Inside the cinema hidden beneath a London pub

Inside the cinema hidden beneath a London pub

When Catford Mews unexpectedly shut its doors for good in late 2024, the borough of Lewisham in south London was left without a single cinema in its nearly 14-mile radius. Not only was the cinema itself lost but, with it, a bustling community hub. While the closure was a shock, the reasoning was not; according to a 2023 survey by the Independent Cinema Office, 45 percent of indie cinemas were operating at a loss, and Catford Mews fell foul of an…