500 signatures reached
To: Lidl
Save Towers Cinema Building
Please do not demolish this historic and much loved local landmark.
Why is this important?
Towers is an iconic and familiar feature of our town's landscape, having stood over us for more than 80 years. It is virtually the only intact period building left on our high street and as such is vitally important. It represents not only a fine example of Modernist architecture from the Art Deco period but is also a bastion of our social and cultural heritage. It was built during the golden age of Hollywood when cinema going formed a core part of people's social lives. Countless numbers of our parents and grandparents met and fell in love in those walls. It stood proud and defiant through the years of World War II, providing escapism and boosting morale for our relatives during the toughest times and it has done so ever since. If this seems overly sentimental it's because it is and should be. Buildings are not simply bricks and mortar; they are the arenas in which our lives and shared experiences are played out over generations.
The council had a responsibility to protect and preserve our townscape but they have failed us. There should be good examples of buildings from every time period evident on our high street to show the evolution of our town. As it stands there is very little to show of our town's long and proud history. To lose the Towers building would be a devastating and irreparable loss.
Some things are priceless, money really should not be able to buy everything and our history and cultural heritage are two of those things. Budget supermarkets are everywhere, Art Deco buildings however, are not. Once they are gone, they are gone forever and the meaning those buildings hold for us is gone with them.
I know a great many people are genuinely distressed by this decision. Please help us to persuade Lidl to do the right thing and work with the building rather than demolish it. Our local heritage belongs to the people of Havering, London and the UK as a whole. Another generic supermarket is the easy, short-term, and immediately profitable option. Committing to protect and revitalise our heritage is more challenging, but surely more valuable in the long-term?
