Gaumont

Built on a prime corner site in Holloway Road (which had been purchased for another Astoria) and to plans scaled-down because of the impending war, the cinema opened as the last Gaumont Palace. The massive square tower which was equipped with a broadcasting studio was on a huge scale; the lower part contained a café with a loggia terrace and underneath was a foyer which could accommodate 2000. This had huge Corinthian capitals, painted panelling, a massive sweeping staircase to balcony level with decorative staircases, under a huge dome, lit with chandeliers. The auditorium was similarly grandly decorated. There was a Wurlitzer organ and full stage facilities.

In 1944 the auditorium was extensively damaged by a flying bomb and was later rebuilt in plain style, reopening in 1958. Today the grand exterior and foyer remain and the auditorium had been subdivided, with the stage area and the café also used for auditoria. However, the fly tower and stage facilities remain intact in spite of the the present use of the stage space.