As the debate on the long-term preservation of our national screen heritage continues to focus primarily on the moving images themselves, it’s worth highlighting two major cinema restoration projects that are taking place in Britain at the moment. If you know of any more, do let us know.
Each of these concerns very different examples of cinemas from the 1930s, a super cinema and a newsreel theatre. The first is the Plaza Super Cinema and Variety Theatre, a grade II listed building which opened its doors in Stockport on 6th October 1932. It has survived virtually intact together with one of its greatest assets, a fully working Compton organ. The Stockport Plaza Trust is the charitable trust responsible for saving, restoring and operating the Plaza, hopes to provide the public and researchers with a valuable resouce whilst working alongside the community of Greater Manchester to foster an appreciation of its cinematic heritage. The second concerns the restoration of the Bijou News-Reel Cinema, as it was originally called, which opened on Tyneside on 1st February 1937. The Tyneside Cinema re-development aims to take the building back to its newsreel roots whilst constructing two new screens to accommodate the needs of future generations. It’s hoped that the building will re-open in April 2008.
