Links
Please browse the following websites which are relevant to our proposals to restore the Royalty.
The Cinema Theatre Association was founded in 1967 by journalist Eric George, who wanted to draw attention to the magnificent "cinema theatre" movie palaces of the Twenties and Thirties that were beginning to disappear from our towns and cities.
Since then, the Association has widened its horizons to encompass all cinema and theatre buildings, from the humblest converted hall to the most modern multiplex.
Our many and varied activities include providing information, through our Casework sub-committee, on the historical importance of cinemas, especially when they are being considered for listing or when alterations to listed cinemas are being proposed. Our regional groups in Scotland and Wales perform similar functions in their countries. We also organise visits to cinemas and theatres around the UK and overseas and our extensive Archive is available for anyone researching the history of these fascinating buildings
We publish a bi-monthly Bulletin and, once a year, a full colour, high quality magazine, 'Picture House'. We also publish books on cinema history, including the acclaimed series of definitive UK circuit histories by well-known author, and CTA Committee member, Allen Eyles.
We promote the better protection of theatre buildings to protect the future of live theatre.
We promote the quality and design of existing and new theatres.
We protect important historic theatres so that they can be used as theatres in the future.
We make sure theatre buildings meet the needs and demands of the theatre industry and audiences.
We do all this because we believe that the experience of live theatre in people’s lives contributes to our well-being and leads to a fairer, informed, more generous, and understanding society .
Guide to movie theatres.
Twentieth Century Society
The Twentieth Century Society was founded as the Thirties Society in 1979 – the year the Thirties exhibition was shown at the Hayward Gallery. The need for a specialised conservation society covering the period after 1914 (the limit of the scope of the Victorian Society, founded twenty years earlier) was increasingly appreciated in the 1970s as understanding and awareness of twentieth century design developed. Read more about our history below.
The Twentieth Century Society exists to safeguard the heritage of architecture and design in Britain from 1914 onwards. The Society’s prime objectives are conservation, to protect the buildings and design that characterise the Twentieth Century in Britain, and education, to extend our knowledge and appreciation of them, whether iconic buildings like the Royal Festival Hall or everyday artifacts like the red telephone box. Read more about our aims below.
Initially set up entirely by volunteers, the Society now has one full time and four part-time staff members based in London offices, as well as many volunteers. The Twentieth Century Society is governed by a Board of Trustees in accordance with C20 Governing Documents.
Flickr website with pictures of the Royalty.
Theatres are at the heart of our communities. Let's shout about how much that matters. When our Councillors are taking tough decisions about how to spend our taxes, they need to know how much we value our local theatre's work and role in the community. Let's tell them - my theatre matters!
UK Theatre supports theatre and performing arts organisations and individuals who work professionally in the performing arts at any stage of their career. Our Members have access to a range of professional services and tailored benefits to suit the needs of you and/or your organisation
Drama UK provides a unique link between the theatre, media and broadcast industries and drama training providers in the UK. We give a united, public voice to this sector; offer help and advice to drama students of all ages; and award a quality kite mark to the very best drama training available.
Act UK (Association of Community Theatre, UK) has been set up to offer you and your society what you want and need. We are here to help and offer advice where necessary. It is a mutual aid grouping of like minded societies.
The Cinema Organ Society was founded in 1952 by Hubert Selby and Tony Moss for those interested in organ music as entertainment. The Society is managed by a committee of elected Trustees.The Society caters for everyone interested in organ music as entertainment. It aims to promote the highest standards of theatre organ performance, presentation and technical skill. The Society advises on theatre organ installation and encourages the use of the instrument in public places. It also encourages the tuition of aspiring players and seeks to support the work of other groups with similar interests.
CONCERTS: We promote regular theatre organ concerts by top British and international artists, as well as by younger up-and-coming players, on our own instruments and elsewhere. Members enjoy reduced admission prices to many of these events and sometimes to events run by other organisations
SOCIAL EVENTS: These are usually based around an organ, members taking it in turn to entertain in an informal atmosphere. Professional guidance is sometimes available. Other events may include dances and recorded music presentations.
A website promoting cinema organ music. You can listen to organ concerts given using many of the remaining organs and find out more about them.
The official website for the Wurlitzer organs of the Sussex golf courses -The Singing Hills Wurlitzer located at Albourne in West Sussex, and The East Sussex National Wurlitzer located near Uckfield in East Sussex. Nice pictures of Wurlitzers.
