LADYWELL PLAYTOWER OUR VISION FOR A NEW NEIGHBOURHOOD CINEMA

PROPOSED DULWICH PICTUREHOUSE

BRIXTON RITZY

CLAPHAM PICTUREHOUSE

GREENWICH PICTUREHOUSE

PICTUREHOUSE MEMBERSHIP

2KM WALKING DISTANCESSHOWN SHADED

CLAPHAM PICTUREHOUSE

BRIXTON RITZY

DULWICH PICTUREHOUSE

GREENWICHPICTUREHOUSE

PROPOSEDLADYWELL

PICTUREHOUSE

PROPOSED LADYWELLPICTUREHOUSE

WHY A CINEMA?Our research has shown that there has long been a requirement in the Ladywell area for a cinema. Picturehouse cinemas in East Dulwich and Greenwich cater for current Ladywell residents, but there is an obvious gap that could be filled with a local neighbourhood cinema which would be far more accessible for a wider section of the local community.

By creating a 5 screen cinema here in Ladywell we will be able to offer a wide variety of film programming which would not be possible with fewer screens. This will mean a broader cross section of film entertainment and more screening times to provide the maximum flexibility. Picturehouse offers a wide selection of arthouse and independent films, blockbuster films, foreign language films and documentaries along with a variety of live broadcasts from the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, National Ballet and Opera. No other cinema chain provides this range of viewing options at the affordable prices that are required for a neighbourhood cinema to serve the whole community.

Memberships mean that tickets are more affordable than other arthouse cinemas, and discount clubs for mothers and babies, toddler screenings, senior members and students to name a few, make films at Picturehouse accessible to all. Most importantly Picturehouse cinemas are open 7 days a week for 364 days a year, and you don’t have to be watching a film to enjoy a trip to the cinema cafe or bar, many people simply while away an hour or so enjoying the social vibe with a coffee in our foyers and cafes, or using them as an informal meeting and work venue. Most importantly this will be a local neighbourhood cinema providing an active community hub for the people of Ladywell.

This kind of cinema is a sustainable use for the Ladywell site with out overdevelopment or compromise to the amenity of the neighbouring buildings.

Open up views into and out of the tower, provide a grand entrance and staircase, restore the conical roof

Open up the front elevation windows and re-landscape the whole site

New cinema cafe to open up to a new public space with new extension to rear on the site of the former second pool hall

EXTERIORWe will look to conserve and enhance the fabric of the historic structure, this means restoring the glory of the facade and reinstating the conical roof of the tower. Retaining the patina of age will be important to maintaining the social and cultural heritage of the building - for example the round marks in the facade where children rubbed their pennies whilst queuing for the baths - will be retained and celebrated. The overgrown setting will be cleared and landscaped, but as many of the mature trees as possible will be retained on the site to provide visual and noise protection from the busy Ladywell Road.

INTERIOR

Refurbish and reuse the main pool hall to provide the largest of the five screens, and provide a dramatic viewing experience

Unify the tower creating a grand spiral staircase withinConsolidate and restore the pool hall interior features

There are many wonderful decorative elements within the building which will be conserved and celebrated in the new cinema. The roof trusses will be retained as a visible element within the main screen, so that when you are watching a film you can look up at the roof and know you are in the former Ladywell baths. The balcony will be restored to its former glory and where possible the original windows will be retained and refurbished, including the roof-light which will be lit from within.

PROPOSED REUSE OF THE PLAYTOWER

Conical roof reinstated to towerand new grand feature staircase inserted with viewing platform at the top

Roof-light refurbished and reinstated with open-able sections above the bar space

New four screen extensionto the rear - with masonry exterior and living walls

Ground floor wall opened up to create cinema cafewhich spills out to new external public terrace

New escape stair built to the rear

Windows and doors opened up in front elevation to connect new bar with an external seating area and provide views in and out of the dramatic pool hall structure

First floor infill - new walkway around existing chimney

Reuse the main pool hall to create a dramatic new single cinema screen, retaining the character of the exposed roof trusses within the space

The Ladywell Playtower is a wonderful piece of Civic Victorian Architecture and our proposal seeks to enhance and preserve it by finding a new use which will enable it to play an active part in the community for many years to come. We propose to refurbish the main building and to use the theatrical pool hall space for one large cinema screen retaining the roof trusses on view within the cinema - the remainder of the existing building will provide ancillary space with a cafe, bar, event room, exhibition space and community/ private hire rooms. To the rear of the site on the footprint of the demolished second pool hall (and sitting below the eaves of the adjacent structure) - we will construct a further four cinema screens to support the refurbishment of the historic building. Alongside this will be a thorough landscaping proposal for the whole site, providing outside seating and secure cycle storage along with a pedestrian route which will link Ladywell Fields with Ladywell Road, placing the Playtower at the heart of what could become a new cultural quarter for Ladywell.

