Mecca Bingo

ISLINGTON

TQ3284SW ESSEX ROAD 635-1/54/382 (West side) 16/01/74 Nos.161-169 (Odd) Mecca Bingo

II

Shall be replaced by:

635-1/54/382 ESSEX ROAD 16-JAN-1974 (West side) Nos. 161-169 (odd) Mecca Bingo II*

Formerly listed as: ESSEX ROAD (west side) Nos. 161-169 (odd) ABC Cinema

Built as the Carlton Cinema, now a bingo hall. 1930 by George Coles. Black, white and coloured faience to the Essex Road front, the rest of yellow brick; roof of slate. The facade to Essex Road is in the Egyptian style; the interior is neo-Classical in style with occasional Egyptian references. Plinth of black faience, the rest of the undecorated wall surfaces to Essex Road in white faience; broad central entrance with seven pairs of doors with bevelled glazing, and canopy which could be original though at present partly masked. Lower, projecting wings to either side in the form of pylons with hollow and roll cornice and a central window with sloping sides and architrave of yellow faience. A frieze of stylised lotus flowers and pyramid patterns in coloured faience runs across both wings above the ground floor and across the central, higher part which has a recessed centre framing two massive columns with bud capitals; five-window range within the lower part of the recess, the central window framed by two smaller columns; the upper part has architraves to five blank windows, perhaps not original; hollow and roll cornice. INTERIOR: : the walls of the entrance hall have pilasters with panels of neo-Classical ornament between, an anthemion frieze, dentil cornice, and coffered ceiling. Crush hall has pilasters and engaged columns with palm-leaf capitals, panels of neo-Classical ornament and plasterwork to the ceiling in the same style. Two-tier auditorium with the seating of the lower tier, and probably also the wall decoration below the upper tier, altered for bingo purposes. The original wall-decoration survives to the front of the auditorium, and consists of a plinth, rusticated base, a three-bay, blank, balustraded arcade of Corinthian columns carrying a frieze of scrolling ornament and modillion cornice; broad rusticated piers to either side with urns in niches; coved ceiling with ventilation grilles and bands of bayleaf and guilloche ornament; shallow dome. Proscenium arch with a broad band of scrolling ornament and false curtain. The scheme of original ornament is carried into the front of the upper tier with a three-bay, vaulted, blank arcade to either side, and three doors at the back with architrave, decorative frieze and cornice; the gallery-front of the upper tier is decorated with lyre patterns in panels.

Listing NGR: TQ3205784103