1953 Prices 9d-2s 6d. 1915 Lessee/manager is H Whalley Ashwell. My Nan and Aunty came in about 5 o’clock and bring me a flask and sandwiches. I have in my keeping a reference on headed paper from The Sussex Picturedromes Co. Ltd signed by the then manager of the Duke’s – a Mr Jordon. Prices 3d, 6d, 1s and 2s 6d for boxes; 800 tip-up seats in a carpeted auditoriumauditorium; free cup of tea with each ticket. The opening programme includes G A Smith's Byways of Byron. Tel: 01273 644 713 As well as the on-line archive the project culminated in an extensive programme of live cinematic screenings, workshops for schools, digital presentations, historical talks & cinema tours that took place across the centenary year. 1911 June 20 A winding-up order is made. You can also search by a particular subject. It was built on the site of the Amber Ale Brewery, the walls of which still form the rear part of the auditorium. 1994 August Receivers are appointed, although the cinema continues to trade and attracts a number of bids. [They are later moved to the roof, where they are joined by a large satellite dish.] Prices 1s 6d-2s 9d. 1943 December-1944 June Outbreaks of vandalism leave seats in need of refurbishment. In the 1950s and 1960s, Mabel worked mostly in the box office and Tom did most of the cleaning. It is given the same name as the Wyatt's Duke of York's Theatre in London's West End and is almost certainly named (at least indirectly) after Frederick, Duke of York and Albany (1763-1827), long-time commander-in-chief of the army—the Grand Old Duke of York of the nursery rhyme—and younger brother of the Prince Regent (George IV) and William IV, coincidentally regular visitors to Brighton. Preston Circus, Brighton The Argus picked up on the story and the next scheduled showing was quietly cancelled. It was great, we saw ‘The Wild Bunch’; ‘Easy Rider’ and all the ‘Hammer Horror’ films with Christopher Lee. I remember a late night showing of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at the Dukes, sometime in 1985 or 1986. We used to go in the side entrance and pay 7 old pence in 1943. 1983 August 4 Re-opens following acquisition by the Penultimate Picture Palace Company (run by Oxford art-house exhibitor William Heine) and refurbishment, reducing the seating capacity to 302. The architects were Clayton & Black. Happy days! When I was 14/15 years old, The Duke of Yorks was the only cinema me and my friends knew that would let us in to see the ‘x’ films of the day. The Duke of York’s opened on 22nd September 1910 and is still the UK’s oldest purpose-built cinema, as verified by the Cinema Theatres Association. Photos and articles about Brighton and Hove in the time of coronavirus. 1922 The company's managing director (until his death in 1955) is W T Bradshaw. 1934 Prices are 7d-2s. 1937 21 June Closes for complete refurbishment, reopening on 27 June. Duke of York's Cinema (1910 to date) Preston Circus, Brighton 04 operated 1910 to date • The Duke of York's, now Grade II listed, is almost certainly the oldest surviving purpose-built cinema in continuous use as such in Britain—probably in the world. 1978 June Acquired by Pavilion (Chelmsford) Ltd. In the late 1940s the price of admission for children on a Saturday morning was 3d,or nothing if one of your pals could get to the emergency exit and let you in that way. Continuously operating since 1910! The Duke of York's cinema was built at the cost of £3000 by actress-manager Violet Melnotte-Wyatt. This project sought to bring this story alive for a large numbers of Brighton residents by directly involving the community in tracing and celebrating its history. The Phoenix at East Finchley, London, which makes a similar claim, received planning permission four days after the Duke of York's opened and had its first performance on 11 May 1911. She accepts. It has continually operated as a cinema throughout its lifetime and is recognized as one of the country’s most important independent cinemas. Needless to say the reference was a good one. 2005 May 26 Included in the UK Film Council's Digital Screen Network project. Why I like this photo These days, Preston Circus is a pretty busy junction with traffic filling the roads. I loved ‘Easy Rider’ as it had that great soundtrack. 1918 Mrs Melmotte-Wyatt sells the cinema to Jack Channon of Sussex Picturedromes (115 Western Road, Brighton). 1910 September 22 Opened by Brighton mayor Charles Thomas-Stanford, on the site of the Amber Ale Brewery; owned by Mrs Violet Melnotte-Wyatt, proprietor of the Duke of York's Theatre in London, and designed by C E Clayton of theatre architects Clayton & Black at a cost of £3,000. The cinema used to have its own excellent website (www.dukeofyorkscinema.com) with a detailed history and local memories but this has been discontinued. He left of his own accord in August 1939.  