From Picture Palaces to Pentecostal Churches: How Britain’s Old Cinemas Became Places of Worship

• Britain had 4,709 cinemas at the 1946 peak and just 1,087 by 2022
• Christ Faith Tabernacle Cathedral took over the listed Granada in Woolwich in 2011
• Ruach City Church moved into the Grade II* Gaumont State in Kilburn in 2008
• Historic England says cinema layouts suit Pentecostal worship

Many of Britain’s grand old cinemas have found new life as places of worship, Historic England’s Heritage Calling blog reported in December 2025.

The article, by Dr Kate Jordan of the University of Westminster, noted that “At their peak in 1946, an astonishing 4,709 cinemas were operating in Britain’s towns and cities” and that “By 2022 there were just 1,087 cinemas in operation in Britain.” As audiences fell, large auditoriums closed, and faith groups became important buyers.

Examples include the listed Granada Theatre in Woolwich, south-east London, taken over by Christ Faith Tabernacle Cathedral in 2011, and the Grade II* listed Gaumont State in Kilburn, north-west London, which became home to Ruach City Church in 2008. Other former cinemas now house a mosque in Southsea, a Zoroastrian centre in Harrow and a Jehovah’s Witnesses assembly hall in Manchester.

The article says the layout of a cinema suits certain forms of worship: “The spatial organisation of cinemas lends itself well to the performative style of worship in Pentecostal churches.” It concludes that “These buildings are surprisingly well-suited to worship and have become cherished landmarks.”

For growing congregations, a former cinema offers what is hard to find elsewhere in a city: a large open hall with raked seating, a stage, foyers for fellowship and a prominent street presence. For heritage bodies, a church is often the best way to keep a listed interior intact and in use.

Where disused cinemas, halls or theatres exist in Jamaican towns, churches seeking larger premises should look at existing buildings as well as new construction, checking structure, parking, fire exits and any heritage restrictions, and diaspora members can share experience of how such conversions have been financed and managed.

Follow Jamaica Homes on Youtube @jamaicahomes and Instagram @jamaica_homes and on Facebook @jamaicahomesnews Send us a message or email us at onlinefeedback@jamaica-homes.com or editor@jamaica-homes.com