Cinema Museum, London facts for kids

The old Master House at Lambeth Workhouse, now the Cinema Museum

Exhibits on the walls of the Cinema Museum

The Cinema Museum is a special place in Kennington, London. It's a museum that collects amazing things about movies! Two friends, Ronald Grant and Martin Humphries, started the collection in 1986. They used their own private collection of cinema history items. The building where the museum is now used to be a workhouse. Famous actor Charlie Chaplin even lived there when he was a child.

History of the Cinema Museum

The museum first opened in 1986 in Brixton. Later, it moved to Kennington. Since 1998, it has been in its current home at 2 Dugard Way. This building was once part of the old Lambeth Workhouse. It is owned by the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

The workhouse has a cool connection to movie history. Charlie Chaplin lived there as a child. His mother was very poor at the time. The museum often holds talks and special events. You can also visit for tours by making an appointment.

In 2011, the museum faced a challenge. The building was going to be sold. But the museum worked hard to save its future. They looked for public funding to help. The Guardian newspaper made a documentary about the museum. A Canadian artist named Mark Lewis also made a film about it in 2008.

What You Can See: The Collection

The museum has many items related to making movies. It also shows how movies were shown and what it was like to go to the cinema. You can see things from the very first days of movies until now. They have examples of every type of film projector ever made. This includes both professional and home projectors.

The museum also has old films made by Mitchell and Kenyon. This company made films in Blackburn between 1899 and 1906. These old films were shown at a silent film festival in 1997.

Time Out magazine described the museum's collection. It includes movie posters and old cinema chairs. You can see ushers' uniforms from the 1940s and 1950s. There are also old tickets, ashtrays, and popcorn boxes. The museum's archive has hundreds of books. It also has millions of photos and a huge amount of film. Volunteers at events often wear original cinema uniforms.

The museum wants to celebrate all parts of cinema. They show silent films using special projectors. These projectors make sure the films are shown correctly. They also screen modern television shows. The museum is becoming well-known for its interesting events.

The museum has a cinema bar. Readers of Londonist voted it the eighth-best pub in Kennington in 2013.

The museum is easy to reach by tube. It is close to Elephant and Castle and Kennington tube stations.

Saving the Museum Building

In 2017, the building's owner, the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, decided to sell it. They put the building up for sale. A campaign started to save the museum. Many actors and filmmakers, like Ken Loach, supported it. A petition to keep the museum at its location got over 52,000 signatures.

The developers who bought the site gave the museum's charity a chance to buy the building. Fundraising efforts continued to help the museum secure its home.

Images for kids

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  Spotlight

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  1912 Pathé KOK 28mm projector

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  Wooden seating availability indicator

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  Cinema carpet

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  Popcorn machine

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  Seating

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  Bound volumes of The Cinema News and Property Gazette

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  Film canisters

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  Records

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  Usherette's hat

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  Entrance doors

Volunteers dressed in original cinema uniforms