www.StokeNewingtonHistory.com Presented in the Mildmay Club in Newington Green, London on Sun, 5th June 2022 as part of the Stoke Newington Literary Festival. www.StokeNewingtonHistory.com

1. Stoke Newington’s Lost Pubs
and Ghost Cinemas - A Visual Journey
Amir Dotan
www.StokeNewingtonHistory.com

2. www.StokeNewingtonHistory.com
@HistoryOfStokey @StokeNewingtonHistory facebook.com/
StokeNewingtonHistory
Hello!
Visit to signup to my events mailing list

3. Pubs
Lost Pubs
Photo by Tony Hall

4. Number of Pubs in Stoke Newington (In the former Borough)

5. The Victorian Building Boom

6. The Victorian Building Boom - A Public House in Every Street Corner
1846 1894

7. The Victorian Building Boom
Stoke Newington Population Growth

8. Lost Pubs: The North and South Divide
Boundaries of the former Borough of Stoke Newington (1900-65)
The Northern Division of
the Borough
Population in 1902:
18,219
The Southern Division of
the Borough
Population in 1902:
33,450

9. The Decline of Pubs in Stoke Newington

10. CLOSING TIME
Who’s killing the British pub?
By Christopher Snowdon
Institute of
Economic A airs
“The UK has lost 21,000 pubs
since 1980. Half of these closures
have taken place since 2006.”
(2014)
https://www.iea.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/files/Briefing_Closing%20time_web.pdf
48 Pages

11. Why Pubs Close (2014)
• Long-Term Cultural Changes - Decline in
alcohol consumption, Trend towards more
drinking at home, Change in the working
class’ leisure activities and a shift from the
pub to the home and other venues
• Shrinking of the working class and the
decline of heavy industry
• Off-Licence/Supermarket pricing
• Property development - It used to be easier
to turn a pub into a dwelling or shop
• Changing tastes - The rise of lager and wine
where a pub adds less value and the decline
of traditional ale and stout
• Taxation, regulation and recent decline in
disposable incomes
• The smoking ban and the alcohol duty
• Changing attitudes towards lunchtime
drinking and drink-driving
CLOSING TIME
Who’s killing the British pub?
By Christopher Snowdon
Institute of
Economic A airs

12. 1830s 1840s 1850s 1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
Lordship Park Tavren
Free Trader
The Falcon
Freeholders Arms
The Stack Rock
Freemasons Tavern
The Captain Cook
The Prince Albert
The Woodman
The Atlas
The Howard Arms
The Nevill Arms
The Earl of Warwick
The Manor House Tavern
The Albion
Ebor Arms
The Allen Arms
The Victoria
Hornsey Wood Tavern
The Pegasus
The Arundel Arms
The Prince of Wales
The Happy Man
Stoke Newington’s 23 Lost Pubs

13. My free self-guided walk: Stoke Newington’s Lost Pubs (6.5km)
https://stokenewingtonhistory.com/stoke-newingtons-lost-pubs-walk

14. 1830s 1840s 1850s 1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
Lordship Park Tavren
Free Trader
The Falcon
Freeholders Arms
The Stack Rock
Freemasons Tavern
The Captain Cook
The Prince Albert
The Woodman
The Atlas
The Howard Arms
The Nevill Arms
The Earl of Warwick
The Manor House Tavern
The Albion
Ebor Arms
The Allen Arms
The Victoria
Hornsey Wood Tavern
The Pegasus
The Arundel Arms
The Prince of Wales
The Happy Man
In this talk I’ll cover 5 pubs

15. The Prince Albert, 33 Victorian Road (1850s-1970s)

16. The Prince Albert, 33 Victorian Road

17. Victorian Road, 1973

21. Photos by Tony Hall

22. Photos by Tony Hall

23. Photo by Tony Hall

24. The Nevill, 31 Nevill Road (1870s-1993)

25. 1915
In fact the first bomb hit 16 Alkham Road

26. 1921

27. 1921 - The publican is Laura Eliza Kirby (1856-1929)

28. 1964

29. 1964 - Curtains providing privacy were very common in pubs

30. 1970s

31. “We went there in the 70s but when a new guy Bill and
his wife took over he changed it. It was a good old Irish
pub but he changed it to a younger audience with
strippers.
I remember when we still went there he brought in a DJ.
The Disco was good but a few months later he he had
Go-Go dancers on with the DJ then one night one
stripped..half the pub walked out.” (Lyn Rennick)

32. 1988

33. 2020

34. Photo by Chris Dorley-Brown
The Howard Arms, 21 Howard Road (1860s-1984)

36. Howard Road as it is today

37. There were four pubs in Howard Road in 1952 (Five originally)
Howard Arms
Captain Cook
Ebor Arms
Freemasons Tavern
Freeholders Arms

38. Photo by Neil Martinson

41. Photo by Roy Barrows
The Public Bar in the 1970s

42. Photo by Roy Barrows
The Public Bar in the 1970s

43. The Public Bar in the 1970s

44. The Public Bar in the 1970s
Photo by Roy Barrows

45. The Public Bar in the 1970s
Photo by Roy Barrows

46. Photo by Roy Barrows
The Public Bar in the 1970s

47. Photo by Roy Barrows
The Public Bar in the 1970s

48. The Pegasus, 109 Green Lanes (1840s-2004)

50. Terry Day & Tommy Harris Trio in the Pegasus in 1968
Watch Terry Day & Tommy Harris Trio in the Pegasus: https://youtu.be/HU3u9ssgAj0

