Duke of York's Picture House

Preston Circus,
Brighton, BN1 4NA

Unfavorite 7 people favorited this theater

Showing 15 comments

popcorn_pete
popcorn_pete on January 25, 2022 at 7:38 am

Commissioned at a cost of £3,000 by former actress Mrs. Violet Melnotte-Wyatt and named after the London theatre of the same name which she and her husband Frank Wyatt had built in 1892. The legs on the roof were acquired in 1991 from the Not the Moulin Rouge Theatre in Oxford. A further history available here: http://dukeofyorkscinema.co.uk/2010/06/a-brief-history/ and some more images here: https://www.snoozebrighton.com/2019/07/30/the-duke-of-yorks-cinema/ Link mentioned in 2007 now dead.

PhilipWW
PhilipWW on December 10, 2019 at 1:46 am

Link to the video on Facebook showing the external restoration of the cinema https://www.facebook.com/DukeofYorks/videos/555698904986830/

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on December 9, 2019 at 7:41 pm

Cineworld Picturehouse restore in place.

Ian
Ian on February 6, 2017 at 12:45 am

Some contemporary images (taken January 2017) here, showing a stark contrast to the run down state of the building in my earlier 1980’s photos:–

FACADE

FOYER

AUDITORIUM FROM BALCONY

AUDITORIUM FROM STALLS

davidcoppock
davidcoppock on November 12, 2016 at 9:08 pm

The Duke of York’s Picture House, once a year shows the Eurovision Song Contest live on the big screen.

RHScottSpencer
RHScottSpencer on March 15, 2013 at 10:16 am

I can remember going to this cinema as a kid during the summer holidays as it was cheap to get in about a 1- (5p). I remember you could hear the fire engines next door when they where called out to a fire etc. It was called the flea pit by some, I recall one afternoon seeing a rat running about the stalls and a woman screaming about it. I am amazed that it it still a working cinema as all the other cinemas from that time have been closed and have been or are about to be demolished.

davepring
davepring on April 1, 2012 at 9:54 am

Cinema to be refurbished in the summer with new seating and decoration and an additional 3 screens to open at Komedia Brighton in Dec 2012

Ian
Ian on September 28, 2010 at 2:58 am

Here is a 1986 photo showing a rather run-down looking cinema:–

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stagedoor/5032764936/

davepring
davepring on July 16, 2009 at 12:34 am

A fabulous cinema with an eclectic programming mix of mainstream and arthouse movies.The balcony has comfy sofas and there is a small but well stocked cafe bar with terrace at first floore level.Plans for the future include expansion into a former fire station next door to add more screens and cafe/bar

Ken Roe
Ken Roe on July 25, 2007 at 3:04 pm

Here is a link to a page showing a small vintage photograph and a potted history:
View link

Ian
Ian on January 30, 2007 at 5:46 am

Two photos of the (somewhat seedy) auditorium in 1988. It has been refurbished significantly since then!

http://flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/374513027/
http://flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/374513028/

Ken Roe
Ken Roe on September 30, 2005 at 1:07 pm

Thanks to woody, a recent exterior photograph of the Duke of York’s Picture House here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/48112013/

brighton84
brighton84 on December 2, 2004 at 6:08 pm

Is this going to cause arguments? I hope not. The shortly to be re-opened, refurbished, Electric Cinema in Station Street, Birmingham opened in December 1909 and has shown films under a variety of names since.