Empire Cinema - Ealing

Showing my age but I saw the movie Grease here on its release in 1978. It was shown in Screen 1 and I can still recall the mad scenes at the final number as everyone danced on the flat floor that extends from the former circle front to the screen. Not sure I danced I was probably worried about going through into screen 2 or 3.

The cinema still boasts (or did when I was last there) many original features. There are a number of the original inlaid wooden doors, and some beautiful plasterwork in what was the former café and is now offices. Behind the new screen is the top of the original proscenium, complete with concealed lampholders and more decorative plasterwork. Former “chief” Neville Dimon was instrumental in getting all the lights working again in the central internal dome in screen one. The original projection room was, at the time of my last visit, home to pigeons. The massive three phase mercury arc rectifiers and associared electical equipment was all still in situ in the intake room.

Wouldn’t Cineworld/UGC be building a brand new complex somewhere in Ealing (a la Enfield) rather than extending the existing site?

The pathe news website has a short feature on the building of this cinema in 1934