John Lennon's favourite cinema is under threat from owners Lidl
The Liverpool cinema frequently visited by John Lennon and George Harrison during their youth is under threat of being rebuilt by supermarket chain Lidl.
The building was best known as the Abbey Cinema in Wavertree during the 1960s, when Lennon paid tribute to the venue in an early draft of The Beatles‘ classic ‘In My Life’. “In the circle of the Abbey, I have seen some happy hours,” he wrote, originally one of the song’s “places I’ll remember all my life”.
Although the site has not hosted a cinema since 1979, fears have arisen that the original building itself could be under threat.
Lidl have stated that they are “considering all options for the site, which include the potential for a new building of high quality design” and that their preference was “to erect purpose-built food stores” – but added that they have preserved original structures in the past.
Now fans concerned about the venue’s Beatles heritage have submitted an application for the Abbey to be listed to Historic England. A petition calling for the Abbey’s preservation has also attracted over 2500 signatures, while a ‘Save the Abbey’ Twitter account has been set up to support the appeal as well.
Robert Zatz of the Wavertree Society (per the Guardian) said: “We want to welcome Lidl but we do want to try to preserve something of a building that has a lot of resonance with local people. I don’t think Lidl realises the extent of feeling in the community.”
Earlier this month (August 15), it was reported that Liverpool’s legendary Cavern Club could close forever because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The club, which became famous after hosting The Beatles’ early gigs, has suffered major financial hardship due to being closed during lockdown.
