The Rainbow was a live rock music venue in north London that opened on 4 November 1971 and closed for the last time in January 1982. Built on an island site at the junction of Seven Sisters Road and Isledon Road, in Finsbury Park, it was a cinema of the London Astoria chain and opened on 29 September 1930. It was in use as a cinema until September 1971 when it was permanently given over to live music - although rock concerts had been a feature throughout the 1960s. The fine building had been the subject of a preservation order in the 1970s and the management company that operated the venue was unable to maintain it to the required standard. The building was closed permanently in 1982, although there were plans for its conversion to a bingo hall. In 1995, the building was bought by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God and is now used for religious ceremonies.
References
- Gray, Richard (1996). Cinemas In Britain - One Hundred Years of Cinema Architecture. Lund Humphries. ISBN 0853316856.
