Bedford
Cinema History
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About the Cinema History Project
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The Project
'A
good picture palace is one of the essentials of any town or village.'* At one
time Bedford had five. Cinemas
were a vital part of the town's cultural life for several decades and going to
the cinema in the last century seems to evoke nostalgic memories for so many people. Bedford's
rich cinema history has been brought to life by a group of dedicated volunteer
researchers. Bedford Library's Times Past projects just wouldn't happen without
them. They have looked into the history of the five individual cinemas (the Picturedrome,
Palace, Empire, Plaza and Granada) and their design, as well
as, the pioneering Blake and Chetham families, how the local council dealt with
issues arising from the popularity of cinema-going, stage shows at the Granada
and the history of Bedford Film Society.
Enormous thanks therefore go to the researchers, Gerry Allen, Christine Gough,
Brenda Hands, Fran Kemp, Catherine Moorhouse, Barbara Power and Graham Trundley
for putting in so much time and effort into this project. Thanks also go to
Nigel Lutt and his colleagues at BARS who have been unfailingly helpful with
cinema questions,
to Professor Steve Chibnall and Laraine Porter from DMU for their interest and
support, including a fascinating talk about cinema exhibition, to Stuart Antrobus for providing
very useful starting points for the researchers at the outset and to Bob Marks for
sharing unique material about the Blake family.
We believe that the correct acknowledgements have been made for copyright ownership of the images included. However, if there are any any queries, please do let us know. Please contact, The Senior Librarian, Bedford Library, Harpur Street, Bedford MK40 1PG, Tel. 01234 718178
*Bedfordshire Times and Independent 21st February 1936 p.17
Page last updated:25th February 2014