Hebden Bridge Picture House opens doors for visitors to look at over 100 years of history with the National Trust
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
The Friends of the Picture House, a voluntary group that connects and communicates between the cinema, the Town Council, and the people of Hebden Bridge, hosted the event, which featured film screenings, ad guided tour, and a demonstration of projection systems old and new.
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Hide AdVisitors enjoyed screenings of the Hebden Bridge 1925 Gala newsreel, which was produced exclusively for the cinema at the time of that event and was recently restored in high definition.
Audience members expressed delight at sights of the packed high streets in footage showing parades of dancers, musicians and costumed locals.
“It’s amazing seeing that footage, really emotional to be honest,” said one visitor.
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Hide Ad“It’s incredible to see how similar the streets are now. We watched it a few times to try and spot which buildings we know.”
Head Projectionist Ben Gwilliam demonstrated the cinema’s restored vintage projector, which takes pride of place at the rear of the auditorium, followed by a tour of the operational projection room, where the modern 4K digital projector sits side by side with its 35mm predecessor, which was primed for the afternoon’s screening of family classic The Goonies.
Heritage Open Days is the country’s largest festival of history and culture, and has been running since 1994.
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Hide AdIt is by the National Trust with support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
As one satisfied attendee said: “It’s fantastic to get a good look around the building, it’s so beautiful and keeps cinema alive.”