Curzon Community Cinema, Clevedon
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The Curzon Cinema & Arts, in
Clevedon Clevedon (, ) is a seaside town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, England. It recorded a parish population of 21,281 in the United Kingdom Census 2011, estimated at 21,442 in 2019. It lies ...
,
North Somerset North Somerset is a unitary authorities of England, unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. The council is based in Weston-super-Mare, the area's largest town. The district also contains the towns of Clevedon, Nailsea ...
, England, is one of the oldest continually running purpose-built cinemas in the world.


History

Opened on 20 April 1912 by Victor Cox, the original building had 200 seats and the first show raised funds for the survivors and relatives of those who were lost at sea earlier in the month on the RMS ''Titanic''. Its first
projector A projector or image projector is an optical device that projects an image (or moving images) onto a surface, commonly a projection screen. Most projectors create an image by shining a light through a small transparent lens, but some newer type ...
was gas powered, but in subsequent years the building was improved with the addition of extra seating (bringing the total number of seats to 389), and was the first public building in the town to have electricity, which also saw the projector upgraded to run on electricity. Between 1920 and 1922, a new cinema was built on the site (without interruption to the nightly programme of films). The building, still in use to this day, has a row of shops along the front, the Oak Room Cafe above, and facilities for stage shows. The cinema was the site of Clevedon's only fatality due to enemy action in the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, when a soldier standing in the cinema doorway was killed by a bomb, damage from which is still visible on the exterior. Muriel Williams, who was in the cinema when it was bombed, recalls the air raid warning flashing on the screen on the night it was bombed in the Curzon Memories App. The App also includes memories from Julia Elton, daughter of documentarian Sir Arthur Elton, who remembers her grandmother frequenting the Oak Room Cafe and rephotography of archive photos of the cinema through the ages. In 1945, the cinema (previously known as "The Picture House") was sold and changed its name to the "Maxime". Another change of ownership in 1953 brought its current name. After years of decline, the building was greatly altered during the late sixties and early seventies: the box fronts, along with the organ, were removed and the openings 'bricked-up', the balcony was closed, the suspended false ceiling installed, and the projection room returned to its original position at the rear of the stalls. Never hugely profitable, the cinema was taken into administrative
receivership In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver – a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights" – especia ...
in 1995, and after a campaign to save the cinema spearheaded by Jon Webber, it was bought by Clevedon Community Centre for the Arts, a registered
charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...
, which continues to run it. Patrons include Sir Charles Elton, son of the notable documentary director Sir Arthur Elton,
Aardman Animations Aardman Animations Limited, known simply as Aardman, is a British animation studio based in Bristol, England, United Kingdom. It is known for films and television series made using stop motion and clay animation techniques, particularly those fe ...
founders David Sproxton and Peter Lord, directors
Nick Park Nicholas Wulstan Park (born 6 December 1958) is an English filmmaker and animator who created '' Wallace & Gromit'', '' Creature Comforts'', '' Chicken Run'', '' Shaun the Sheep'', and '' Early Man''. Park has been nominated for an Academy ...
and
Terry Gilliam Terrence Vance Gilliam ( ; born 22 November 1940) is an American-British filmmaker, comedian, collage film, collage animator, and actor. He gained stardom as a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe alongside John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Pa ...
, and actors Tony Robinson and
Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his distinctive deep, wikt:languid#Etymology 1, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and b ...
. In 2009, the Curzon Cinema successfully passed the first round in its bid to the
Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
(HLF) and was awarded £31,700 to help develop a more detailed bid for second phase of the awards process. A subsequent Stage II award of £321,900 in 2010 allowed the cinema to complete the first stage of restoration, with some repairs made to the roof, a new exhibition and lounge bar installed, and the Curzon Collection of Heritage Cinema Technology being relocated to the former Coach House adjoining the building. In 2012, the Curzon Cinema reached the final for Best Heritage Project of the National Lottery Awards. The Curzon celebrated its centenary on 20 April 2012, with a weekend of celebrations. Run by charitable trust, the Curzon is now seeking to raise funds for the next phase of its restoration, including the Balcony. In 2015, the former Coach House was transformed into a cafe bar, whilst the Curzon Cinema Collection was put on display throughout the cinema. From 2018, the Curzon began to host a boomsatsuma Media Production Extended Diploma at the Curzon Cinema Studio, alongside the North Somerset Creative Campus at Nailsea School.


References


External links


The Curzon Community Cinema, Clevedon: Official Website
* {{coord, 51, 26, 08.66, N, 2, 51, 18.08, W , type:landmark_region:GB , display=title Curzon cinema Buildings and structures in Clevedon Tourist attractions in North Somerset Culture in Somerset Grade II listed buildings in North Somerset