[First venue on the site built 1860 by William Finch Hill and Edward Lewis Paraire. Oened 1860 as "Philharmonic Hall". 1874 rebuilding, re-opened as "Philharmonic Theatre". Destroyed by fire. 1883 rebuilding by Frank Matcham. Re-opened 4 Aug 1883. Destroyed by fire. 1888 rebuilding again by Frank Matcham. Opened 1 Dec 1888 as "Grand Theatre" (3000 seats).]

1901 rebuilding again by Frank Matcham, using the facade of the former building. Interior decoration by Felix de Jong. Opened Jan 1901 as "Islington Empire Theatre". 1912-1918 renamed "Islington Palace Theatre". 1932 converted into a cinema, re-opened as "Empire Cinema". Damaged by fire on 7 Feb 1938. Repaired and re-opened 6 Feb 1939. Closed 10 March 1962. Auditorium subsequently demolished in favour of a car park (while still preserving the facade which was demolished in 1981 and translocated to the Museum of London). Only the backstage wall is still extant on the site.

Links: www.arthurlloyd.co.uk, CinemaTreasures, EUTA, Wikidata