Return to Essex Road: Inside the Carlton Cinema

Former Carlton Cinema, now Gracepoint church

It’s been 828 days since I joined Nigel Smith’s Islington’s Big Screens walking tour back on 28 June 2023 - a cinematic wander through over a century of film-going in Islington. That day ended with us standing outside the grand Egyptian façade of the former ABC (originally the Carlton Cinema) on Essex Road, marvelling at its glorious design and dreaming of what it might have been like inside.

Fast forward to this week, and I finally got my chance to step through those doors.

The Carlton opened in 1930, proudly billing itself as “North London’s most palatial cine-variety theatre”. With 2,500 seats, an in-house orchestra, and an exterior inspired by Ancient Egypt, it must have been quite a spectacle for audiences escaping into the movies of the early 20th century.

Interior of former Carlton Cinema

The cinema closed in 1972, then became a bingo hall for almost 35 years before its last numbers were called in 2007. Today, it’s home to Gracepoint Church who are restoring it, but the spirit of cinema still lingers in every carved column and gilded panel.

On this special tour, cinema historian Nigel Smith brought the Carlton’s story vividly to life - from its glamorous 1930s heyday to the bustle of Saturday morning film clubs. He shared vintage photographs, recordings, and anecdotes that filled the empty auditorium with echoes of the past.

Nigel Smith in action!

For me, it felt like completing a cinematic circle: having first admired the façade from the pavement back in 2023, I was now standing beneath the same ornate ceiling, picturing the flicker of projectors and the murmur of a full house.

Both the building and the tour are truly special — a reminder of how much of London’s film history still survives, hidden in plain sight.

Highly recommended for anyone who loves cinema, architecture or London’s lost entertainment palaces.

You can find more details of Nigel Smith's tours on his website Memory Palaces.

Postscript: Somewhere in those 828 days, Nigel also joined me on Excellent Adventures: The Time Travel Movie Podcast to discuss Back to the Future Part III. Do have a listen!