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The Great Britain Guide

Historic churches · London

Rainbow Theatre

Free admission

Rainbow Theatre — former cinema and music venue in London, England, later used as a church.

Rainbow Theatre, historic churches in London

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
30 min–1 h
Nearest railway station
Finsbury Park · 0.3 km
  • Free entry

About

Rainbow Theatre is a historic church in the United Kingdom. Built in the Art Deco style. Heritage designation: Grade II* listed building. Owned by The Rank Organisation. Wikidata describes it as: "former cinema and music venue in London, England, later used as a church". Coordinates: 51.5623°, -0.1083°.

Photo gallery

Heritage listing

The Rainbow Theatre, originally known as the Finsbury Park Astoria, then the Finsbury Park Paramount Astoria, and then the Finsbury Park Odeon, is a Grade II*-listed building in Finsbury Park, London. The theatre was built in 1930 as an "atmospheric cinema", to house entertainment extravaganzas which included a film show. It later became an ordinary cinema, then a music venue, as which it is best known, and then an occasional unlicensed boxing venue.

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

The Rainbow Theatre, originally known as the Finsbury Park Astoria, then the Finsbury Park Paramount Astoria, and then the Finsbury Park Odeon, is a Grade II*-listed building in Finsbury Park, London. The theatre was built in 1930 as an "atmospheric cinema", to house entertainment extravaganzas which included a film show. It later became an ordinary cinema, then a music venue, as which it is best known, and then an occasional unlicensed boxing venue. Today, the building is used by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, an Evangelical church.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

Built in 1930, the building was listed Grade II* in 1974, an unusually short period after construction, with the interior described in great detail as a Hispano-Moresque fantasy. Former stage manager Rick Burton has published a website with a detailed history of who has performed at the theatre and when, and which is a major source for this article.

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
51.5623, -0.1083
District
Islington
Parish
Islington, unparished area
Postcode
N4 3NP
Parliamentary constituency
Islington North
Phone
+44 20 7263 3071
Established
1930
Nearest railway station
Finsbury Park0.3 km
Official site
mwht.org.uk

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Rainbow Theatre?
Rainbow Theatre is in London, United Kingdom (postcode N4 3NP), in the parish of Islington, unparished area.
When was Rainbow Theatre built?
Built or established in 1930.
Who owns Rainbow Theatre?
Rainbow Theatre is owned by The Rank Organisation.
Is Rainbow Theatre a listed building?
Rainbow Theatre is officially recognised as Grade II* listed building listed.
Is Rainbow Theatre free to visit?
Yes, Rainbow Theatre is free to enter.
How do I get to Rainbow Theatre?
The nearest railway station is Finsbury Park, about 0.3 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode N4 3NP.