[title]
If you live in Lewisham and see builders carrying projectors, comfy chairs and large quantities of popcorn into the newly restored Ladywell Playtower in the months ahead, that’ll be London’s latest cinema taking shape. Curzon has announced plans to turn this scary old haunted-house-looking edifice into a state-of-the-art picture palace with all the mod cons and not a single ghost to be seen. The 220-seat, three-screen cinema will share space with a café, bar, restaurant and flats beneath its Rapunzelesque tower.
As you can see, the current tower has seen better days (pretty much any of them before about 2006, when a fire swept through the building).
Pringle Richards Sharratt Architects
Once Curzon has finished exorcising, restoring and modernising the place, it'll look like this:
Pringle Richards Sharratt Architects
Curzon’s bid pipped three other shortlisted proposals for the restoration: one from rival chain Picturehouse, a tender by Goldsmith University for post-graduate centre, and a cultural hub. Until recently, Lewisham had no cinemas. Now it’s set to get one of London’s most atmospheric.
What are London’s best cinemas? Here’s the official run-down.
Here’s our pick of the prettiest cinemas in London too.