‘We should not be denied the chance to say goodbye to our beloved cinema’

I had been looking forward to Monday morning all weekend. Local historian Jim Smith had got wind that a group was going to be allowed into a former cinema to see what, if anything, could be saved before it is completely demolished.

I was pleased Jim had invited me along, and hoped I would be able to take some of the final photos inside the once-thriving picture house on Filwood Broadway in Knowle West.

The former Broadway Cinema is a much-loved local landmark. Seating more than 1,100 people at the height of its popularity, it opened in 1938 and closed in the 90s after being converted to a bingo hall some years previously.

As Jim and I hovered around the gate into the site, we approached a member of the demolition team with excitement, only to be told we would not be allowed in.

We were informed that while two community representatives would be visiting the site, we would not be as we had not been invited and were therefore not welcome.

So it then came as a big surprise that in fact four people were then allowed onto the site. But Jim and I were still excluded.

While they didn’t enter the building, they had a look at the rubble at the side of it, to see what could be salvaged from the structure which had stood for 85 years.

Meanwhile, Jim and I watched on as the rain poured and the wind blew, trying to get a peep of the action from the sidelines.

Jim couldn’t contain his frustration and neither could I, as we stood there outside when all we wanted was access to the site like the others had been granted.

The 85-year-old structure has been covered is scaffolding and tarpaulin while its demolition takes place – photo: Charlie Watts

At one stage, one of the people who had been allowed onto the site came off it, handing his hard hat and hi-vis jacket back to the demolition worker.

This could have been an opportunity to give this to either me or Jim, so we could go on the site. But no, the gate was shut firmly in our face.

After the closure of the bingo hall, the Broadway Cinema has fallen into disrepair, with the demolition of the building due to be completed by May. Thirty new homes – and some non-residential space – are set to be built in its place.

But I think it’s disgusting that Jim wasn’t able to look at what could be saved from the structure. He runs the local history society, Filwood Chase, and anything that he could salvage would be put on display at the local library.

The cinema seats at M Shed are from the former Broadway Cinema in Knowle West – photo: Martin Booth

I was also astounded that the council worker overseeing the visit even wrote a makeshift non-disclosure agreement at one stage, asking me to sign it to not reveal details of the day’s events. I politely declined the request.

While some old bricks might not mean a lot to the council, they are our heritage and have stood the test of time in Knowle West.

If the council refuses locals the chance to say their farewells to the cinema, it is no surprise that local campaigner Nick Haskins, who fought tirelessly to save the building, resulted to squatting in it.

I just hope that Jim and I are given the opportunity to say our proper goodbyes to the Broadway Cinema, as we seek for closure following its desecration.

Charlie Watts is the Community Reporters Editor and Knowle West Reporter for Bristol24/7 

Main photo: Charlie Watts 

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• ‘If this cinema was in Clifton, it wouldn’t be being knocked down’

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