Plymouth Arts Cinema
An independent cinema in Plymouth, England, presenting international independent films, classics, festivals, special events and open-air screenings.
Last updated August 24, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Plymouth Arts Cinema is an independent cinema in Plymouth, England, and the continuation of the organisation formerly known as Plymouth Arts Centre. The organisation began in 1947 as one of seven arts centres established with support from the newly created Arts Council of Great Britain. Its original home was a Grade II listed town house on Looe Street in Plymouth’s Barbican area. Over several decades, the venue combined contemporary visual art, independent film, creative learning and hospitality, with gallery spaces, a small cinema, artist studios, a café and a bar. The former arts centre played a significant role in Plymouth’s cultural life and provided an exhibition platform for artists at different stages of their careers. Beryl Cook held her first exhibition there in 1975, after being identified by the centre’s then director Bernard Samuels. Other artists and cultural figures associated with exhibitions or events at the venue included Patrick Heron, Tracey Emin, Allen Ginsberg, Tom Raworth, Peter Greenaway, Ralph Steadman, Vong Phaophanit, Richard Deacon, Andy Goldsworthy and Terry Frost. The centre also attracted a substantial local audience, reportedly receiving more than 70,000 visitors annually during its Looe Street period. In 2008, the organisation marked its diamond jubilee with a retrospective drawing on programmes, photographs, posters, invitations and other material preserved in the building. The archival display illustrated the breadth of the centre’s past activity, although its surviving records contained a gap covering parts of the period between 1957 and the 1970s. The Looe Street operation ended in 2018 after Arts Council England withdrew funding and the historic building was sold. The visual-arts programme was discontinued, but the cinema activity continued under the name Plymouth Arts Cinema. It moved to a purpose-built facility at Plymouth College of Art, now known as Arts University Plymouth, which opened on 10 January 2019. In its current form, Plymouth Arts Cinema presents new independent cinema from the United Kingdom and around the world, classic films, festivals, special screenings and other events, including open-air cinema. Its identity therefore reflects both its history as a multidisciplinary arts centre and its present role as an independent film exhibitor.
History
Plymouth Arts Centre was established in 1947 as one of seven arts centres created with financial support from the newly formed Arts Council of Great Britain. The centre was opened by the art historian Kenneth Clark and operated from a three-storey, Grade II listed town house on Looe Street in Plymouth’s Barbican district. The building formed part of an important group of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century town houses and had previously been used as a shop. The organisation developed as a multidisciplinary cultural venue rather than solely as a cinema. Its facilities included exhibition galleries, a 61-seat cinema, artist studios, a café and a bar. It supported contemporary art, film exhibition, education and community-facing cultural activity. During its years on Looe Street it became a prominent platform for artists and writers, including people who were early in their careers. Beryl Cook presented her first exhibition at the centre in 1975, and Bernard Samuels, then the centre’s director, is credited with recognising her work. The venue also presented exhibitions or programmes involving figures such as Patrick Heron, Tracey Emin, Allen Ginsberg, Tom Raworth, Peter Greenaway, Ralph Steadman, Vong Phaophanit, Richard Deacon, Andy Goldsworthy and Terry Frost. The centre’s local importance was reflected in its reported annual attendance of more than 70,000 visitors. In 2008, it celebrated its diamond jubilee with a historical exhibition assembled from material preserved in the building, including old programmes, photographs, posters, invitations and other ephemera. The archive was incomplete, with records missing for a number of years between 1957 and the 1970s, but the surviving material documented the breadth of the organisation’s activity. A major institutional change came in 2018. Arts Council England withdrew funding, the Looe Street building was sold and the visual-arts programme ended. The cinema element survived as a separate continuing activity. It moved to a newly built venue at Plymouth College of Art, which opened on 10 January 2019. Plymouth College of Art was renamed Arts University Plymouth in 2022. The continuing organisation adopted the name Plymouth Arts Cinema and now operates as an independent cinema based at the university. Plymouth Arts Cinema’s current programme focuses on new independent films from around the world, alongside classic films, festivals, special events and open-air cinema. The transition changed the organisation from a combined gallery, cinema and creative-learning centre into a more specialised film institution, while preserving its long-standing commitment to non-mainstream and culturally significant screen work.
- 2022
Host institution adopts Arts University Plymouth name
[1]Plymouth College of Art, the institution hosting the cinema, is renamed Arts University Plymouth.
- 2019
Cinema relocates to Plymouth College of Art
[1]The continuing cinema opens in a new facility at Plymouth College of Art on 10 January and operates as Plymouth Arts Cinema.
- 2018
Looe Street venue closes
[1]Arts Council England funding ends, the original building is sold and the visual-arts programme is discontinued, while the cinema operation is retained.
- 2008
Diamond jubilee retrospective
[1]The organisation marks sixty years with an exhibition of archival programmes, photographs, posters, invitations and related historical material.
- 1975
Beryl Cook holds her first exhibition
[1]Beryl Cook presents her first exhibition at Plymouth Arts Centre, with director Bernard Samuels credited with discovering or recognising her work.
- 1947
Plymouth Arts Centre opens
[1]The centre opens in a Grade II listed town house on Looe Street with support from the Arts Council of Great Britain, one of seven arts centres established through the initiative.
Products and positioning
An independent, culturally focused cinema serving Plymouth and the surrounding region, with a programme centred on international independent film, repertory cinema, festivals and distinctive live or outdoor events.
Cinema exhibition
Independent film programme
The core offering of Plymouth Arts Cinema is a programme of new independent films from the United Kingdom and other countries. The selection provides an alternative to mainstream multiplex programming and is oriented toward international, artistically distinctive and culturally significant cinema.
Repertory cinema
Classic film programme
The cinema also presents classic and repertory films, allowing audiences to encounter notable earlier works alongside contemporary releases. These screenings extend the venue’s role beyond first-run independent film.
Events
Film festivals and special events
Festivals, special screenings and related cinema events form part of the programme. These events create a format for themed or curated presentation and support the organisation’s position as a cultural cinema rather than a conventional commercial exhibitor.
Outdoor exhibition
Open-air cinema
Plymouth Arts Cinema presents open-air screenings as an extension of its indoor programme. These events bring film exhibition into public or outdoor settings and provide a distinctive event-based format.
Visual arts · 1947
Contemporary art exhibitions
During its Plymouth Arts Centre period, the organisation operated gallery spaces and presented contemporary art exhibitions. This programme ended after the 2018 closure and relocation, when the continuing organisation became focused on cinema.
Brand decisions
2019
Re-establish the cinema at a new host institutionStrategyBackground
Following the closure of the Looe Street arts-centre venue, the organisation needed a new base for its continuing cinema work.
Action taken
Plymouth Arts Cinema opened in a newly built facility at Plymouth College of Art.
Aftermath
The organisation continued presenting independent and repertory cinema, festivals, special events and open-air screenings from its new setting.
2018
Continue the cinema after the arts-centre closureStrategyBackground
Arts Council England funding was withdrawn, the Looe Street building was sold and the visual-arts programme could not continue at the original site.
Action taken
The organisation retained its cinema activity, ended the visual-arts programme and moved the cinema operation to a new facility at Plymouth College of Art.
Aftermath
The cinema reopened on 10 January 2019 under the name Plymouth Arts Cinema and continued as an independent film exhibitor.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/plymouth-arts-centre · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled