Screen Archive South East is a public sector moving image archive serving the South East of England. The archive's collections of magic lantern slides, films, videos and associated materials capture the many varied aspects of life, work and creativity from the early days of screen history to the present day and serve as a rich and invaluable historical resource.
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Ramsgate's Odeon and the demolition of a Herne Bay cinema
Watch in horror as two of Kent's Art Deco cinemas await their terrible fate at the hands of developers
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Overview
Alan Stingemore's poignant film starts in Ramsgate's King Street where the town's former Odeon, renamed the Classic, awaits a developer. Despite the dilapidated look of the building, we get wonderful views of the Art Deco detailing. We then move to Avenue Road, Herne Bay where another Odeon cinema, which had become part of the Cannon group, is being demolished. While the bulldozer is busy at work on the auditorium we visit the abandoned projection booth.
Between the 1950s and 1990s Alan Stingemore made a considerable number of films covering a wide variety of subjects with a particular emphasis on railways and cinemas. His films often capture memorable events like those shown in this film or last 'glimpses' of subjects that were about to disappear forever. During the 1980s Alan travelled throughout the region and beyond filming old cinemas, particularly if they were about to be demolished.These films form a fitting tribute to the memory of these buildings, often designed in the 'Moderne' or Art Deco style, which are now lost forever.
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