The Shepherd's Bush Palladium (alternatively Shepherds Bush Palladium) was an historic building in

Shepherd's Bush Shepherd's Bush is a district of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Although primarily residential in character, i ...

, London, originally built in 1910 as the Shepherd's Bush Cinematograph Theatre. The building had a number of owners over the years and finally stopped showing films in 1981. After standing empty for some time, it was eventually converted into a

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

and for many years was owned and operated by the

Walkabout Walkabout is a rite of passage in Australian Aboriginal society, during which males undergo a journey during adolescence, typically ages 10 to 16, and live in the wilderness for a period as long as six months to make the spiritual and traditiona ...

chain of Australasian-themed bars. In October 2013 the building was sold to a property developer and in 2019 it was largely demolished, replaced in 2021 with a 16-storey block of flats, retaining the original 1920s facade.

History

The Palladium was completed on 3 March 1910 and was originally called the Shepherd's Bush Cinematograph Theatre. The original owner was Montagu Pyke; the building was designed by an unknown architect. The original seating capacity was 900. From the beginning there were problems. In January 1921, the manager of the Cinematograph complained to Hammersmith Council – which owned the local electricity supply station – that there was too little power available to screen films, and that therefore the theatre had to close at 6.15 pm. He claimed compensation of £60 for loss of business.Barbara Denny, ''Hammersmith and Shepherd's Bush Past'', London: Historical Publications, 1995, , p. 101. In November 1923, the building reopened with 763 seats as the New Palladium (later called the Palladium, the Essoldo, the Classic, and finally the Odeon 2), designed by architect John Stanley Coombe Beard. Beard designed many cinemas in and around London, judged by one architectural historian as "excellent, if stylistically slightly eccentric".Richard Gray, ''Cinemas in Britain: One Hundred Years of Cinema Architecture'', The Cinema Theatre Association, London: Lund Humphries, 1996, , p. 27. During World War 2, the building narrowly escaped being hit by a

flying bomb A flying bomb is a manned or unmanned aerial vehicle or aircraft carrying a large explosive warhead, a precursor to contemporary cruise missiles. In contrast to a bomber aircraft, which is intended to release bombs and then return to its base for ...

, which in 1944 hit the neighbouring

Shepherd's Bush Pavilion The Shepherd's Bush Pavilion is a Grade II listed building, currently a hotel, formerly a cinema and bingo hall, in Shepherd's Bush, London. Built in 1923 as a cinema, it was badly damaged by a flying bomb in 1944. In 1955, it was restored and r ...

, destroying the original interior. The Pavilion did not re-open until 1955."New plans submitted for Shepherd's Bush Pavilion"
, Shepherd's Bush W12.com, 6 November 2009. Retrieved December 2011. The Palladium was modernised again in 1968 and the seating was reduced to 500; reopening was delayed by a fire.Ian Grundy
Odeon 2 Shepherd's Bush
at Cinema Treasures. In 1972 the building was renamed The Classic.Denny, p. 99. The building was taken over by

Odeon Cinemas Odeon, stylised as ODEON, is a cinema brand name operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Norway, which along with UCI Cinemas and Nordic Cinema Group is part of the Odeon Cinemas Group subsidiary of AMC Theatres. It uses the famous name of ...

in 1973 and renamed Odeon 2. However, it did not flourish and the cinema closed in December 1981 for the last time.

Walkabout era

Australian bar at Shepherd's Bush - geograph

After standing empty for some time, the Palladium was eventually converted into a

. Until October 2013 the building was owned and operated by the Walkabout chain of Australasian bars. Early in 2011 the owners applied for an extension to its opening hours, but the application was rejected owing to opposition from local residents. In October 2013, the Walkabout closed for good, and was sold to a developer.

Demolition

, the Palladium was not a listed building, but it fell within the

Shepherd's Bush Conservation Area The Shepherd's Bush Conservation Area is a part of Shepherd's Bush, London, that has been established by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in order to promote the protection of local buildings of historic interest, and improve the chara ...

, established by the

London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham () is a London borough in West London and which also forms part of Inner London. The borough was formed in 1965 from the merger of the former Metropolitan Boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham. The borou ...

to promote the protection of local buildings of historic interest, and improve the character of the neighbourhood. In 2014, the building was the subject of a planning application to demolish it and replace it with a 16-storey block of flats, which was rejected. A fresh planning application succeeded, and the building was demolished in 2019, replaced in 2021 with a new building which retained the original facade, restoring the building to its 1920s appearance, at least in part.Shepherd's Bush Blog 10 August 2021
Retrieved 10 August 2021

References

{{reflist

External links

History of the Shepherds Bush Palladium
Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Former cinemas in London Buildings and structures completed in 1910 Event venues established in 1910 1910 establishments in England Buildings and structures completed in 1923

Palladium Palladium is a chemical element with the symbol Pd and atomic number 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by the English chemist William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself na ...

Demolished buildings and structures in London Buildings and structures demolished in 2019

History

Walkabout era

Demolition

See also

References

External links