Lost Cinemas of SE15

As a part of the Free Film Festival, cinema historian Richard Norman gave a bike-powered, illustrated talk on Peckham's former cinemas on the site of The Tower Cinema just off Rye Lane in Peckham.

Built in 1914, The Tower Cinema was demolished in 1956 and only the ornate archway entrance to the cinema remains. It was fascinating to hear that in the early part of last century, London tourists were encouraged to visit the three towers: Tower Bridge, Tower of London and Peckham Tower. Such was the splendor of Peckham in its heyday!

We learnt about all twelve of the cinemas Peckham has been host to in the past century or so - their locations, the history and why they are no longer around. The talk was followed by a walking tour to visit some of these locations, to see where the cinemas used to be and what has been put in their place.