• Screen 1• Kiosk and ticketing• Cafe open to new public courtyard• Main pool hall bar• Event space• Circulation • Lift• Grand staircase in tower• WCs/ Staff areas/ Storage

NEW BUILD EXTENSION BEYOND THIS LINE

REFURBISHED EXISTING BUILDING BELOW THIS LINE

PROPOSED GROUND FLOOR PLANThe ground floor of the redeveloped building will provide access to the largest screen in the main pool hall, along with front of house lobby spaces for ticketing and new vertical circulation with a lift and a grand spiral staircase in the tower. A bar at the front of the main pool hall will look out to a landscaped terrace, while the cinema cafe will spill out to a new public courtyard facing to the coroners court complex. At the rear of the building will be a new single storey extension to create 4 additional screens which will enable a wide variety of film programming and film times. A buggy park will be provided under the new screens to the rear along with storage for furniture, and staff facilities. The existing courtyard in the middle of the site (at the lower basement level) will be planted up to provide a courtyard garden, which will be visible from the cinema cafe and the first floor circulation.

• Screens 2, 3, 4 & 5• Bar balcony• Community/ Private Hire Rooms• Exhibition Space• Circulation • Lift• Grand staircase in tower• WCs/ Staff areas / Storage• Managers Office

NEW BUILD EXTENSION BEYOND THIS LINE

REFURBISHED EXISTING BUILDING BELOW THIS LINE

PROPOSED FIRST FLOOR PLANThe first floor of the redeveloped building will predominantly provide community/ private hire rooms, exhibition space. The cinema managers office will be located at the front of the site looking out over the entrance below. The community rooms will look out to the courtyard garden and also the cinema cafe terrace. A new corridor will be built to provide access around the retained chimney which will become a focal point of the circulation through to the new screens and provide natural orientation. At the top of the tower will be a viewing platform to survey the surrounding area.

PROPOSED MAIN SCREEN WITHIN THE EXISTING FIRST CLASS POOL HALL

PRECEDENT - EAST DULWICH PICTUREHOUSE & CAFEAt East Dulwich Picturehouse we were able to acoustically line the ceiling of the main screen above the trusses (without removing the roof finish), in order for us to expose this stunning original timber structure within the screen space to tell the history of this buildings’ former use as a church hall and school. Minimal external signage is required to signal its new life as a cinema.

PRECEDENT - EAST DULWICH PICTUREHOUSEREVEALING THE BUILDINGS’ CHARACTER

Creating a triple height space at the front of the building has enabled the arched church windows to be seen from the ground floor cafe and allows light to flood the space, revealing the character of the existing brickwork above.

The existing timber from the main church hall was reused in the foyer space, which sits below the stepped rake of a newly constructed screen above.

PROPOSED CINEMA BAR WITH VIEWS TO LADYWELL ROADCreating a bar at the front of the main pool hall will provide a dramatic triple height social space in this grand location. Opening up the windows and doors to the front elevation will bring life into the building allowing views out and in from Ladywell Road. Restoring the rooflight will provide natural light and ventilation. The first floor here can be used as a bar balcony, from where to view the activity below or enjoy a drink before moving into one of the 5 screens. The projection room would be clad in the Picturehouse members wall - where the first 2000 members to the Ladywell Picturehouse will have their names immortalised in an art installation.

PRECEDENTS - FOYER & CAFE/ BAR SPACES - CROUCH END PICTUREHOUSE and PICTUREHOUSE CENTRAL

Crouch End ground floor cafe and ticket kiosk Picturehouse Central first floor bar and restaurant

Crouch End first floor bar Picturehouse Central ground floor cafe

PRECEDENT - CROUCH END PICTUREHOUSECOMMUNITY ROOM IN USEAt our Crouch End Cinema we have created a Community Room which has been very popular with a range of groups doing Yoga and fitness, art or private parties - such as children’s birthday parties. In addition to this there is a private dining room which is linked to the smallest screen which can be hired out for private screenings and events. The community/ private hire rooms on the first floor of the redeveloped Playtower would be able to provide for a similar variety of functions with views out to the internal garden courtyard and external public space.

