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Britain's oldest continuously-working cinema is to be restored to its art deco glory thanks to a lottery grant.
The Heritage Lottery Fund is giving the Phoenix cinema in East Finchley £606,800 towards a six-month transformation costing £1million. It is London's first historic cinema to win HLF backing.
The cinema opened as the Picturedrome in 1910 but its elaborate Edwardian exterior facade was removed in 1938 and an art deco style introduced.
Renovation will strip out later additions that are out of keeping with the decor, which was listed as grade II in 1998.
Paul Homer, the cinema's chief executive, said: "It's a wonderful building which has not been as good as it should have been in facilities for modern audiences."
Michael Palin, Maureen Lipman, Bill Paterson, Mike Leigh and Ken Loach are all patrons of the independent venue. Palin said: "This is terrific news. As the years go by and the old cinemas fall by the wayside, the Phoenix has indeed lived up to its name."
The work includes repairing damp damage in the auditorium and restoring the art deco facade. A café-bar will also be built.
Reader views (2)
It is great news. And they're only £144,000 short of meeting their target - I know they'd be grateful for any contributions. It's amazing to sit beneath a ceiling that has witnessed the history of cinema-going, seeing out two world wars. And Sam Taylor Wood just used it to film a sequence about the young John Lennon. A treasure!
- Gareth Brown, East Finchley, London, UK, 09/07/2009 14:35
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Wonderful news, this is already my favourite cinema in London whisch is supported by the local community and shows a varied and interesting programme of films. I just hope the renovations run to schedule and the cinema closure period is kept to a minimum. They may even be able to improve the the quality of their coffee.
- Steve, London, 09/07/2009 11:23
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