This weekend, we’re doing our bit for the long-held dream of bringing a silver screen back to London NW5 with Poster Sale! 

In case you’ve not been paying attention, it’s a three day pre-Xmas market of movie, games, protest and music poster art, top clobber from refugee charity Choose Love, plus the Kentish Town Neighbourhood Forum’s short film festival awards and pop-up shorts screenings (from 4pm Sunday).

Just added to the art line-up are a selection of historic Mai ‘68 posters (pictured above), which were arguable the forerunners of today’s thriving street art movement, and come to us courtesy of Camden-based art dealer Georgie Gerrish.

It all runs from lunchtime today in the iconic former Polytechnic assembly hall on Kentish Town Rd, a spot earmarked for transformation into a community cinema over a decade ago, and is free - so we’d love you to drop in.

This week on Camdenist.com, we reveal the turbulent, often unexpected history of the building, from its 1920 heyday through the era of student protests and parties, to how and why it still sits empty (except this weekend 😉).

On top of that long expectant decade of waiting, it’s now actually been more than 50 years since Kentish Town last had a functioning fleapit to call its own.

Back in 2013, during my time at Kentishtowner and at the height of the furore about including a cinema in the planning for the Poly hall redevelopment, Tufnell Park Film Club organiser and environmental photographer Sam Nightingale worked with us on a popular front cover feature charting - and picturing what remained - of no less than eight former cinemas in the neighbourhood…

📽️ NW5’s 8 other forgotten movie palace locations

• Iceland Kentish Town Rd - Electric Alhambra, 1911-1918. Look at the art deco flourishes above this branch of the frozen groceries specialists and it screams cinema - you’ll never unsee it.

• Camden Community Law Centre - The Palace / The Gaumont, 1913-1959. Currently closed awaiting redevelopment, the grand entrance on Prince of Wales remains, with the smaller one on the high street pictured above in a limited edition print by Sam.

• 02 Forum Kentish Town - The Forum / ABC, 1934-1970. This one is more obvious, but the sheer size of the big screen that would have been in place on the stage where bands now play is something worthy of Leicester Square.

• Northumberland House, Gaisford St - Kentish Town Cinema / The Gaisford, 1910-1960. The longest-running of all NW5’s forgotten fleapits, once owned by Odeon, it was bulldozed for flats in the 60s.

• Kentish Town Congregational Church - Coronation Gardens Cinema 1911-1913. A short-lived outdoor screen on one of the last of KT’s former pleasure gardens that once also extended behind local pubs like the Abbey Tavern, The Castle (RIP) and Assembly House and along the banks of the River Fleet.

• St Andrews Church Hall, Bartholomew Rd - Venus 1970-1975. The last one standing, was still showing arthouse films 50 years ago on the site just behind the Greek Orthodox Church.

• Ludham, Lismore Circus - The Lismore, 1914-1917. The imposing 1970’s social housing block was built on the site of this 500-seat cinema that once entertained the good people of Gospel Oak.

• Hand Car Wash, Malden Rd - Gem Picture Hall, 1910-1958. Also known as The Court, the MOT service station that sits on the site today still carries the same name.

Read the full original Kentishtowner story with photos here.

CAMDENIST LIVE

📸 Photos from last night’s launch…and the past

It was great to see so many Camdenist readers come out for the private view at Poster Sale! last night.

More photos from across the weekend will follow, but we can report there was plenty of enthusiasm for our meanwhile use of this space from all sections of the community, with feedback including that the vibe was ‘like Berlin’, but also ‘so very Kentish Town’, both of which assessments we’re very happy to run with.

Among the many interesting conversations and introductions was a chat with local Mark Nicholson, who not only attended the very last service at the Pizza Express on the site in May 2013, but he took some photos for posterity, too.

So, thanks to him, here’s a reminder of quite how gargantuan it was inside back then, complete with spiral staircase and mezzanine dining balconies all round.

