Cinemas from every corner of Britain, who make movie night a little more quirky
A Sunday afternoon film is a wonderful, escapist way to spend a few hours, but what if the cinema was an escape from reality in itself? All over the country there are film fans making the cinema experience a little smaller, a bit quirkier and a lot more special - you just have to know where to find them.
A 1930s cinema hall on the edge of the National Trust Slindon Estate, showing a classic film each month, with everything done on traditional 35mm film. It’s one of the very last cinemas in the world to show nothing but celluloid - no digital to be seen.
The Horse Hospital, Bloomsbury, London
The only remaining example of a two-storey stable the public are able to access in London. And its showings are as unique as the building itself. The Horse Hospital bills itself as “championing the outsider, the unfashionable, the other.” Whatever you see there, you can guarantee it will be a little different.
Located in a former 1930s showroom, this is now a workspace, cafe… and a cinema. Take your laptop, grab a bite to eat, then slip into the screens for a film when your working day is done.
Sol Cinema, catch them everywhere
Lots of indie cinemas claim to be the smallest in the world. This one reckons it’s the smallest in the solar system! Sol is a cinema in a caravan that runs off solar energy and shows short films in a space seating eight adults. They even roll out their own mini red carpet.
Cell B, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd
Ever fallen asleep in the cinema? Cell B Cinema has its own rooms so you can catch a film and then roll straight into a comfy bunk. One of the rooms is in an old prison cell beneath the building; ideal if you wanted to watch a cops and robbers style movie and then sleep it off in the cells.
The Swallow Theatre, Whithorn, Dumfries and Galloway
This modest ‘theatre’ is actually a converted cowshed, but it’s such a joy to find, hidden away on the Machars peninsula. It shows theatre, film and other performing arts. Don’t forget to look in on the swallows who used to nest in the ceiling and interrupt performances and have now been gently moved to the passageway on the approach to The Swallows.
The Small Space, Barry, Vale of Glamorgan
The UK’s smallest commercial cinema, with just 16 seats, The Small Space is definitely small but big on glamorous Victorian atmosphere. Each film starts at 7.30pm sharp and includes an interval so you can refresh your drinks halfway through. Very civilised.
The third of our quirky cinemas in Wales, this gorgeous little theatre on land belonging to the Gower Heritage Centre (worth a visit in itself) claims to be the smallest cinema in Wales. The building is a converted train carriage and began life as a cinema in a back garden in Gorseinon. Before closing there, it attracted the attention of Mark Kermode and hosted the world premiere of the film Alien Love Triangle, attended by none other than Kenneth Branagh! It was relocated to the Gower when it became too expensive to keep up but has since been lovingly restored. It has its own red carpet and seats 20 people. Just turn up with your friends and your own DVD or USB stick and watch whatever you please.
Kinema in the Woods, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire
Kinema began life as a sports pavilion in the grounds of a hotel, which sadly burned to the ground. After the ruins of the hotel were bought privately by a couple in 1922, the pavilion was restored and turned into a small cinema. The roof is too low for an image to be projected from the back of the cinema so films are projected from behind the screen onto a mirror to flip the image onto the back of the screen. Kinema is thought to be the only full-time cinema in the UK to use ‘rear projection’. Fascinating filmy stuff!
Tom Thumb Theatre, Margate, Kent
A former coach house, and renovated with Alpine and Japanese style, this theatre’s style is as diverse as its programme - a mixture of theatre, film, music and comedy. All in a beautiful location set just back from the sea.
If you’ve been inspired to visit a quirky cinema, and fancy making a weekend of it, we’d also recommend a stay at 36 And The Roxy, a holiday home in Axebridge, Somerset, which comes with its own cinema.
36 and The Roxy. Turn to page 114 of the February issue to read about the weekend Lottie Storey spent there for our Weekend Away pages.
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