Former Carlton Cinema, Essex Road – guided building tour

Take a rare look inside Islington’s glorious Grade II* listed 1930s Egyptian cinema.

When the Carlton Cinema on Essex Road opened in 1930 it was advertised as ‘North London’s most palatial cine-variety theatre’ with 2,500 seats and an in-house orchestra.

After the cinema closed in 1972 the building was converted into a bingo club which continued for almost 35 years until the last numbers were called in March 2007. Since 2015 it’s been home to Gracepoint church.

The unique, Egyptian-inspired building was designed by legendary cinema architect George Coles and much of the stunning original interior is still visible today.

On this special tour cinema historian Nigel Smith will take you back to the cinema’s glory days in the 1930s and 40s when going to the ‘flicks’ was a national pastime and Saturday morning clubs saw hundreds of kids flock to the pictures every weekend.

The tour will last approximately 90 minutes and you’ll see inside the auditorium, lobby and former café area. £5 from each ticket sale will go towards the building restoration fund.