These shots, plus rekindled memories of the likes of Chrissie Hynde, The Fall and Buzzcocks playing the hall, all really added to the ongoing story - let us know if you have any more tales or photos to add 😄

MORE GOSSIP & THINGS TO DO

• After his overstretched empire collapsed, TV cehf Jamie Oliver returns to the restaurant game next week, with Tuesday’s opening of Jamie Oliver Catherine St. It’s a partnership with Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and follows the current trend of opening destination eateries in the big West End theatres.

• This Thursday (30th) sees “Bollywood beats and winter treats” as Drummond Street Winter Market features free entertainment including drumming, dancing and flame throwing to live music and special £10 dishes at the street’s legendary curry houses.

• It’s also the inaugural Liner Notes event at The Parakeet on Thursday night, where each month a guest joins host Aly Gillani aka DJ Gilla to discuss their favourite artist of all time. The launch sees Doc Brown share his love for Wu-Tang Clan, including selecting essential tracks, and sharing his personal and cultural insights about the importance of the legendary hip hop crew.

• The excellent Museum of Youth Culture have brought back The Subculture Diary for 2024, plus loads of other great potential off-kilter Xmas presents, all available in their online shop and from Camden’s Modfather store, too.

• Making your home energy efficient can daunting, but new Transition group Retrofit Kentish Town are running a launch event on Monday (27th) at The Greenwood Centre telling you how to get started and explaining the grants and support available.

MUSIC

Naked Yoga do The Ned + loads more

• 🎸 We were going tell you to go hear local trio Naked Yoga tonight at MAP Studio Cafe, however the gig has sold out, so instead we’ve got their new album ‘Triangle’ for you to listen to, and if you’re quick, you can register for free guestlist to see them in the swanky surrounds of The Ned on Monday (27th), with 20% off food and drinks, too, courtesy of Camden-founded musician’s app and event promoters Gigappy.

• 🎤 The venue may have been in the news this week for potentially falling down, but that’s no excuse not to go hear fast-rising pop-folk singer Temm at the crumblingly-atmospheric St Pancras Old Church on Wed (29th Nov)

• Amex Gold are sponsoring a night for Unsigned talent at Tufnell Park’s The Dome on Thursday (30th) where a panel of experts will judge six of the UK’s hottest bands, all looking to score a record deal, and local The Streets geeza Mike Skinner DJs.

• 🎙️ Alternatively, check Edinburgh’s soulful songstress Brooke Combe playing her biggest London gig to date down at Dingwalls on Thursday.

Gig highlights in association with Halibuts.com

CAMDEN DIARY

The festive spirit? 🙄

The weekly Camdenist column: observations and frustrations from living, working and playing in the borough…

TUESDAY: If you’ve not done it lately, walking down Regent’s Street right now is an odd experience. As soon as you’re on the main drag, you can sense there’s something different in the way people are moving around. The crowds are not flowing as they might be expected to (i.e heaving branded bags filled with purchases of questionable necessity into shop after shop), but instead you’ll need to navigate a lot of ‘standers’. The reason? A high percentage of them seem to be taking very pro-looking selfies, scoping out good angles, and even undertaking fully produced shoots (with teams! and accessories!) in the middle of the road. Regent’s Street’s Xmas lights are an influencer essential, you see. And while all life seems to be trying to get us to share it on Insta these days, big twinkly angels, traffic jams (black cabs and double deckers are essential in-shot) and John Nash’s curvy retail facades seem to be winning hands down with the exact same festive routine they’ve done for donkey’s years. Xmas lights displays were always supposed to pull the crowds, but now they are key to building an audience, too. Merry Clickmas.

THURSDAY: The great thing about putting on an event slap bang in the middle of Kentish Town Road is that virtually everything you could possibly need (but had forgotten/overlooked/lost) is available to purchase virtually outside the door. From getting extra keys cut to printing posters, sourcing door stops, steps and plenty more, it is testament to NW5 that, despite the doom and gloom we hear about the UK high street’s demise in the face of digital competition, neighbourhood shopping is still very much alive, broad-ranging and decently affordable along many of London’s best high streets. Less selfie shoot hold-ups when making your way about, too.

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