Carlton Cinema, Essex Road

Carlton Cinema, Essex Road, London

The former Carlton Cinema (and then Mecca Bingo) is an Art deco listed building,[1] located at 161-169 Essex Road, Islington, London. It was completed in 1930 as a cine-variety theatre with a capacity of 2226 seats.

Architect George Coles decided for an Egyptian style facade dressed in multi-coloured Hathernware tiles. The discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in November 1922 influenced the Art Deco style and the buildings erected in that period,[2] particularly cinemas and theatres.

Inside the building is mainly Empire style, with Egyptian decorations in the foyer, whilst the auditorium has a French Renaissance style.

The Carlton Cinema was taken over by Associated British Cinemas Ltd.(ABC) in February 1935. It was re-named ABC in 1962. The building was then converted into a bingo hall[3] which continued for almost 35 years as the Mecca Bingo Club, until closing in March 2007.[4]

It was purchased by a church in 2013 that planned to partially reopen it as a cinema, also converting the former cafe area into a second screen.

References

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