Pyke’s Cinematograph Theatre at 269 Seven Sisters Road was Islington’s first purpose-built cinema. It opened on 2 October 1909 and was one of the earliest purpose-designed picture houses in North London, built during the rapid expansion that followed the 1909 Cinematograph Act, which introduced safety standards for film exhibition.
Photograph taken 15 Mar 1915 © Reproduced by permission of Historic England Archive ref: BL22928 
The cinema was founded by entrepreneur Montagu(e) Pyke, one of Britain’s first cinema magnates. Pyke opened a chain of “Cinematograph Theatres” across London during the early 1900s, pioneering the idea of a dedicated building for film screenings rather than simply showing films as sideshows in theatres or halls.
The Finsbury Park branch was a narrow, steeply raked auditorium with a simple façade onto Seven Sisters Road. It had a capacity of around 400–500 and was praised for its purpose-built layout and improved fireproofing compared to converted halls. The entrance stood at street level, and the cinema sloped downward toward the screen end near the railway lines and Finsbury Park Station.
In 1913–1914, a much larger auditorium was constructed behind the original building, and by 1920 the two sites were combined into what became the Finsbury Park Cinema. The original Pyke’s front entrance remained in use as the foyer, while the new “Rink Cinema” behind it formed the main auditorium.
After decades of operation, the combined complex later closed and was eventually converted to other uses. The location today is occupied by the **Rowans** bowling and entertainment centre.
Montagu Pyke’s cinema empire ultimately collapsed after his overextended expansion led to bankruptcy in 1915, but his architectural model — the purpose-built picture theatre — helped shape cinema design across the country.