Newton Stewart Cinema

Newton Stewart Cinema is a community cinema in the town of Newton Stewart in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It operates from a distinctive Art Deco building whose history reaches back to 1916, when George Gouldson first brought silent movies to the town. The cinema is run by volunteers as a community resource, screening a mix of new releases, family films and event cinema, and it is known locally simply as 'The Cinema'. The venue's programming is typical of a small independent community cinema: recent titles such as 'Pressure', 'Practical Magic 2' and an 'Avengers: Endgame' encore are advertised with specific screening dates and times, and tickets are sold at modest prices. Admission is priced at £7.50 for adults, £7.00 for seniors and concessions, £7.00 for students, £6.00 for children, and £22.00 for a family of four. Seniors and concessions are defined as those aged 60 and over, children as 14 and under, and family tickets cover either two adults and two children or one adult and three children. Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult. The cinema's building is central to its identity. George Gouldson bought the plot of land in 1933 and had plans drawn up that formed the basis of the handsome Art Deco cinema still in use. In 1937 he invested in state-of-the-art projection equipment, enabling blockbuster screenings such as 'The Mutiny on the Bounty'. Cinemascope arrived in 1953, and the cinema thrived through the 1950s before television and colour broadcasting contributed to falling audiences in the 1960s. The last film was shown in May 1968 and the cinema was sold by Thomas Gouldson, nephew of the original owner, but a campaign led by film production entrepreneur John Forbes-Semple and public meetings in the town saved it, and it reopened to a full house. Further closures and rescues followed. The cinema closed for refurbishment in 1969, enjoyed an upsurge in attendance in the 1970s with hits such as 'Saturday Night Fever', 'Grease' and 'Ben Hur', but attendance dwindled again in the 1980s and upkeep became costly. In December 1982 it closed once more, and again public demand provided a lifeline: a group of local film buffs chaired by Galloway Gazette managing director Iain Brown formed The Save the Cinema Committee. Today the cinema continues as a volunteer-run community resource, sustained by local support and ticket sales rather than by a commercial chain.

The history of Newton Stewart Cinema begins in 1916, when George Gouldson brought the first silent movies to Newton Stewart. In 1933 he bought the plot of land on which the cinema stands and had plans drawn up that formed the basis of the handsome Art Deco building still in use today. With the arrival of talking pictures, local people were able to enjoy moving and talking films. In 1937 Gouldson invested in state-of-the-art projection equipment, which enabled The Cinema to screen blockbuster films such as 'The Mutiny on the Bounty'. In 1953 'High and Handsome' Cinemascope was introduced, and audiences thronged to the cinema throughout the 1950s to watch big box office successes. The 1960s brought challenges. The advent of colour and a wide variety of entertainment on television saw cinema audience numbers falling dramatically. The last film was shown in May 1968, and the cinema was sold by Thomas Gouldson, nephew of the original owner. By then it was showing signs of disrepair and decay. John Forbes-Semple, a film production entrepreneur, led public meetings in the town in an effort to buy back the cinema. In October the Galloway Gazette hailed the news that the cinema had indeed been saved. The reopening was a huge success as the public filled the house, and it seemed they were ready to fully support the venture. In 1969 the cinema closed for refurbishment. The 1970s showed a real upsurge in attendance with big box office hits such as 'Saturday Night Fever', 'Grease' and 'Ben Hur', among many others. By 1980, however, attendance had started to dwindle again and upkeep was proving costly. In December 1982 the cinema closed its doors yet again. Once again public demand ensured it was thrown a lifeline: a group of local film buffs, chaired by Galloway Gazette managing director Iain Brown, became The Save the Cinema Committee. The cinema survived and continues today as a community resource run by volunteers, screening a mix of new releases, family films and event cinema at affordable prices.

• 1982

  The cinema closed in December; The Save the Cinema Committee, chaired by Iain Brown, was formed.

• 1969

  The cinema closed for refurbishment.

• 1968

  The last film was shown in May; the cinema was sold by Thomas Gouldson, then saved after a campaign led by John Forbes-Semple.

• 1953

  'High and Handsome' Cinemascope was introduced.

• 1937

  Gouldson invested in state-of-the-art projection equipment, enabling blockbuster screenings such as 'The Mutiny on the Bounty'.

• 1933

  Gouldson bought the plot of land and had plans drawn up that formed the basis of the Art Deco cinema.

• 1916

  George Gouldson brought the first silent movies to Newton Stewart.

A volunteer-run, community-owned cinema offering affordable access to film in a historic Art Deco venue in rural Scotland.

• Cinema screenings

  New releases, family films and event cinema shown on specific dates and times.

• Admission tickets

  Adult £7.50, Senior/Concession £7.00, Student £7.00, Child £6.00, Family of 4 £22.00.

1. 1The Cinema, Newton Stewart, community resource run by volunteersnscinema.co.uk
2. 2The Cinema, Newton Stewart, community resource run by volunteersnscinema.co.uk
3. 3Newton Stewart Cinemawikidata.org