Old Knowle West cinema finally being demolished

A former cinema and bingo hall in Knowle West that has been left to decay for 30 years is finally to be demolished.

The Broadway Cinema opened in 1938, and as well as showing films hosted music concerts, boxing matches and bingo.

The building became a full-time bingo hall in 1971, which operated until the early 1990s, when it closed its doors for good.

Now Bristol City Council says the former facility will be knocked down by the end of the summer, making way for housing.

A council spokesperson said: “With the condition of the cinema building having deteriorated since its closure, the existing structure is being demolished ahead of redevelopment of the site.”

The old cinema on Filwood Broadway in Knowle West is to be knocked down to make way for new homes. Photo by Charlie Watts

But Filwood councillor Chris Jackson says he is “not a happy chappy” about the historic building being taken down.

“It’s 25-30 years they’ve been saying it’s going to be removed, and it never has been,” he said.

“I went there as a kid, so I’m absolutely gutted that it’s going to go because, like when the swimming baths went as well, it was what Filwood was known for.”

Several people have expressed an interest in restoring and converting the building over the years, but found this to be too expensive.

The council says it is now no longer practical to refurbish the building and bring it back into use.

For lifelong Knowle West resident Gloria Tucker, the cinema was where she met her husband, Bill, who she has been with for more than 60 years.

“That cinema was real fun and the bingo hall was a good bit of fun as well,” she said. “Lots of memories were made there.”

Knowle West resident Gloria Tucker, third from left, met her husband in the cinema, known locally as “the bug house”. Photo courtesy of Knowle West Media Centre

The 2012 Filwood Broadway Framework and Bristol Local Plan say the redevelopment of the old cinema site should include a supermarket.

But Cllr Jackson says supermarket operators do not see Filwood Broadway as a financially viable location.

“I’ve tried for 10 years to get a supermarket up there and not one has showed any interest at all really,” he added.

The council is now planning to turn the old cinema site into housing, and says it will be holding a public consultation on its proposals later in the year.

The ground floor of the development could have a community use, and could be where the Filwood Library is relocated to.

The current library on Filwood Broadway has been there since the 1960s, but the council is also looking at knocking it down to build houses.

“The building and its infrastructure is towards the end of its operational life and in need of upgrading to meet the community’s needs,” said a council spokesperson.

If not relocated to the old cinema site, the library could also be rebuilt on part of its existing site. or moved into Filwood Community Centre.

The Filwood Library could be relocated to the old cinema site, with houses built in its place. Photo by Charlie Watts

Opposite the library is the site of the old Filwood Swimming Pool, which opened in 1962, but closed in 2005 and was later demolished.

Housing association LiveWest wants to build 33 homes on this site, and held a public consultation about its plans earlier in the year.

But the proposals have been criticised by the Filwood Broadway Working Group of local residents for “lacking character”.

“We’re looking to make the Broadway an impressive street as the original concept was when it had a cinema and it had a swimming pool,” explained Tim Jones, the chair of the group.

The Bristol Local Plan also says that development of the old swimming pool site should be mixed-use, but this has not been proposed by LiveWest.

“The Broadway needs to be a district centre, so it needs to have things that attract people to it,” added Tim.

There is also a ball court currently on the site, which LiveWest is proposing to remove, but not replace.

The developer told Bristol24/7 that there is little it can say publicly about its proposals at the moment.

Katie Stamper, new business project manager for LiveWest, said: “We are currently reviewing all of the responses from the public consultation and, once we have considered all of the representations, we are hopeful of making a full application through the planning process.”

There are also plans to build new homes on the old swimming pool site in Knowle West, but a playing court could be lost to development. Photo by Charlie Watts

Knowle West’s Gloria Tucker calls the plans to build mostly houses on Filwood Broadway “terrible”.

“You’re building all these houses, but where are all these children going to go to school?” she asked. “Where are they going to go swimming?”

She used go to Filwood Swimming Pool three times a week, and says it was what made her hip strong after she had it replaced.

“We tried really hard to keep that going, but it was never going to happen,” she added

“Once the council gets its claws into something, that’s the end of it.”

Charlie Watts is reporting on Knowle West as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a pilot project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media  
 
Main photo by Charlie Watts

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