The Projected Picture Trust
Welcome to the online home of The Projected Picture Trust. The objectives of the Trust are encapsulated in the statement: To locate, preserve, renovate and exhibit the equipment and data, past and present, of still and moving images”.
The power of the Cinema in the 1920s and 1930s. The rise of "talkies" from the late 1920s onwards led to a radical shake-up of the entertainment industry. Live entertainment went into decline and variety theatres became movie palaces, where eager punters could see exactly the same entertainment as their fellows in Los Angeles, Berlin or Bombay. The belief that films could influence behaviour was seen by some as an opportunity to get their message across to a mass audience, others feared that the next generation of children would be warped by the immorality of gangster flicks and movie violence. In Britain, the dominance of Hollywood at the box office led to concerns about a loss of national identity and the "Americanisation" of British culture.
The documents shown here reflect these concerns and show the growing influence of film as both a method of communication and form of entertainment. They are all taken from the archive of the Trades Union Congress - this includes over 100 files on aspects of the film industry.
More information about archives relating to the history of film and the cinema is included in our online subject guide. Try searching our online catalogue to find more documents relating to these subjects.
Earlycinema.com aims to provide an introduction to the first decade of motion pictures and the developments which helped shape cinema as we know it today. The site is by no means a complete account of the development of cinema, and concentrates on the major events in cinema's history encouraging further reading and research.
A timeline picks out key events in the development of this exciting medium from the optical toys of the early 1800s through to experiments in motion capture and the work of Thomas Edison and the Lumière brothers.
Meet some of the pioneers of this new medium and discover the effect their contributions had on moving pictures. Earlycinema.com has profiles of such leading figures as Thomas Edison, William Dickson, Georges Méliès, Birt Acres and the Lumière Brothers.
The technology of motion pictures is explored with a look at some of the major inventions in early cinema including the Zoetrope, Kinetoscope and Cinématographe.
Projectionscreen.net offers the latest news and best info about projection screens, projectors and other accessories but it also has an interesting historical section worth visiting.
An illustrated chronological history of the development of motion pictures covering 2500 years leading to the discovery of cinematography in the 1800's
The Projection Project is a research project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council which investigates cinematic projection. It documents the projectionist’s role as it passes into history, following the switch of most cinemas to digital projection between 2010 and 2012. It also looks at the contemporary expansion of projected images outside of the cinema.
Running from October 2014 to January 2018, the project will use interviews with projectionists, archive research, feature films and photographs to explore historical projection and the digital transformations of the twenty-first century.
Learning space dedicated to the art and analysis of film sound design. Historical information on early sound systems in cinemas too with many links to articles on cinema history.
A guide to Britains film and television history. Also facts and figures such as cinema attendance back to 1933 and numbers of feature films produced each year.
British Film Institute
The BFI was founded in 1933. We are a charity governed by a Royal Charter. We combine cultural, creative and industrial roles, bringing together the BFI National Archive and BFI Reuben Library, film distribution, exhibition and education at BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX, publishing and festivals. We award Lottery funding to film production, distribution, education, audience development and market intelligence and research.
Film Forever is our five year strategic plan for 2012-2017 to support UK film. The plan covers all our activities and is based around three priorities – education and audiences, support for the UK film industry and unlocking film heritage.The BFI was founded in 1933. We are a charity governed by a Royal Charter. We combine cultural, creative and industrial roles, bringing together the BFI National Archive and BFI Reuben Library, film distribution, exhibition and education at BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX, publishing and festivals.
Film Forever is our five year strategic plan for 2012-2017 to support UK film. The plan covers all our activities and is based around three priorities – education and audiences, support for the UK film industry and unlocking film heritage.
Film Education Org
Following the closure of Film Education in April 2013 this site and its library of resources will remain accessible, free of charge, for teachers and their students across the UK.
Whilst no new content will be added to this site we are pleased to provide links to online teaching and educational resources.
Learning on Screen is a charity and membership organisation. We are experts in the use of moving image in education, delivering online academic databases, on demand video resources, training, information and advice. Our work is developed through communication with our members and through the findings of our specialist research unit, providing the higher and further education sector with trusted and scholarly audiovisual services.
