Ionic Picture Theatre

614 Finchley Road,
London, NW11

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ArtDirector
ArtDirector on January 31, 2024 at 3:58 am

This cinema was unusual as the projection room was at the rear of the stalls. In later years the open arcade was glazed-in to enlarge the foyer area. The circle boxes were never occupied to my knowledge.

MappMan
MappMan on June 15, 2020 at 9:53 am

The exterior of the original Ionic can be seen in “Offbeat” (1960) when a Scotland Yard detective walks past a poster advertising the comedy crime film “Law and disorder” (1958)

ArtDirector
ArtDirector on February 2, 2014 at 1:34 pm

This cinema was cosy and harked back to the days of silent cinema as it had side boxes which were seldom, if ever occupied. Despite its small screen it was a very pleasant venue in which to see the movies. Efforts to ‘list it’ were too late to save it. It made a positive contribution to the street-scape that the later supermarket failed to achieve.

Shamus Dark
Shamus Dark on July 7, 2010 at 2:31 pm

Thanks to Kenroe for posting the pictures. Unfortunately, the view from the street obviously wasn’t taken with the Ionic specifically in mind, although you can just about see the building. I wonder if there are any other photos – perhaps from the 40’s, 50’s, or 60’s? I’m not holding my breath, but maybe some will eventually appear.

Ken Roe
Ken Roe on February 13, 2010 at 5:15 pm

A vintage photograph of the auditorium, viewed from the circle in the 1960’s:
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Ken Roe
Ken Roe on December 5, 2008 at 8:10 pm

The Ionic Picture Theatre can be seen on the right of this vintage photograph from the 1920’s:
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