To keep up-to-date with all the latest breaking news, stories and events happening across South London, give the My South London Facebook page a like. Inside, the ballroom comprises an eclectic mix of neo-classical, Deco and oriental motifs set within an exotic and luxuriant decorative scheme mainly dating from the 1950s.Īlthough inspired by the 1920s, it is characteristic of the 1950s fashion for reviving the Deco aesthetic that had been unwillingly abandoned with the onset of WWII. It reopened as The Rivoli on Boxing Day, 1959, with a large Canadian sprung maple dance floor, so revellers could dance all night long without hurting their feet.
It became The Rivola Cinema in 1929 - The last film there was shown on 2 March 1957, after which the building was converted to a dance hall by local businessman Leonard Tomlin. The current building was originally the Crofton Park Picture Palace, which opened in July 1913. On the outside, it might not look much, but the auditorium inside is truly breathtaking.įor more news and features about London, directly to your inbox sign up to our newsletter here. The 1950s-style ballroom opposite Crofton Park station is one of the last of its kind.
The Rivoli Ballroom in Brockley is like a time capsule hidden in the depths of south-east London.