
Safari Cinema
Client
Keash
Location
Harrow, London
Status
Construction
Safari Cinema
The Safari Cinema project at Station Road, south of Harrow and Wealdstone station in London is the demolition of the original cinema building behind the retained facade and the construction of 82 residential units over ground and basement levels, with additional floors to the front and a 10-storey tower in the inner courtyard. The project involves the restoration of the original 1930s Art Deco cinema facade, which was hidden behind a 1970s metal screen and in poor condition. The facade, designed in a futurist/expressionist style, served as a stage frontage to the building.
The ground floor features 1,297 sqm of community space, including a cinema, gallery, workshops, café/bar, disabled parking, plant room, secure cycle parking, and refuse provision.
The ground floor features 1,297 sqm of community space, including a cinema, gallery, workshops, café/bar, disabled parking, plant room, secure cycle parking, and refuse provision.
The original cinema, built in 1936 as the Dominion by architect Frank Ernest Bromige, had a capacity of 2,500. It was renamed ABC in 1962 and modernized with metal cladding. In 1971, part of the premises was converted for bingo use, and in 1972, the cinema was divided into a smaller cinema and bingo club. The building was renamed Safari in 1995, showing Bollywood films, and the stalls area operated as a bingo hall until leased to the V2V evangelical church in 2016. Planning permission granted in July 2020 was obtained by if architecture for the new cinema use and apartments, with further approvals in Nov 2024 for design amendments to accommodate an additional escape stair.
The restoration of the front facade was a key part of the proposal for the redevelopment which involved the removal of the metal cladding (installed in the 1970s). On removal the extent of the historic features remaining were revealed, and on further investigation, was found to be a composition brickwork covered in render. The new entrance foyer echoes the curved lines of the 1930s interior design.
The rear apartments are set around a courtyard with a 10-storey tower, and the new parts of the building reflect the original design while integrating with the 1930s frontage.
The restoration of the front facade was a key part of the proposal for the redevelopment which involved the removal of the metal cladding (installed in the 1970s). On removal the extent of the historic features remaining were revealed, and on further investigation, was found to be a composition brickwork covered in render. The new entrance foyer echoes the curved lines of the 1930s interior design.
The rear apartments are set around a courtyard with a 10-storey tower, and the new parts of the building reflect the original design while integrating with the 1930s frontage.


Before (with the 1970s metal screen added)

After

Before (with the 1970s metal screen demolished)

After





