ABC Ionic Golders Green
612 Finchley Road,
London,
NW11 7RX
612 Finchley Road,
London,
NW11 7RX
4 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Associated British Cinemas Ltd., Cannon Cinemas
Firms: George Coles and Company
Functions: Supermarket
Previous Names: New Ionic Cinema, Cannon Ionic
Nearby Theaters
Located in the northwest London district of Golders Green. In 1975 the original 1913 built Ionic Cinema (which has its own page on Cinema Treasures) was demolished and a supermarket built on the site with the new Ionic Cinema (around half the number of seats as the original) on the 1st floor level. The New Ionic Cinema opened on 25th August 1975 with “The Four Musketeers”.
Designed by the architectural firm George Coles and Company, it was taken over by the Cannon Group in 1986 and re-named Cannon Ionic. In 1997 it was taken over by ABC Cinemas and re-named ABC Ionic from November 1997.
It remained a single screen until closure on 30th September 1999 with Tom Cruise in “Eyes Wide Shut”.
There was talk of the Sainsbury’s Supermarket which is located in the building, wanting extra space, and also talk of conversion into a gym, but to date nothing has happened and the former cinema space has remained empty and unused. Golders Green is an affluent area without a cinema and the Ionic could fare well in an art-house operation.
Contributed by
Ian Grundy
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Recent comments (view all 19 comments)
Hi Nette
I have only just seen your post! As per my post above, the Premier was my local. I have done some research on it going back to its opening in the twenties and have a collection of photos inside and out taken while it was a bingo hall, though it had hardly changed from its cinema days. Even the screen and tabs were still there. If you are interested, I am happy for you to contact me on .co.uk and to let you have what info I have and pictures. Please head your email PREMIER CINEMA, so that it does not end up with the hundreds of spam emails, which I get on a daily basis! Kind regards. Kevin
september 2003 with part of the frontage revealing where the IONIC sign once was
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/223126793/
same view a couple of years later with Sainsburys now occupying the ground floor area where the cinema lobby once was
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/245822549/
I tried to keep the Ionic open.However Sainsburys just wrent interested.They were going to use it as as a health club.However this never materialised.The foyer is part of the store .The cinema in the basement is empty.Anothere xample of a big chain store getting their way against the wishes of the community.
So true.
My brother who is in the Health club business said he visited a location i think in LOUISVILLE.KY. that was a like a six plex that was also a spa/Health club. So watch a movie and work out.Only in the states i guess,Orpheum.
i have seen photos of the exterior but not of the interior.It was a beautiful cinema.If you were sitting in the stalls you had to make sure that you did not sit anywhere near the supporting beams that would obscure your view.What has happened to this building and its successor are a stark example of the almighty power of the supermarket chains to get their way and the craven cowering attitude of local councils,the planners and councillors.Thier needs are more important than those of the nlocal residents.Golders Green which once had 4 cinemas now has none.Not unusual but no less sad for all that.If it existed today i think that it would be at least listed as 2*.However such is progress.
If there are any photos of the original cinema, I’d be grateful if someone would point me to the relevant website. And orpheum, I totally agree with your sentiments regarding local council planning committees. I suppose you could argue that the pressure from multi-billion pound conglomerates puts them under intolerable pressure – but, inner city vandalism, in the shape of outsize, ugly buildings, has been going on for years. It was pointed out to me some time ago that the famous Euston Arch would be listed Grade 11 if in fact it still existed. That may be so, but beautiful buildings are still being torn down at a rate of knots. Even where they aren’t particularly beautiful, any replacements are usually far to big and completely out of keeping with the surrounding structures. The Arts Depot in Finchley is a gross and rather extreme example.
After the ABC Hendon closed in early 1997, this became our usual cinema. Aged 8 I saw the Special Edition re-releases of ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ and ‘Return of the Jedi’ here. As far as I remember it still kept its very 70s beige interior even then, and felt a bit like you were stepping back in time – especially when the films were as old as the cinema!
I think this might the cinema(in a Jewish area) that got hit by a storm while showing “Who framed Roger Rabbit” and blew off one the letters on the marquee and instead showed “Who franed Roger Rabbi”(Mentioned in Film facts by Patrick Robertson).
The storm was in November 1988. It was this cinema.