Phoenix Cinema

The Cinematograph Act 1909 introduced laws to make cinemas safer. As a result, more purpose-built cinemas began to appear from 1910 onwards including this one. The Phoenix Cinema was built in 1910 by Premier Electric Theatres, however the company went bankrupt before the cinema could be opened. In 1912, the building was purchased by businessmen who had been involved in setting up East Sheen Picturedrome. They finally opened it as 'The East Finchley Picturedrome' in May 1912 with 428 seats. The first screening was of a film about the Titanic which had recently sunk. The natural fall of the land was used for the sloped seating with the screen at the High Road end.

The Phoenix has appeared in many films, TV series and photo shoots, providing the backdrop for educational videos, fashion shoots, TV series and feature films. Among the cinema's notable dramatic appearances were in TV comedy. In Channel 4's off-beat comedy series Black Books, the show's anti-hero came in when his new alarm system locked him out of his own shop and a hapless Jez tries to impress Zahra on a visit to The Phoenix in series 7, episode 3 of Peep Show. Another significant appearance was in the remake of the series Randall and Hopkirk, with Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer. Neil Jordan chose the Phoenix as an early 20th century cinema for a scene in his 1994 movie, Interview with the…