The Screen on the Green is a single-screen cinema facing Islington Green in the London Borough of Islington, London. The current building was opened in 1913 and it is one of the oldest continuously running cinemas in the UK. It is an example of the many purpose-built cinemas that followed the regulations set by the Cinematograph Act 1909. The idea of cinema was re-invented here by Romaine Hart in 1970 and it was seen as a model for new stylish cinemas in the UK. It became a venue for bands like the Sex Pistols and a place to be seen. Hart sold the cinema in 2008. History Early history (1910–1913) The Pesaresi brothers ran their original animated picture show at 83 Upper Street. With finance from Thomas Harrold who ran the "fancy drapery" store next door at number 82, they bought out Stean's Printers, Fosdykes' Confectionery and Vivian Lester's Sign Writers, numbers 84 to 86 respectively. They demolished the old shops and built an electric theatre designed by architects Boreham & Gladding, which opened in October 1913. The Empress Picture Theatre (1913–1951) Renamed from The Empress Electric Theatre shortly after opening, the new cinema seated 600 on a single floor. It was originally considered very smart, though by the late 1930s it had become tatty and was compared unfavourably with the new picture palaces of the time. The Rex (1951–1970) The Empress was closed, refurbished and re-opened in December 1951 as The Rex. Its capacity was reduced slightly to 514 and a new single seat pricing policy was introduced, initially all seats being 1s 9d. The reopening ceremony included a fanfare of trumpets from the Islington Air Training Corps. In the early sixties, the cinema ran regular film shows for the local Turkish population. The films were specially flown over from Turkey and shown without subtitles. In the late sixties the local Greek community organised Greek-language film shows that ran every Sunday. The Rex closed on 20 June 1970. It was known as a fleapit. The Screen on the Green (1970–present) The cinema re-opened on 13 September 1970 as The Screen on the Green, after being purchased by Romaine Hart's Mainline Pictures Group. It was comprehensively refurbished and modernised in February 1981 to plans by architect Fletcher Priest, one of the main modifications being the creation of foyer space, something the original building never had. This reduced the seating capacity