Did any UK collectors ever visit Walton House?

[Adrian Winchester]

I once made an enjoyable Saturday visit to Walton's warehouse-like premises at Walton-On-Thames, when they had a sale there around 1982. But their trading address, from where they sent out orders, was Walton House, 87 Richford Street, London W6 7HN. This was near Goldhawk Road tube station.

If anyone ever had cause to go there, to (e.g.) return a faulty film, I'd be very interested to hear any memories of what the premises were like, and whether there was a counter where you buy films?

[Dominique De Bast]

I'm sure all the UK members know that documentary but it may interest collectors from other parts of the World who wish to know more about the Walton story : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8NJSJ7qxaZo

[Mark Williams]

Indeed I did with fellow collectors Tony Duggan and Ron Jones for the closing down sale.

Lots of bargains with lots of test prints for sale at a fiver a reel!!

they also had lots of Iver Trailers as they did the stripeing for them too..The Passage 200ft promo for a quid each!!

needless to say the event was jam packed with collectors, we had to return the following week to buy more Walton features and MGM 3 parters as they were all reduced to £69 each!!

I remember purchasing Twins of Evil,Vampire Circus,Ben Hur etc.

A big saving eh? 😀

[Adrian Winchester]

Mark - I'm kicking myself that I missed the closing down sale - but as you returned the following week, was it (e.g.) held on two consecutive Saturdays? Do you recall what the remaining stocks were like - was it generally just a few prints of most titles, or could you have bought 20+ copies of any? And do recall seeing any equipment on sale?

I'm confused now because the shots of the Richford Street premises in the documentary that Dominique kindly supplied a link to shows that they had plenty of room there. But I thought the event I went to - which definitely wasn't a closing down sale - was in Walton-On-Thames, and involved my getting a train out of London and walking to premises that were not in an urban setting. I recall seeing cheap Iver trailers. Does anyone have any recollection of such an event, or am I imagining it? It seems surprising that they needed facilities elsewhere, although I suppose their video releases needed space too.

It's good to see that the Walton House premises still exist and are recognisable: https://www.google.com/maps/place/87...2!4d-0.2269226

[Maurice Leakey]

Whilst we are talking about Walton Films, there was talk a few years ago that the son of Jack Beney, the founder of Walton Films, was going to write the story of his late father's business.

Did anything happen to the proposal?

[Tom Photiou]

I didn't attend, but in a conversation with Roger Lily here in Plymouth who did, you may recall Roger was Looney movies international here in Plymouth for years.
He did attended that closing down sale and explained to me how he was gobsmacked at the stock they had and the prices they were selling it off for.
He also said he could easily see why they were losing money as they had stock that they didn't appear to know they had. In one section Roger picked up the full feature of 2001, when he asked how much they guy said, "i didn't even know we had that, is there any more copies there?" He took £30 off Roger for it and i was the second person to view it when Roger allowed me to borrow it. Much of the conversation left me speechless, as already said, they were letting films go out for as little as a quid, obviously at that stage it was never going to be saved.

[Brian Fretwell]

Yes when I went to the sale they were selling off test prints and seconds. I picked up a load of Iver trailers. I think they did distribution as well as striping in the last days. I didn't see any complete features as far as I can remember, but maybe it was the wrong day for that. Dave Wyatt had a large box full of purchases, I do remember that. I kept the invitation card and here's a scan of it.

[Winbert Hutahaean]

I recreated comparison between the old and new building taken from two documentation. Indeed there is not a lot of change after these years.

[Melvin England]

(The Photograph) Saturday March 26th 1983.

I cannot CANNOT believe that date!...............my 21st birthday!

Hellfire! If I had only known that I could have celebrated it in London grabbing masses of Walton bargains I would certainly have done so.

Instead, the afternoon was spent on the terrace of Boothferry Park (as was) watching my local team Hull City play Port Vale in the old League Division 4.
At least City won 1-0 and the evening was spent clubbing !

....... but it could have been spent in front of a screen!

[Mark Williams]

Adrian-We went back the following week during a week day as I remember locking up my projection box at Paramount House,Wardour St and taking more than my 1 hour lunch to visit! 😀

it appeared that they held back most of there new Walton/MGM stock to sell to other film shops so they had multiple copies of everything..we just visited the office upstairs and paid via cheque.

On the Saturday the shop had a large trade counter downstairs so you had to pay for everything there and I also purchased a few video nasties too such as Toby Hoopers Death Trip,wish I kept it as it was the rare VCL release..worth a fortune now!

The Walton Video titles were selling for peanuts too.

I think they were just keen to sell everything off until the balliffs took it all.

[Adrian Winchester]

Thanks to Mark, Tom and Brian for their insight into what happened. I'm guessing that Iver had already gone out of business, so the trailers are ones that would otherwise have eventually been passed on to them.

Mark/Brian - It's interesting that the invitation card simply says "Open Day" and not something like "Closing Down Sale", but was it very clear when you were on the premises that they were about to permanently close?

[Brian Fretwell]

Having not inside them before I wouldn't say it was obvious, but it (at least the part we were in Upstairs I seem to remember) did look rather empty.

[Lee Mannering]

Dixons Photo were tied into Walton and as a child working nearby in entertainment I was treated to a 1970s visit with Alfred the Cine representative for Walton.
I was a boy with a Eumig sounding now a bit owd. Walton where to start but my fbitmyWalton S8 print from that day is a precious memory.
memory.They were professionals and a shame they lept into video so early

[Barry Attwood]

If I remember right there were 2 sale days, the first one was the amazing one everyone else is talking about, films for sale all over the building, I bought "Clash of the Titans" 3x400' for £69 (which was an amazing price at that time). Then a few weeks later I had a postcard come through asking if I'd like to attend a 2nd sale day before they closed, well if the first sale was a Feast, this 2nd one was a famine, it seemed they were selling stuff they found in an unwanted cupboard, it was very poor, and I came away without a purchase, as it was all bits and pieces, and if I remember mainly silent, and I remember I wasn't the only one dissapointed!