Much to the delight of many local residents who have campaigned tirelessly for over nine years, Everyman Cinemas will reopen the fully refurbished venue in South London’s Crystal Palace, fifty years after the previous cinema closed its doors.

After the tireless efforts by the Picture Palace Campaign to have the building returned to its former use, Everyman Cinemas exchanged contracts on the building earlier this year and are soon to complete the restoration and refurbishment of the venue.

“The response from the community in Crystal Palace has been incredible”, says Crispin Lilly from Everyman. “We know it’s something that they’ve campaigned for and it’s such a storied building so we can’t wait to do it justice.”

Annabel Sidney, Chair of Picture Palace Campaign said: “When I organised the first meeting of what became the Picture Palace Campaign back in June 2009, I never dreamt it would take so long to get our cinema back. The first meeting attracted 45 people. A public meeting we held in the Queens hotel, Crystal Palace just a few months later would attract over 1,000.”

“Lots of lasting friendships have been formed. The Campaign would like to thank everyone who supported us – people who signed petitions, put campaign cards through people’s doors, attended Bromley council planning committee meetings etc etc – and, last but not least, a huge thank you to Everyman, who prove that dreams can come true.”

The new Crystal Palace Everyman Cinema will open to the public on 15 November. To find out more about their upcoming programme, click here.