04 Rice was hurled, water pistols sprayed, and at the end all the fire extinguishers were let off. This postcard shows the opening of the Duke of York's cinema in Brighton. 1947 P J Drew-Bear is appointed chief projectionist. 1956 February 6 First screening of newly installed CinemaScope. On 3rd August 1935 my father George Williams started work as a Page boy aged fourteen at the Duke of York’s; it was his first job. The bar upstairs is alcohol friendly and very attractive. It is also used for local film festivals. 2d I think was the charge, but all the kids tried to sneak in for nothing. A great escape from all the restrictions of the War. The 60-year lease for thesite cost £250 a year. The Duke of York’s 100 project was devoted to the centenary of the Grade II listed Duke of York’s Picturehouse in Brighton and wider cinema-going in the city. 1976 Acquired by Victory Theatres, owner of the Regal, Bognor Regis. I am not sure how much it cost but I think it was around 3d old money? More likely to screen Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood than Kevin Costner’s, this charming little cinema continues to present the very best of European, American, Hindi and Independent film-making.”. Cinecity The rush to get out before the end was something else, but if you did not make it everybody just stood still, when God save the Queen came on. See our collection and add your own! My uncle took me to the Duke of York’s on many occasions. At the Duke of York’s it was usually an hour long cartoon/short films etc event – which kept repeating every hour – so you could go in at anytime and not miss out. The number of seats is reduced to 750 from the 890 previously listed. Prices increase: 6d stalls to 7d, 9d unchanged, 1s to 1s 2d; all balcony seats, previously 1s 3d, 1s 6d and 2s, are now 1s 6d. 1963 Cinema is sold to P J Drew-Bear. Who remembers Butterkist Popcorn? 1942 The old sound-on-disc installation is finally removed. A family season ticket for weekly admission in a reserved box costs a guinea (21s) a year. 2004 Internal renovation costs £50,000; 330 seats. I used to go to the Duke of York’s at the weekend’s in the fifties. 1939 H E Jordan is general manager. Over its first one hundred years 1910-2010 the Duke of York’s transformed  from Edwardian Picture Palace to ‘flea-pit’ to leading independent cinema, representing many stages that reflect what has been the changing nature of cinema exhibition in this country over the century. I have very fond memories of the Duke of York’s. 2002 September 14 In a 90-second film a cinemagoer proposes to his girlfriend, Julie Hatcher, who is with him in the audience. 1983 June 7 Closes. Royal Pavilion and Museums Brighton and Hove. Back in November 1963 (when I was thirteen), Ronald Feidler and I went there and saw James Bond in DR NO. You can also keep updated with any developments through the current Duke of York’s Picturehouse bookings website and the Cinecity website. I have special memories of the Duke of York’s; I especially remember Aunty Mabel and Tom. Until the coronation of George V in 1911 performances commence with community singing of God Bless the Prince of Wales, conducted by the manager from the orchestra pit. My Mum worked at the Dukes during WW2 as a fire watcher and often mentioned the drunken Canadian soldiers that tried to get in late at night. Duke of York's Picturehouse, Brighton. The proscenium arch is redesigned by local architect Thomas Garrett & Son. The Story of Brighton's Favourite Cinema, "The Duke's is one of Britain's truly great independent cinemas.The jewel in the crown of Brighton. Celebrating 100 years of cinema and cinema-going in the city. Comments are currently disabled while we update the site. The Duke of York's today with its trademark legs on the roof. [ref 0073]. I often went in during a shopping trip into town to sit down for a bit – came out refreshed and laughing! A great place for children, cheap ice creams also, which were quite a treat then. 1941 V R Chennell is company secretary. As a result it regularly shows digital screenings, including live relays from the Metropolitan Opera, New York and the annual Eurovision Song Contest. Throughout 2010 Cinecity worked with community groups to build this Duke of York’s centenary archive. I love it.' It was the only cinema he would go to out of all the cinemas in Brighton – and there were plenty! Upcoming events, tickets, information, and maps for Duke of York's Picturehouse in Brighton from Ents24.com, the UK's biggest entertainment website.