Cinema
Bath Road,
Sturminster Newton,
DT10 1DU
Bath Road,
Sturminster Newton,
DT10 1DU
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In the small town of Sturminster Newton, Dorset, film shows were presented, from the 1920’s, by Charlie Walford.
He was a mobile cinema operator, and the shows were presented weekly in The Hut. Miss Inkpen provided accompaniment on the piano.
Max Harvey, who lived in the town, assisted with the projection equipment and collecting the ticket money.
At some stage another operator, Mr Jeans, took over. He erected a tin hut to accommodate the projectors, possibly moving from 16mm to 35mm projection.
This appears to have been a fairly basic operation. Years later, residents recalled how uncomfortable The Hut was, and how they had to put on extra-warm clothing in the winter, when cold air came through gaps in the floor! However, it was the only cinema in this small town, so presumably it was worth putting up with these inconveniences.
This operation barely registered in the Kinematograph Year Books. In the early-1930’s the entries read simply “Electric Theatre. Proprietors The Walford Family, Chard, Somerset” while, in the 1940’s and 1950’s, when they appeared, they read simply “Cinema”, with no further details. (Perhaps Mr Jeans upgraded the name.)
The final entry in the Kinematograph Year Books was in 1967.
The Hut was eventually absorbed into a hall for the Royal British Legion.
Contributed by
David Simpson
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Recent comments (view all 1 comments)
When I visited Sturminster Newton, in March 2022, I was fortunate to be able to speak to the British Legion hall caretaker/manager, who kindly showed me around. The obvious candidate for the original ‘Hut’ is the building standing at right angles at the rear of the main hall, which is the earliest part of the current structure. The central section of the hall was a former military building that was brought onto the site after the Second World War, and could well have been nicknamed ‘The Hut’ as the film shows continued until around 1967. The brick building that fronts onto the road is a more recent addition.