The Embassy Cinema

Waltham Cross

By Paula Lachanudis

Gala Bingo Hall 2008
Nick Connell

The Embassy Cinema

This wonderful piece of art-deco was opened in 1937. It had a beautiful Christie organ, played before the war by Harold Betts, who became a well-known broadcaster.

It also produced variety acts on a Sunday evening. One famous star who played there was Arthur Askey. The Embassy was converted to four smaller auditoria in 1981 and closed its doors in the 1990s.

The building is now the Gala Bingo venue.

This page was added on 27/01/2010.

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  • I also thought that it was listed. It was a beautiful building that should have remained in Waltham Cross. It’s now going to be flats. This would never happened in areas like London to remove a historic building.

    By anonymous (30/05/2022)
  • Unfortunately not, it seems, perhaps because of the alterations in the 70s that obscured some of the original Art Deco design.

    That’s very sad to hear. I hadn’t entirely given up hope that it might have made a comeback, like the Odyssey in St Albans.

    By Nicholas Blatchley (27/05/2022)
  • May 2022, it’s just been pulled down!!
    Thought it was listed!

    By KEITH NORVAL (26/05/2022)