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This project successfully funded on 31st March 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
A plaque for Clara Ludski, cinema pioneer
London, Greater London, United Kingdom
£430
raised so far
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Aim
Help us honour Clara Ludski, pioneer of British cinema, with a plaque at the site of today’s Rio Cinema in Dalston.
We are the Hackney Society, a local charity dedicated to preserving and celebrating the borough’s rich and diverse heritage.
As part of our ongoing work, including the publications Women from Hackney History, we shine a light on remarkable women whose stories have too often been overlooked.
One such figure is Clara Ludski (c.1862–1933), a visionary businesswoman and pioneer of early British cinema. Born to Jewish Prussian immigrants, Clara turned her family’s auctioneers shop on Kingsland High Street into one of London’s first full-time cinemas, opening the Kingsland Palace in 1909.
As cinema’s popularity grew, so did Clara’s ambitions. By 1915, she had commissioned celebrated architect George Coles to create the Kingsland Empire, a lavish venue with over 950 seats, a tea room, and striking neoclassical architecture. That cinema survives today as the much-loved Rio Cinema.
At a time when women lacked even the right to vote, Clara carved out a powerful role in Hackney’s cultural life. Locals affectionately called her “the lady with the chairs", a nod to her origins selling second-hand furniture, and her knack for selling out cinema seats again and again.
Despite her impact, Clara’s legacy remains largely unrecognised. That’s why we’re raising funds to install a commemorative plaque at the Rio Cinema, honouring her contribution to Hackney and to British film history.
Your support will help fund the design, production and installation of the plaque, as well as a public unveiling event involving the local community.
ABOUT THE HACKNEY SOCIETY’S GREEN PLAQUES CAMPAIGN
Clara’s plaque is part of a wider project to honour the lives and legacies of people who shaped Hackney - particularly its women - but have gone unacknowledged for too long. We set up the scheme after our applications for official English Heritage plaques for women featured in the book were turned down.
🔗 Learn more on our website.
💛 Help us give Clara, and others like her, the recognition they deserve.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made