Description

ISLINGTON

TQ3284SW ESSEX ROAD
635-1/54/382 (West side)
16/01/74 Nos.161-169 (Odd)
Mecca Bingo

II

Shall be replaced by:

635-1/54/382 ESSEX ROAD
16-JAN-1974 (West side)
Nos. 161-169 (odd)
Mecca Bingo
II*

Formerly listed as: ESSEX ROAD (west side) Nos. 161-169 (odd) ABC Cinema

Built as the Carlton Cinema, now a bingo hall. 1930 by George
Coles. Black, white and coloured faience to the Essex Road
front, the rest of yellow brick; roof of slate. The facade to
Essex Road is in the Egyptian style; the interior is
neo-Classical in style with occasional Egyptian references.
Plinth of black faience, the rest of the undecorated wall
surfaces to Essex Road in white faience; broad central
entrance with seven pairs of doors with bevelled glazing, and
canopy which could be original though at present partly
masked. Lower, projecting wings to either side in the form of
pylons with hollow and roll cornice and a central window with
sloping sides and architrave of yellow faience. A frieze of
stylised lotus flowers and pyramid patterns in coloured
faience runs across both wings above the ground floor and
across the central, higher part which has a recessed centre
framing two massive columns with bud capitals; five-window
range within the lower part of the recess, the central window
framed by two smaller columns; the upper part has architraves
to five blank windows, perhaps not original; hollow and roll
cornice.
INTERIOR: : the walls of the entrance hall have pilasters with
panels of neo-Classical ornament between, an anthemion frieze,
dentil cornice, and coffered ceiling. Crush hall has pilasters
and engaged columns with palm-leaf capitals, panels of
neo-Classical ornament and plasterwork to the ceiling in the
same style. Two-tier auditorium with the seating of the lower
tier, and probably also the wall decoration below the upper
tier, altered for bingo purposes. The original wall-decoration
survives to the front of the auditorium, and consists of a
plinth, rusticated base, a three-bay, blank, balustraded
arcade of Corinthian columns carrying a frieze of scrolling
ornament and modillion cornice; broad rusticated piers to
either side with urns in niches; coved ceiling with
ventilation grilles and bands of bayleaf and guilloche
ornament; shallow dome. Proscenium arch with a broad band of
scrolling ornament and false curtain. The scheme of original
ornament is carried into the front of the upper tier with a
three-bay, vaulted, blank arcade to either side, and three
doors at the back with architrave, decorative frieze and
cornice; the gallery-front of the upper tier is decorated with
lyre patterns in panels.

Listing NGR: TQ3205784103

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Carlton Cinema, Islington at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17552178

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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