Curzon Cinema Clevedon
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ต.ค. 2024
- Paul "Scruffy" Martin takes a look inside The Curzon Community Cinema, in Clevedon, North Somerset, England, which is one of the oldest continually running purpose-built cinemas in the world. Opened on 20th April 1912 by Victor Cox, the original building had 200 seats and the first show raised funds for the survivors and relatives of those killed earlier in the month on the RMS Titanic. Its first projector 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 electric.
This is an interesting clip about the Curzon and appears to have been shot around 2010. The organ in the clip was an electrostatic tone-wheel Compton Melotone Deluxe, which has now been replaced by the magnificent Christie pipe organ (formerly in Poole's Regent Cinema). In my opinion, the pipe organ sounds a lot better than the electrostatic tone-wheel organ. According to the Comptonorgans website, the Compton in the Curzon was only on loan to the cinema and was one of only three left in the world of that type. After its removal, the Melotone Deluxe was destroyed, the console being used for a Virtual Theatre Pipe Organ in private ownership.
My auntie Janet and uncle Ken ran the Cinema for about 35 years and I used to get in free. I also spent many hours in the projection room with my uncle Ken, he had a TV in the corner with a cardboard box over the speaker which was on the side of the TV which pointed the sound in his direction. I worked there when the cinema used to do bingo on Tues, Thurs and Sunday nights, I would collect the cards and read them out to Ken who was standing on the stage picking the balls, to see if they'd won. There was 4 of us Trevor Bartlet, John Fortune, Andy ??? (don't remember his 2nd name, he used to live in Marson Rd) and me. Katie Francis used to do the money upstairs with Janet. I also used to give money out to people playing on the Telebingo or do the figures while John Fortune used to pick the balls. I used to go upto the balcony all the time as Janet and Ken used to look after me and my brother Mark on many many occasions. My mum and dad used to play cards on a Friday and Saturday night every weekend and used to take it in turns going to their house and ours, they used to run the Crock Shop on the corner of Marson Road and had a full and half size snooker tables downstairs and a table tennis table which used to keep me and my brother occupied while they were playing cards. Janet, Ken, mum and dad and Mark and me were very close knit. The cinema was a very big part of my life growing up and it'll always have a place in my heart. I'm so glad they managed to keep the Curzon Cinema open, it deserves to live for another 100 years at least!!
Very interesting, are you still in Clevedon?
Maybe the cinema would like to hear your stories, I'm a local resident and I heard they are restoring the balcony area after it has been unused for many years!
@@l_j_c_5397 I actually live in WSM now but my family and a lot of friends still live in Clevedon. I regularly go back and would love to move back as Clevedon is my spiritual home as all my young years were spent growing up there and I genuinely love the place. I don't know if they would like to hear my stories, it was a long time ago, back in the 70's and 80's, when I was a young boy to 16 ish, so they probably don't even know who Janet and Ken are or remember that era when they were there.
Thanks for the comment though.
Just visited in June 2024 and the upper balcony is back in use and the suspended ceiling removed. All the staff are super friendly and knowledgeable. Watched A Hard Day's Night there celebrating 60 years of its release.
The Curzon is a very lucky cinema considering it was founded in 1912 my question is how does it do so well