Ritzy Cinema

The Ritzy Cinema, originally opened as the Electric Palace on 11 March 1911, is a cinema located in Brixton Oval. It was designed by architects E.C. Homer and Lucas, with some minor alterations made by George Coles in 1954. The building showcases a classical style with some modern movement changes to the front. It features a stuccoed and painted brick exterior topped with a slate roof.

The front façade includes a ground floor designed with raised lines to mimic masonry, a rounded corner at Coldharbour Lane, and three intact sash windows with glazing bars on the left. To the right, one window has been altered, and there is a central recessed panel between pilasters for display purposes. A band runs between the floors, and the ground floor windows have keystones. Two original panels from 1911 depict cherubs with drapery and the initials "EP." A late 20th-century flat canopy and double doors have been added. Originally, the corners of the building featured domes, which were removed due to war damage.

The side elevation consists of nine bays divided by pilasters, topped with a moulded cornice. Each bay has a round-headed arch with keystones and impost blocks, set upon a deep plinth. Inside, the foyer has a false ceiling, but the original plasterwork is believed to remain underneath. The staircase features scrolled cast iron and chrome railings, likely dating from the 1954 alterations.

The auditorium has seen remarkably few changes since 1911. It includes a cambered proscenium arch supported by Ionic columns with partial reeding. The auditorium itself consists of nine bays with a ribbed ceiling adorned with moulded fruit motifs, Ionic columns featuring cherubs' heads and floral drops, and larger moulded panels beneath the top panels with scrolls. At the rear, there are two entrances flanked by elaborate Ionic pilasters decorated with floral swags. Recently, the raking of the auditorium has been altered, and the seating has been sourced from another cinema.