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Information submitted by Matthew Hatton on Tue, 9 Jun 2009
TQ3789 : Granada Cinema, Walthamstow, in 1989
Spotted this new article on the web. Thought you might be interested: Sir Mick Looks To Save Stones Venue 9th June 2009 Sir Mick Jagger has backed a campaign to save a venue where the Rolling Stones played several of their early gigs. The EMD Cinema (formerly the Granada Cinema) in Walthamstow played host to a number of major artists in the 60s, including the Stones, the Who, The Kinks and the Beatles, and as a cinema was frequented by a young Alfred Hitchcock. But the venue fell into disrepair and in 2003 was sold to the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God who planned to turn it into a church. Planning permission was denied and now the future looks markedly bleak. It’s thought that further planning applications will be submitted in the near future but a campaign is underway to return the venue to its former glories. Sir Mick told the BBC: "Cinemas and live venues like the Granada in Walthamstow where the Stones played in the early days, learning our craft on the way, are the lifeblood of our cultural history. They helped launched British popular music on to a world stage and should continue to function as places of entertainment and enjoyment. "It's heartbreaking to hear about such a beautiful, important historical building and centre of entertainment being lost to the local community,” he added. “I fully support the campaign to keep it open and provide film, music and the arts for generations to come.”