A former Polytechnic assembly hall in Kentish Town that’s been empty for about a decade is going to open its doors to the public for a few days.
Built between 1926 and 1929 as part of the North West London Polytechnic, the corner block originally served as an assembly hall.
The polytechnic moved out in 1998, and the assembly hall block was leased to Pizza Express, but they moved out in 2013. The upper levels have since been converted into flats, and the ground floor is supposed to be open as a local cinema.
However, the developer has struggled to find a tenant, and local publication Camdenist has secured permission to open up the ground floor for a weekend – for a cinema themed poster exhibition and sale.
Apart from being a chance to buy posters, it’s a chance to see inside the future cinema building, which it’s still an empty shell. Candidly, it’s an empty shell that is waiting for fit-out, so don’t expect to walk into some art-deco marvel because that was long since lost.
What there is though is a chance to go inside a building that’s been closed for over a decade, see some films projected onto the walls, meet poster artists, and there will be some workshops, to be confirmed, through the weekend.
It’s a bit of a pop-up, but an unusual one.
To control numbers, they’re asking people to book a free ticket from here.
- Friday 24th Nov, 11am – 6pm
- Sat 25th Nov, 11am – 6pm
- Sun 26th Nov, Midday – 5pm
The future cinema is at 187 Kentish Town Road – a short walk from Camden Town tube station, and from Kentish Town West or Camden Road on the London Overground.
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