51. 1977

52. 1978 Tennis Shoes gig in the Pegasus
Listen to the Tennis Shoes perform Medium Wave: https://youtu.be/_xt9LvmY7kg

54. c. 1985 - Renamed Chas & Dave’s after its new owners

55. 1989 The New Pegasus

56. 1994 Auction Catalogue

57. 2020 - Pekunluler Turkish Cultural Association
Extension

58. 2021 - A planning application to redevelop the site was rejected
https://planningapps.hackney.gov.uk/planning/index.html?fa=getApplication&id=69178
“The existing building is identified as a heritage asset by the Council. The significance of the building sits
partly with its appearance as a Victorian brick building with some decorative features and partly with its
historic use as a pub.”

59. The Manor House Tavern, 316 Green Lanes (1931-c.2000)

60. The old Manor House Tavern in 1865 (Built c.1820)

61. Photo by Frederick Arthur Wirth

62. Photo by Frederick Arthur Wirth
Royal visit on 25th October 1843

67. The Manor House Tavern function room in 1936

68. What do all these musical acts have in common?

69. They all played in the function room in the Manor House Tavern

70. Photo by Peter Marshall
The Manor House in 1985

71. Ghost Cinemas

72. Borders of the Metropolitan Borough of Stoke Newington (1900-65)
Location

73. Borders of the Metropolitan Borough of Stoke Newington (1900-65)
Location
Biograph
The Albion Cinema
Vogue Cinema
Astra Cinema
Alexandra Theatre
Coliseum
The Savoy

74. Number of Cinemas in Stoke Newington

75. Alexandra Theatre
Vogue Cinema
The Savoy
Coliseum
Astra Cinema
Biograph
The Albion
1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s
Years Active

76. The Savoy
Alexandra Theatre
Astra Cinema
Coliseum
Vogue Cinema
The Albion
Biograph
500 1000 1500 2000
Number of Seats

77. Vogue Cinema, 38 Stoke Newington High Street (1910-1958)

79. Opened as The Electric Palace in 1910
Designed by Gilbert W. Booth who designed the Electric
Palace in Clapham (1910) and the Electric Palladium in
Brixton (1912)
Originally 700 seats, reduced to 451 in 1945
By 1940 it had been taken over by Capital & Provincial
Cinemas Ltd and re-named Vogue Cinema
Capital & Provincial Cinemas Ltd became Classic
Cinemas and specialised in re-runs of classic
Hollywood films
Closed on 21st June 1958

80. 1910

83. 1956

84. 1982
Photo by Kevin Newman

85. c. 1985

86. 2022 - All that remains of the cinema today is the sign

87. Astra Cinema, 117 Stoke Newington Road (1913-1983)

89. Opened as the Apollo Picture House in 1913
Had 1,180 seats
Re-opened as the Ambassador Cinema in 1933
Converted into a Star Bingo Club by 1965
Re-opened in 1974 as the Astra Cinema
In 1978 it became a cinema playing martial arts movies
and porn films
Close in July 1983
Converted into a mosque in 1994

92. 1926 - Showing ‘Souls in Exile - An Extraordinary Jewish Drama’

93. 1943

94. 1977

95. 1982
Photo by Terry Gilley

96. Photo by Alan Denney
1984

99. Alexandra Theatre, 65-67 Stoke Newington Road (1897-1950)

101. Opened in 1897 as The Alexandra Theatre and Opera
House
Designed by Frank Matcham who designed of over 90
theatres including the Hackney Empire, the Hippodrome
and the Palladium
Had a capacity of over 1,700 on its opening
In 1934, the it was fitted for sound and began showing
Films, Variety, and Plays
Closed down in 1950 and remained unused for a
decade until it was demolished c. 1960

109. 1946

110. 1940s

112. 1959 - Awaiting demolition

113. Alexandra Court was built on the site in the 60s

114. Coliseum, 31-33 Stoke Newington Road (1913-1972)

117. Opened in 1913 as the Electric Coliseum Cinema,
seating was provided on stalls level only
Had 600 seats
Was always an independently operated cinema and for
many years was operated by Kingsland Pictures Ltd
Closed in 1972
In the 1980’s, work commenced to convert the building
into a car salesroom but wasn’t completed
Vandals destroyed the building by fire in December
1992
Demolished in 2001

119. 1983

120. 1987
Photos by Ian Grundy

121. 1983

122. 1983

123. 1983

124. The Savoy, 11-15 Stoke Newington Road (1936-1984)

125. The Savoy, 11-15 Stoke Newington Road (1936-1984)

126. Opened in 1936
1,890 seats
Built for the Associated British Cinemas (ABC)
Designed by William R. Glen in an Art Deco style
After it closed in 1984, the stalls area was converted
into a snooker hall with a false ceiling
The foyer had been converted into two shop units
The former dress and upper circles area wasn’t used
Revamped in 2018 as a multi-arts space

133. 1984

135. 15 May 2018
Photo by Amir Dotan

136. 15 May 2018
Photos by Amir Dotan

137. 15 May 2018
Photos by Amir Dotan

138. Photo by Amir Dotan

139. Photo by Amir Dotan

140. 2022 - EartH (Evolutionary Arts Hackney) multi-arts space

141. 2022 - EartH (Evolutionary Arts Hackney) multi-arts space

142. Thank you