PROPOSED INTERNAL COURTYARDThe existing internal courtyard would be re-purposed as a garden which can be seen from all sides of the cinema. At the first floor in the distance can be seen the new corridor which navigates the chimney and is indicatively shown in a coloured glazed brick in order to be read as new from the existing historic fabric.

EXISTING RESIDENTIALBLOCK

ST MARY’S CENTRELADYWELL ROAD

Refurbished Playtower with new rear extension to provide a five screen neighbourhood cinemawith cafe/ bar/ restaurant and community/ private hire spaces

Refurbished Coroners court could provide nursery or start-up workspaces

Refurbished Mortuary could provide workshop/ small office space

New public courtyard created between the refurbished buildings and pop-up box park to create a lively cultural quarter and outdoor meeting space/ market/ music venue/ event space.

Pop-up container box park - small units for a variety of start-up businesses

THE WIDER AREA - CORONERS COURT & MORTUARY- LADYWELL CULTURAL QUARTER

Existing Mortuary

Existing Coroners Court

Existing Courtyard

ST MARY’S CHURCH

Our vision extends beyond the walls of the Playtower building, even though we do not rely on any enabling development in order to make our business case work. We envisage a lively public space being created between this suite of re-purposed Victorian buildings to create a new cultural centre for Ladywell.

PROPOSED CAFE LEADING OUT TO A NEW PUBLIC SPACE -WITH CORONERS COURT & MORTUARY BEYOND

PROPOSED EXTENSION TO EXISTING BUILDING

EXISTING BUILDING REFURBISHED

PROPOSED BOX PARK/ POP-UP’S

REFURBISHED MORTUARY-POSSIBLE WORKSPACES

REFURBISHED CORONERS COURT-POSSIBLE NURSERY/WORKSPACE

SHARED SURFACE PUBLIC SPACE - CINEMA CAFE TERRACE

SHARED SURFACE PUBLIC SPACE

BAR TERRRACE

DISABLED PARKING/DROP OFF & CYCLE PARKING

CYCLE PARKING

ENTRANCETERRRACE

FOOTPATH LINKTO LADYWELLFIELDS

MAIN ENTRANCE

LADYWELL ROADBUS STOP

PROPOSED SITE PLAN

VEHICLE ENTRANCE/DROP OFF

A well landscaped and well lit route would link Ladywell Fields with Ladywell Road via the redeveloped Playtower Site encouraging people to walk through and experience these new spaces. Central to this could be a pop up box park which will help to promote activity and bring a diverse range of new businesses to the area, as it has in Brixton and Shoreditch (see images to the right).

PRECEDENT - CITY SCREEN YORKIn York, Picturehouse bought a derelict listed print works from the Yorkshire Herald. The building sits on the river Ouse, is subject to regular flooding at basement level and is only accessible across a church yard. Picturehouse secured funding form the Arts Council and by selling off one building to Pitcher and Piano and delivered a three screen cinema within the extended Victorian building. A riverside walkway was suspended over the river as part of the works and has had wide-reaching regeneration impacts on the wider city centre area.

The regenerated river-front in York. City Screen York played an active part in regenerating the wider city centre

PRECEDENT - CLAPHAM PICTUREHOUSEWHAT ARE THE WIDER IMPACTS OF A NEW PICTUREHOUSE FOR YOUR AREA?Our redevelopment of a number of former warehouse spaces in Clapham into a 4 screen cinema has had a dramatic effect on the regeneration of the wider area. Since the cinema opened in the late 90’s the adjacent Venn Street (which used to have parking down either side and a number of under-used cafés opposite the cinema) has been transformed. Venn Street is now pedestrianised and houses a lively fresh food market every Saturday. The street has become home to cycle parking, eradicating cars completely, allowing for new cafés and bars which now line the street to spill out and provide a vibrant social space. Local planning guidance cites the Picturehouse Cinema as having driven the regeneration of this area.

Venn Street in the late 90’s

Venn Street today - pedestrianised social hub with active street market

ANY QUESTIONS...?