This was the first cinema I was taken to as a child, the movie was Snow White and we sat in the circle…..I was a toddler but even so, remember a lot about the visit. Where we sat, the sight of the cafe at the top of the sweeping stairs and a rather ancient (by that time , about 1965) piece of B&W film ‘The Plaza Presents’ followed by the trailers. I was then a regular until the cinema finally closed. It was just wonderful, huge, well looked after even towards the end of its life and quite elegant to my eyes. Crazy but even now I can see it in my minds eye when I go to the cinema, the smell takes me right back to being a kid again.
I’m surprised no-one has written in to you about this cinema and its sister venue, the Brixton Astoria as they are both fantastic ‘Atmospheric’ cinemas and both in reasonable condition.
The Finsbury Park Astoria was opened on 29 Sept. 1930 and was for a while the Rainbow Theatre made famous by David Bowies Ziggy Stardust concerts in the 1970’s. It is now a church (Universal Church of the Kingdom of God…I think!) and is being fully restored.
The Brixton Astoria was opened on 19 August 1929 and is reckoned to be the first fully fledged atmospheric in Britain. Again a fantastic interior which could do with a bit of TLC – the outside has recently been restored – now a concert venue called the Brixton Academy, it is well used and I’ve been to some great clubs down there.
Both cinemas are well documented in the UK by people with more facts at their fingertips than me – I just love visiting them, especially as they are both very much alive & kicking rather than museum pieces or worse…car parks!
This was the first cinema I was taken to as a child, the movie was Snow White and we sat in the circle…..I was a toddler but even so, remember a lot about the visit. Where we sat, the sight of the cafe at the top of the sweeping stairs and a rather ancient (by that time , about 1965) piece of B&W film ‘The Plaza Presents’ followed by the trailers. I was then a regular until the cinema finally closed. It was just wonderful, huge, well looked after even towards the end of its life and quite elegant to my eyes. Crazy but even now I can see it in my minds eye when I go to the cinema, the smell takes me right back to being a kid again.
Sadly the demolition has started with workers currently stripping out what is left of the interior.
I’m surprised no-one has written in to you about this cinema and its sister venue, the Brixton Astoria as they are both fantastic ‘Atmospheric’ cinemas and both in reasonable condition.
The Finsbury Park Astoria was opened on 29 Sept. 1930 and was for a while the Rainbow Theatre made famous by David Bowies Ziggy Stardust concerts in the 1970’s. It is now a church (Universal Church of the Kingdom of God…I think!) and is being fully restored.
The Brixton Astoria was opened on 19 August 1929 and is reckoned to be the first fully fledged atmospheric in Britain. Again a fantastic interior which could do with a bit of TLC – the outside has recently been restored – now a concert venue called the Brixton Academy, it is well used and I’ve been to some great clubs down there.
Both cinemas are well documented in the UK by people with more facts at their fingertips than me – I just love visiting them, especially as they are both very much alive & kicking rather than museum pieces or worse…car parks!
Best, David