Our Patch march 2017
to various companies and dealers who pay a monthly fee. It’ s always been like that; a collective of dealers, a kind of department store.”
One of the 30 plus dealers who showcase their wares is French furniture and artefacts expert Janet Peters.
“ It’ s so professionally run, there is nothing like it,” said Janet, who has been a part of The Old Cinema business community for the past three years.
“ It’ s not your run-of-the-mill antiques centre – there’ s no bric-a-brac – it’ s much more specialist. People know they are always going to pick up quality pieces here. These are dealers and staff who are very knowledgeable – they know what they are doing and what they are selling.”
Unsurprisingly, The Old Cinema
began life as an Edwardian picture house, entertaining the area with flickery black and white silent films in 1908, then talkies until the mid-1930s. During the Second World War it was taken over by the government and used as a parachute store. It began falling apart and became a dilapidated eyesore in
It ' s always been a collective of dealers, a kind of department store the 1950s until it reinvented itself as a giant junk shop. But the real renovation and improvement took place in the 1970s, after it had been saved from the clutches of a supermarket chain by a couple of determined antiques dealers.
In 1979, The Old Cinema proudly reopened as the capital’ s only retro department store. Initially it specialised in Victorian mahogany furniture, but it soon began diversifying into vintage clothing, Americana and, well, oddities.
Once named among the best 100 shops in the world by Retail Week magazine, the informal and characterful store has 10,000sq ft of nooks and crannies, offering a home to so many of W4’ s arty community.
As well as being an Aladdin’ s cave of antiques, it’ s also a happy hunting ground for interior designers and movie makers furniture bought at The Old Cinema featured in the Bond movie Skyfall … in fact Daniel Craig found himself handcuffed and strapped to a vintage industrial chair in one tense confrontation with the lead villain after the set designer pounced on a clutch of distressed metal seats. If you keep your eyes peeled as you wander around its odd staircases and hidden rooms, you can see the original gilded dome ceiling and the proscenium arch which once framed the cinema screen. An ever-changing inventory means there is always something new to see, and a lively online presence means you can do some initial browsing from home.
The Old Cinema, 160 Chiswick High Road, W4 1PR.
Call: 020 8995 4166 or visit: theoldcinema. co. uk Open seven days a week( 10am-6pm Monday-Saturday, noon to 5pm Sundays).