The Curzon Community Cinema, Clevedon: The Curzon Collection: Home page

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The Curzon Collection: Home page

The Curzon Collection began with the Heritage Open Day in September 2000, featuring mainly 16mm vintage projection equipment which had been donated to the Curzon Community Cinema for use and preservation.

Curzon Collection Menu

During 2001, the Projected Picture Trust (www.ppttrust.org), based at Bletchley Park (the home of the famous Enigma WW2 coding machines and the Colossus computer) needed to relocate equipment due to pressure of space. Through negotiation the Curzon was able to assist, and in April 2001 many of the 35mm and 16mm projectors were delivered to the Collection.

The Curzon Collection is open to the public most Mondays between the hours of 1100 and 1500. (School Holidays 1100 to 1300). A visit to the Curzon Collection will also include a short tour of this historic cinema.

Anyone is welcome to visit the Collection and assured of a personal guide. It is advisable however to ring in first to confirm availability and to make a booking. Entrance is free but there is a retiring collection towards the upkeep of the Collection and the Curzon Restoration Fund.

For bookings please email info@curzon.org.uk or use our contact form:

How do movie projectors work?
Find out at howstuffworks.com...

The CURZON COLLECTION has been set out Museum style in two locations in the Curzon cinema. The first and main location is at the top of the building in the old projection room built at the rear of the Balcony and used between 1945 and 1972 since when it became unused. It was decided to use it as a small preservation site for the artefacts that had been donated to the Curzon. The old projection room still had the metal drop shutters over the portholes and it was decided that these could be a feature to show how the projection room would have looked when in use substituting 16mm projectors for 35mm.

With the eventual arrival of some 35mm projectors to the Collection it was possible to place these in the operating positions and with other artefacts a replica of a front projection wall has been created. The remaining 16mm projectors and other exhibits have been displayed in the rear portion of the old projection room including artefacts from the Curzon's past and other cinemas long gone.

The second location is beneath the Auditorium of the Cinema in the remains of the original cinema built in 1912. It is a fitting environment for the 'heavy brigade' of 35mm projectors we have and adds to the atmosphere with the original décor of the first cinema still apparent on the walls. This is known as the Curzon Collection Annexe.

Recently the Collection has expanded and in the area adjacent to the upper location more heritage cinema technical equipment is on display.

For those involved in Media studies the Collection offers a wealth of information. Students and Course developers are invited to use the Collection for research. The Curzon is also the SW Regional base for the Projected Picture Trust and information about the Trust can be obtained from the Curzon.

CREDITS

The Curzon Collection has been made possible by the assistance of a number of people and organisations:

Individuals:
Steve Diamond
Ken Draper
Colin Love
Graham Renton
Geoff Hale
Alan Richardson
Colin Cowles
John Slater
Ron Franklin
Clive Polden
Alan Smart (Canada)
Andy Darvill
Jon Webber Organisations:
The Projected Picture Trust
Odeon Ltd.
Holden's of Clevedon
Curzon Community Cinema Management Members of the SW Region-PPT
Odeon Cinema, Muswell Hill, London
Staff Members, Curzon Community Cinema