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In case it's of interest to anyone here, the stunning 1911 Electric Palace in Harwich, England, is reopening after a long restoration. It's one of the oldest cinemas in the country, built soon after the 1909 Cinematograph Act, and heralding the move away from the travelling cinematograph shows found on fairgrounds that were normal before these 'Electric Palaces' started to take over.
Together with David Cleveland and Nigel Lister, I will be presenting a show of films from around the time the Palace was built, using my 1913 Gaumont Chrono projector. This has just been restored by Nigel. Most of the prints (all safety stock obviously) are from my own collection, but we are hoping to be able to borrow a print of The Battle of Trafalgar for the show, as this was shown at the first ever show at the Electric Palace. John Sweeney will accompany the films on a piano. The show is provisionally scheduled for 21st May, and tickets will be sold by the Electric Palace when the date is confirmed.
These photos were taken at a technical rehearsal, and show David, Nigel and myself. The lamphouse would originally have held an arc lamp. Nigel has put a modern 36v 400w lamp in it.
The cinema is an absolute gem. The projection booth can't be reached from within the building, to reduce fire risk. Instead, you have to climb a ladder on the outside of the building. A small crane was used to haul up the prints! For this show however, we are setting up my Chrono at the back of the auditorium itself so that people can come and see it.
The screen is the original one from 1911 - just a white painted rectangle on the back wall of the building! I wonder if there's an older screen anywhere in the world?
Together with David Cleveland and Nigel Lister, I will be presenting a show of films from around the time the Palace was built, using my 1913 Gaumont Chrono projector. This has just been restored by Nigel. Most of the prints (all safety stock obviously) are from my own collection, but we are hoping to be able to borrow a print of The Battle of Trafalgar for the show, as this was shown at the first ever show at the Electric Palace. John Sweeney will accompany the films on a piano. The show is provisionally scheduled for 21st May, and tickets will be sold by the Electric Palace when the date is confirmed.
These photos were taken at a technical rehearsal, and show David, Nigel and myself. The lamphouse would originally have held an arc lamp. Nigel has put a modern 36v 400w lamp in it.
The cinema is an absolute gem. The projection booth can't be reached from within the building, to reduce fire risk. Instead, you have to climb a ladder on the outside of the building. A small crane was used to haul up the prints! For this show however, we are setting up my Chrono at the back of the auditorium itself so that people can come and see it.
The screen is the original one from 1911 - just a white painted rectangle on the back wall of the building! I wonder if there's an older screen anywhere in the world?
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