Southwold Electric Picture Palace

The Southwold Electric Picture Palace is a small independent cinema in Blackmill Road, Southwold, on the Suffolk coast of England. It was opened by Michael Palin in May 2002 and is owned and run by the Southwold Film Society. The venue is named after the first Southwold cinema, which began operating in 1912 in nearby York Road, and its design deliberately follows the style of that period. The building itself has humble origins as a cart shed, stables and garage; it was skilfully converted into a cinema with stalls and a circle seating 70 people plus space for a wheelchair. Facilities include a box office, a kiosk, two WCs, a loop system, an organ and air-conditioning. The organ rises from beneath the stage to entertain the audience during the intermission. Ten years after opening, the purchase and conversion of an adjacent building allowed the public areas to be usefully enlarged. The cinema opens for film evenings around one hundred times a year, including National Theatre Live screenings. Films are shown in Seasons throughout the year — Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter — with a short break between each season. Southwold Film Society members receive a printed programme/newsletter ahead of each season and can book seats in advance; only advance bookings are allowed. Seat prices are normally £6 for Stalls Row A, £7 for Stalls Rows B–H, £8 for the Circle and £15 for the Royal Box (two seats); National Theatre Live seats are £10. Membership costs £12 per year. Since 2008 the venue has held a Wedding Licence and is available for weddings and private party cinema occasions. The Electric Picture Palace is a community-oriented, non-profit-style cinema rather than a commercial multiplex, and it remains a distinctive cultural fixture in Southwold.

The Southwold Electric Picture Palace opened in May 2002 in Blackmill Road, Southwold, and was inaugurated by Michael Palin. It takes its name from the first cinema in Southwold, which began operating in 1912 in nearby York Road, and the new venue was designed to follow the style of that early period. The building had previously served as a cart shed, stables and garage before being skilfully converted into a cinema. The conversion created stalls and a circle with 70 seats plus space for a wheelchair, along with a box office, a kiosk, two WCs, a loop system, an organ and air-conditioning. The organ rises from beneath the stage to entertain the audience during the intermission. Ten years after opening, the purchase and conversion of an adjacent building allowed the public areas to be usefully enlarged. The cinema is owned and run by the Southwold Film Society. It opens for film evenings around one hundred times a year, including National Theatre Live screenings, and programmes films in Seasons throughout the year — Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter — with a short break between each season. Members of the Southwold Film Society receive a printed programme/newsletter ahead of each season and can book seats in advance; only advance bookings are allowed. Seat prices are normally £6 for Stalls Row A, £7 for Stalls Rows B–H, £8 for the Circle and £15 for the Royal Box (two seats), with National Theatre Live seats at £10. Membership costs £12 per year. Since 2008 the venue has held a Wedding Licence and is available for weddings and private party cinema occasions.

• 2012

  Ten years after opening, an adjacent building is purchased and converted, enlarging the public areas.

• 2008

  The venue obtains a Wedding Licence.

• 2002

  The Southwold Electric Picture Palace opens in May in Blackmill Road, inaugurated by Michael Palin.

• 1912

  The first Southwold cinema, after which the Electric Picture Palace is named, begins operating in nearby York Road.

A community-focused, heritage-styled independent cinema run by a film society, offering affordable seasonal screenings and special events in a small Suffolk coastal town.

• Seasonal film screenings

  Films shown in Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter Seasons, with a short break between each.

• National Theatre Live screenings

  Live theatre broadcasts included among the roughly one hundred film evenings per year.

• Private party cinema occasions

  The venue is available for private party cinema occasions.

• Wedding venue hire

  A Wedding Licence has been held since 2008, and the venue can be hired for weddings.

1. 1Explore Southwold - Electric Picture Palaceexploresouthwold.co.uk
2. 2Explore Southwold - Aboutexploresouthwold.co.uk
3. 3Wikidata - Southwold Electric Picture Palacewikidata.org