We are currently transitioning into our new name and new branding. Over the coming weeks and months we will be regularly updating the site to reflect our new identity. During this transition, the URL will remain as ‘bufvc.ac.uk’; we will switch over to our new URL, ‘learningonscreen.ac.uk’.
In Front of the Silver Screen
A Personal History of Cinemas in the Chesterfield Area
By Kenneth Bishton
The Paramount Corporation began operating in this country by opening the Plaza, Piccadilly Circus. This cinema had one of the First Wurlitzer organs to be installed in this country and the first one on a rising platform. The plaza was soon designated as the UK headquarters for the Paramount organisation in this country and following the success of the Plaza, Paramount went on to open further cinema theatres in many of the country's largest cities.
Opening on 4th September 1937, Birmingham's Paramount Theatre, (known as the "Showcase of England"), was the last of the large Paramount’s to be built in this country. This large and luxurious theatre, boasting 2,750 luxury seats, was built on the site of the old King Edward Grammar School in New Street, Central Birmingham. It is said that in the theatre's basement the remains of the old Grammar School walls and windows can still be seen.
On the opening night with a mighty roar the console of the mammoth Compton Organ rose out of the stage in the expert hands of Al Bollington, the famous organist from the Plaza and Paramount Theatres in London. The spotlight glistened on its gold paint as the console slowly rotated on the turntable. The Compton organ continued to thrill Birmingham audiences over the years. Sadly, the use of the Compton was to come to an abrupt end. In the late 1980s, the Rank Organisation, who had bought Paramount Theatres, announced that the Odeon, Birmingham was to close for major refurbishment and conversion into a six screen cinema complex. This work would, in effect, cut the organ in half - the Upper chamber being in one cinema and the lower chamber in another. Fortunately the Penistone Cinema Organ Trust eventually acquired and refurbished the organ and installed the Compton at the Penistone Paramount. Visit the website to find out more about a piece of Birminghams cinema history that fortunately was saved.
This site is dedicated to Arthur Lloyd, Actor, comedian, singer, songwriter, and music hall performer 1839 - 1904. There are currently over 2,450 pages of information on this site and more than 12,000 archive images. This website began life back in January 2001 when Matthew Lloyd decided that his Great Grandfather Arthur Lloyd, the once incredibly popular song writer, playwright, actor, and Music Hall performer, should have a presence on the Internet. Despite his considerable fame only 100 or so years ago, by the beginning of the 21st century he had been largely forgotten by almost everyone. On the site are numerous press cuttings, programmes, posters, books, magazines, postcards, and original song sheets. The site shows a passion for Theatre architecture itself and the preservation of Britain's Theatrical heritage, so you will find a great deal of information here on Theatres and Music Halls throughout the UK, many of them long ago demolished.
The Royalty Heritage trust have had numerous approaches to film videos or photograph the Royalty and it was a scheduled setting for a Spielberg film. Film Birmingham aims to strengthen the city’s link with its cinematic past. As part of its Film Charter, Birmingham City Council is committed to making filming as easy and efficient as possible. We provide the following free services for the film and television industry:
Filming Permissions. Film Birmingham is a one stop shop for filming requests. We liaise with the relevant departments at Birmingham City Council on your behalf and provide permits to film in the city. Our permissions request system means that you only need one point of contact for filming requests.
Locations: Film Birmingham manages an online database of filming locations throughout Birmingham. Our dedicated team provides information and advice about the diverse range of filming locations, production offices and unit bases available.
Crews and Facilities: Birmingham, and the region, has a wealth of highly skilled film and television talent and state-of-the art facilities. Film Birmingham can put you in touch with available crews and facilities across the region via our online crews and facilities database.
News and Events: Film Birmingham is a hub for filming in the city. As such, we can publicise your film news or events via our website, offer advice and help you make connections across Birmingham and the region.
Stretching from Sparkbrook through Sparkhill and to the edges of Hall Green, the Stratford Road was a centre of film-going during the middle of the 20th century, with numerous cinemas serving the densely-housed and changing population. From World War Two bombings to the transition towards – and eventual domination of – Asian-language film, these cinemas have witnessed tumultuous change. Most no longer exist, their buildings either destroyed or appropriated for other use. Visit this website to find out more.
A glimpse into the history of the cinema usherette drawing on oral histories of the women who worked during the 1930s and 1940s.