The Plaza Cinema first opened on 2 September 1939 and immediately closed again that same day. Since the 1990's it's been a community cinema, run as a charity by volunteers. The three-screen Plaza with original features screens a range of commercial, limited release, foreign language and cult films.
00:00The Plaza Cinema first opened on the 2nd of September 1939 and immediately closed again that very same day due to regulations introduced by the outbreak of war.
00:10Following the reopening, two weeks later the cinema offered full film programmes and for many years live variety entertainment.
00:17In 1996 when its owners wanted to offer the site for redevelopment, the community rallied around to save it.
00:24You just look around and when you walk in, it just gets to you. You get that feeling of being in a proper cinema.
00:32And the public are amazing that live around here and support us.
00:37Walking into the cinema is like stepping back into the past with a range of beautiful original features.
00:44Where I'm sitting now is the original seats from 1939 and obviously they've been reupholstered in material used on the Orient Express trains.
00:52The curtains are the original curtains designed from 1939.
00:56Organ music was once a regular feature at cinemas. However, after it fell out of popularity, the cinema had its organ removed in the 1970s.
01:04They've now installed a new one, but it's not quite in working order yet.
01:09We've got the organ which is a whale litter organ. It did work the other week for the first time in four years.
01:14It seems like something that's never going to end. It's seen five prime ministers and it still hasn't worked.
01:20Martin's been here at the plaza for 26 years. Starting off as a volunteer, he became the cinema manager in 2011.
01:27When I was a kid, I used to come here and all the people that come in here used to say their mum and dad used to bring them here
01:34and their grandparents used to bring them here and they bring their own kids here.
01:38Since reopening as a community cinema in 1997, the three screen plaza has shown a range of commercial, limited release, foreign language and cult films.
01:48You have your ups and downs. Obviously during COVID, it was difficult. Still not recording COVID.
01:532010, the heating collapsed and that's when we thought we were going to go under, but we didn't and we're still here now.
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