As i live in Carlisle I'm a bit out of touch with whats going on in the Merrie city, but i was speaking to my dad the other day and asked him what's to be with the old ABC cinema, who owns it? have any plans been published for it?

Anyway to cut a long story short i have seen numerous old restorations that run at a profit and wondered if something like this would come under the interest of The Community Trust?

I understand we may be busy for a few years, but after the stadium is set up and running i thought such an iconic building to our city and so many of us shouldn't be lost.

Just an idea, It's somewhere i hold very dear & somewhere which makes me sad now when i see it.

BRING BACK ABC!!!!

I only ever went to the ABC in Wakefield twice (about 4 hours of my time & about £5 of my money) as I've never been a fan of films. As in most businesses, if enough people visit & spend money then they keep going, if they don't they close.

I take it you used to spend a lot of time there ?

I used to take a lot of time there as a kid watching the James Bond movies and later the horror movies and the confessions of, spent many a time fumbling on the back row

That would be to get money out of your pocket then

you know me too well

there is a web site where some bloke breaks into derelict buildings and takes photo's of them he has been in the old ABC and it is a right mess, much of it is 3 foot of water, apparently they had a sump and pump to deal with water ingress but when the electricity was cut off it failed and has totally flooded. edit www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn ... 455506881/

there is a web site where some bloke breaks into derelict buildings and takes photo's of them he has been in the old ABC and it is a right mess, much of it is 3 foot of water, apparently they had a sump and pump to deal with water ingress but when the electricity was cut off it failed and has totally flooded. edit www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn ... 455506881/

Try this. www.urbanadventure.co.uk/?p=194

Try this. www.urbanadventure.co.uk/?p=194

And some times he had a bird with him

I thought it was an urban myth about men using barbecued chickens

Quote ="jonh"there is a web site where some bloke breaks into derelict buildings and takes photo's of them he has been in the old ABC and it is a right mess, much of it is 3 foot of water, apparently they had a sump and pump to deal with water ingress but when the electricity was cut off it failed and has totally flooded. edit www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn ... 455506881/'" Nothing there that can't be fixed up. It's such an iconic building and it's so so sad it's gone the way it has. This is something i really think someone should really do something about. It's too important to lose! Just thought something like this may be of interest to the community trust, although to do something like that and the stadium would really show up the WMDC. Community trust- a council that for the people??

Quote ="jonh"there is a web site where some bloke breaks into derelict buildings and takes photo's of them he has been in the old ABC and it is a right mess, much of it is 3 foot of water, apparently they had a sump and pump to deal with water ingress but when the electricity was cut off it failed and has totally flooded. edit www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn ... 455506881/'" Nothing there that can't be fixed up. It's such an iconic building and it's so so sad it's gone the way it has. This is something i really think someone should really do something about. It's too important to lose! Just thought something like this may be of interest to the community trust, although to do something like that and the stadium would really show up the WMDC. Community trust- a council that for the people??

It's not gonna happen I'm afraid.

The place is well past recovery and would need enormous investment to bring back around.

Theres a article in this weeks wakey express about the cinema, the chief projectionist didnt like the 'clientel' who used to watch the adult movies in screen three...the raincoat brigade he called them..

When I've been to Manchester Apollo it always reminds me of the ABC and reading this you could sumise that the design was copied from Wakey 2 years later.

The Apollo Theatre, Manchester
The Apollo Theatre was built In 1938, designed by architects Peter Cummings and Alex Irvine in the Art Moderne style. From 1943 until 1977 it was an ABC theatre. It was often used for television recordings when ABC television was based in Manchester and often appeared in newsreels when groups like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones appeared there. It has been renovated regularly with the interior and exterior décor being substantially retained as befits a listed building of architectural importance and is currently owned and managed by Live Nation Venues.

Mate i have been preying for it to happen for some time, my company could earn a tidy sum from that place if anyone was to invest, but by all accounts it is not worth the investment, my thought is it will be condemned and knocked down in the not too distant future, the water will have caused serious structural problems and this may start to effect the safety of the exterior of the building.

It will probably be replaces with a shocking new build block of flats.

Its only the front curvy bit thats iconic, the back is a huge red brick carbunkle that needs to be knocked down. let someone come in, put some shops underneath and flats on top which keeps the curvy front in keeping with its history.

Alas this will not happen with Wakey planning, some of their awful decisions over the past few years show that they are muppets.

Who is going to pay for the work to knock down the rest and secure the front of the building?

Depends if the frontage is listed like in Manchester.
You will find that many facades are kept in city developments these days.

to be fair its easily done and not that expensive really, probably cheaper than ripping it down and building a new one.

www.wakefieldexpress.co.uk/news/ ... 3162999.jp www.wakefieldexpress.co.uk/news/ ... 3540382.jp This was the latest I read of anything happening with the old cinema, right before the construction industry went kaput. Shame as I think the designs are very impressive and sensitive to the original structure. It certainly would’ve boosted that area of Wakefield which to be fair has been neglected when the rest of the city is seeing major regeneration.

www.wakefieldexpress.co.uk/news/ ... 3162999.jp www.wakefieldexpress.co.uk/news/ ... 3540382.jp This was the latest I read of anything happening with the old cinema, right before the construction industry went kaput. Shame as I think the designs are very impressive and sensitive to the original structure. It certainly would’ve boosted that area of Wakefield which to be fair has been neglected when the rest of the city is seeing major regeneration.