Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Wood Green High Road c1972
Looking south towards where the railway bridge across the high road had recently been demolished. Taken just shortly before construction started on Wood Green Shopping City.
Thanks to Derek Reynolds for the image and for his permission to publish it.
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Comment by Julian Hellaby on January 30, 2026 at 8:20
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I’m sure the Odeon must have closed many years ago! Maybe it was relocated?
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Comment by Hugh on February 5, 2026 at 2:40
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Google Maps shows it as having been shrouded in builders sheeting for the past five or six years. However, the street view image from 2019 shows a clean looking frontage of the Dominion Church with the very prominent lettering for the Gaumont Palace cinema. I would’ve thought that name predated the Odeon one. So I’m not quite sure, if that’s the case, why the trouble was taken to replace the old lettering.
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‘Gaumont’ predates ‘Odeon’ as a name as far as I am aware. So, yes, interesting!
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I dropped a note to Jeremy Buck (the author of Cinemas of Haringey). Here is his reply which I publish with his permission, and for which my thanks.
"The scaffolding has been up for over 5 years now. Work started on renovation of the front (a bit of the stone cornice had fallen on the street!) then it was found that more work was needed than originally planned. They had to apply for new listed building consent to do this work, which was finally granted last year. But nothing's happened so far, I expect the Church may be trying to raise the funds!
"The Gaumont Palace lettering at the top was put back around 1993 when the building (then still a Bingo Cub) was refurbished. I believe a Haringey planning officer gently suggested that it would be a good thing to do, and Top Rank/Mecca agreed. The lettering is currently removed and in store. The Cinema Theatre Association (CTA) is concerned that the letters may get lost, but have been assured that they are safely stored! The CTA is naturally also putting pressure on Haringey Conservation Officer to get the work completed and the scaffolding removed!"
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Thank you. Here’s hoping the letters do not get lost!
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