Cinema Museum, London facts for kids

The Cinema Museum is a super cool place in Kennington, London. It's like a treasure chest filled with everything about movies! Two friends, Ronald Grant and Martin Humphries, started this amazing collection in 1986. They gathered all sorts of cinema history items. Guess what? The building where the museum is now used to be a workhouse. Even the famous actor Charlie Chaplin lived there when he was a kid!

The Cinema Museum: A Journey Through Film History

Where the Magic Began: Museum History

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

The Cinema Museum first opened its doors in 1986 in a place called Raleigh Hall in Brixton. Later, it moved to Kennington. Since 1998, it has been in its current home at 2 Dugard Way. This building is in the London Borough of Lambeth. It used to be part of the old Lambeth Workhouse.

This old workhouse has a special connection to movies. Charlie Chaplin, a very famous silent film star, lived here when he was a child. His mother was very poor at the time. The museum often hosts talks and special events. You can visit by making an appointment for a tour.

A few years ago, in 2011, the museum faced a challenge. The building was almost sold! But the museum worked hard to save its future. They tried to get public funding to help. The museum has even been featured in documentaries by The Guardian and Canadian artist Mark Lewis.

What You'll Find: The Amazing Collection

Exhibits on the walls of the Cinema Museum

The museum's collection is huge! It has items about how films are made. It also shows how movies are shown and what it was like to go to the cinema. You can see things from the very first days of movies right up to today. They have examples of every type of film projector ever made. This includes both professional and home projectors.

The museum also keeps a special collection of old films. These were made by a company called Mitchell and Kenyon from Blackburn. These films are from 1899 to 1906. They were even shown at a big silent film festival in Italy in 1997.

Time Out magazine says the museum has a unique collection. It includes movie posters and cool art deco cinema chairs. You can see old ushers' uniforms from the 1940s and 50s. There are also old tickets, ashtrays, and popcorn boxes. The museum's archives hold hundreds of books. They also have over a million photos and millions of feet of film! Sometimes, volunteers at events even dress up in original cinema uniforms.

The museum wants to celebrate all parts of cinema. They show old silent films using special projectors. This makes sure the films look just like they did long ago. They also show modern TV shows. The museum is becoming well-known for its fun and different events.

The museum is easy to get to. It's close to Elephant and Castle and Kennington tube stations.

Helping to Save the Museum

In 2017, the building's owner, the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, decided to sell it. This meant the museum might have to leave its home. A big campaign started to save the museum. Famous actors and filmmakers, like Ken Loach, supported it. A petition to keep the museum at the site got over 52,000 signatures!

The new owners of the site gave the museum's charity time to buy the building. So, fundraising is still going on to help the museum buy its home and stay open for everyone to enjoy.

Images for kids

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  Volunteers dressed in original cinema uniforms

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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