Tuesday 10 August 2021

Walkabout Pub Reborn as "The Palladium"

Palladium reborn
The old Walkabout pub was demolished back in 2019, only the front facade being retained, but a new building has now risen from the rubble, a handsome addition to the West side of Shepherd's Bush Green.

This historic building originally began its life in 1910 as the Shepherd's Bush Cinematograph Theatre, owned by the entrepreneur Montague Pyke. 

Later in the 1920s it became the Palladium, and eventually - after many changes of ownership, a Walkabout pub. 

Finally, in 2013 the Walkabout closed for good.

Back to the 1920s
The new building retains the original facade, which has been restored to its mid 1920s heyday, when it was run as a successful movie theatre. 

Original building side elevation
As the movie business declined, the building fell on hard times, changed hands repeatedly, and eventually - in the early 2000s - became a Walkabout pub. 

In 2014, a planning application sought to demolish the building and replace it with a 16-storey block of flats, but this was rejected, in favour of a new planning application in which the developers agreed to retain the original facade. 

Performance Seats
The developers have rebuilt the original signage along the side of building announcing "performance seats 1/6d & 3d".

So, good news then - the developers rebuilt the historic side elevation, very much a part of the architectural history of Shepherd's Bush.

3D reconstruction of the proposed building
Cinematograph Theatre, 1910
The original theatre was one of the oldest in the country, first built in 1910, one of the first movie theatres to challenge the supremacy of music hall, represented by the neighbouring Shepherd's Bush Pavilion.

Dorsett Hotel Group
The demolition and re-development of the site was led by Dorsett Hospitality International, the group who renovated the old Shepherd's Bush Pavilion and turned it into a successful hotel.

New 2021 Building
The new building, which includes a new tower built into the old facade, took into account extensive community feedback, and aimed to make the new building fit better into the context of the existing Dorsett facade. 

The Shepherd's Bush Blog offers a personal view on life in Shepherd's Bush. If you would like to contribute a story, email us at shepherdsbushblog@gmail.com. And don't forget to add your opinion in the comments section below.


3 comments:

  1. Looks great! Hope the building work next door to it also is in keeping with the area

    ReplyDelete
  2. So what’s the new Palladium going to be? Flats? Hotel extension?

    ReplyDelete