early 2010.

The decision to demolish the cinema did not proceed without controversy, with local residents and patrons of the cinema remarking that the cinema "is the last of the historic cinemas from the Golden Age left in Croydon." [2]

Land usage

Developers planned to demolish the building and replace it with 138 apartments, including 52 key worker shared-ownership flats. The plan was dependent on the issuance of planning permission. This was duly granted and in September 2007 development was underway. Overstrand Ltd are the owners of the site, with Ian Hutchinson as the developer.

Subsequently, the developers applied to Croydon Council for permission to construct 47 additional apartments on the site of the derelict Total/Elf/Fina petrol station, also on London Road.

Total S.A. French Energy Company

Total S.A. is a French multinational integrated oil and gas company founded in 1924 and one of the seven "Supermajor" oil companies in the world. Its businesses cover the entire oil and gas chain, from crude oil and natural gas exploration and production to power generation, transportation, refining, petroleum product marketing, and international crude oil and product trading. Total is also a large scale chemicals manufacturer.

Elf Aquitaine business

Elf Aquitaine was a French oil company which merged with TotalFina to form TotalFinaElf. The new company changed its name to Total in 2003. Elf has been maintained as a major brand of Total.

Petrofina

Petrofina was a Belgian oil company. It merged with Total in 1999 to form TotalFina, which after subsequent mergers has changed its name back to Total. In the United States, Fina's former refining and marketing operations are now owned by Delek US.

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References

Coordinates: 51°22′57″N0°6′27″W / 51.38250°N 0.10750°W / 51.38250; -0.10750