Looking back at 100 years of cinema at the Kinema

This year marks the Kinema’s 100th birthday, and we went to the Kinema to see why people still flock to the “pictures” all these years later.

Nestled in the heart of Woodhall Spa, the Kinema in the Woods started life as a sports and entertainment pavilion, which sat in the grounds of The Victoria Hotel, looking over tennis courts, croquet lawns and gardens and dates from the late 19th century.

Sadly, the Victoria Hotel burnt down on Easter Sunday 1920, which led to the relationship between the hotel and the pavilion being severed.

In 1922, Sir Archibald and Lady Weigall purchased the Victoria Hotel ruins, including the sports pavilion and, with the assistance of Captain Carleton Cole Allport, the pavilion was transformed into a cinema, or the Kinema, which opened its doors for the first time on Monday September 11, 1922 at 7pm.

The first film to be shown was intended to be ‘The Lion Eaters’, however the film failed to arrive and a Charlie Chaplin film was shown in its place.

Due to the roof trusses in the building, which are too low for an image to be projected from the back of the auditorium, films in Screen One at The Kinema are projected from behind the screen and on to a mirror to flip the image. This is then shown on the back of the screen.

The Kinema is still believed to be the only full-time cinema in the UK still using rear projection.

Most of the auditorium - which is now the current Screen One - was fitted with tip-up seats, however the front six rows were deck chairs and were much sought after at a price of 1s 6d (other seats ranged from 1s 3d to 6d). The deck chairs remained in The Kinema until 1953.

The first sound projector was installed in The Kinema in 1928 and was replaced in 1978 by two electronically controlled projectors.

Major Allport ran the cinema for over 50 years, until 1973 when it was taken over by James Green who also owned a cinema in Stone, Staffordshire and later owned and ran cinemas in Spilsby and Mablethorpe.

In June 1987 Mr Green installed a Compton Kinestra organ in The Kinema, which features an ornate lacquered red and gold console with an 18th century oriental design. The organ is still situated in Screen One and played regularly by The Kinema’s resident organist, Alan Underwood - most recently during the Kinema’s centenary celebrations.

A second auditorium, Kinema Two with an impressive 92 seats, was opened on Friday July 8 1994 with a screening of Richard Curtis’s smash-hit comedy ‘Four Weddings and A Funeral’. The auditorium walls of Screen Two depict scenes of rural Lincolnshire in trompe l’oeil style painted by Canadian artist Murray Hubick.

The Kinema in the Woods remains a privately owned family business, owned by Philip Jones and his family since 2015.

Philip has been a part of the Kinema team since his childhood, as his first job was as a projectionist when he left school in 2004.

He went off to university, but found it wasn’t for him and luckily, a vacancy for an assistant manager came up at the Kinema shortly after in 2006 - and he never left.

When Mr Green retired in 2013, Phillip was able to rent the Kinema from him for a time, and then in 2015 officially purchased the theatre.

Philip said: “I’ve been here all my working life and I’ve never been anywhere else - why would I, it’s a dream job!

“There’s a great deal of responsibility to own the Kinema, to keep up the traditions that have been a part of it for 100 years while also keeping it as the unique experience that people love.

“People come because they want a traditional, friendly cinema experience. Some come because of the nostalgia factor, as it reminds them of the cinemas they used to go to back in their youth, and we celebrate our roots, while also showing the latest films.”

It’s this unique experience that keeps people coming from miles around, with traditional design in the foyer of a “picture show” and the hanging curtains in the theatres, to the museum experience in the front which is a throwback to the golden age of cinema.

“We’ve tried to keep things traditional, but also the technical equipment behind the scenes is modern to keep up to date with changing technologies.”

In June 2019 a third auditorium was opened, with a screening of the film ‘Yesterday’ to an invited audience.

This screen features lights made out of original 35mm film reels from the 1970s.

People can now have a screen in the Kinema all to themselves for a private showing, as a fourth screen, which seats up to 21 people, can now be hired out for just £140.

The quaint, nostalgic charm of the Kinema has even seen many famous faces come to watch a movie, including Lincolnshire A-listers Jim Broadbent and comedian Robert Webb, as well as actress Penelope Keith and even Sir David Attenborough.

As for the future, Philip wants to maintain the Kinema’s popularity and bring back the crowds which have reduced since the Covid-19 pandemic:

“We’ve extended our car park and added more screens - it’s just about building on our success and continuing to offer that great experience for people to keep coming back.”

To find out more information about the Kinema in the Woods, visit thekinemainthewoods.co.uk/