The history of cinema in Chichester, from travelling film shows to award-winning festivals

This year saw the 31st Chichester International Film Festival take place over the summer and this article looks back at Chichester’s cinematic history that has made it what it is today.

As cinema first started to take off at the end of the 19th century, the first moving picture came to Chichester in the form of a travelling film show by Maggie Morton on Boxing Day in 1896.

Bringing her cinematograph, an early motion picture film mechanism, Morton hired out space in the Corn Exchange building and showed a selection of films, including one entitled Gardeners Burning Weeds, which would have been only a minute or two in length. These were an exciting novelty attraction as nobody had ever seen a moving picture before!

As cinema continued to grow, the Poole Brothers, who had already been putting on myriorama shows (a picture made of several sections combinable in different ways so as to produce a variety of scenes) at the Corn Exchange building since 1889, then began to show cinematograph films in 1899.

They went on to establish the first cinema in Chichester and, by 1910, were regularly screening films under the name Poole’s Electric Picture Palace. Since moving pictures at this time were silent, they were often accompanied by a pianist to add dramatic effect. The Poole Brothers also introduced the novelty of locally shot films of events such as the Bosham Regatta and Priory Park cricket matches.

Over the next two decades, other local independent cinemas began to open in Chichester. In 1911, the first purpose-built cinema, the Olympia Electric Theatre at Northgate, opened its doors. Unfortunately, its life as a cinema was cut short by a fire, burning it down in 1922.

In 1920, the Picturedrome opened on South Street. Later renamed the Plaza, the Picturedrome ultimately became known as the Odeon. The Gaumont in Eastgate Square was the last, and the largest, of the original independent cinemas to open in Chichester, in 1937. The opening of the Gaumont was a major event in the city with a gala opening and a full house that had hundreds turned away at the door.

Following the competition from the other cinemas, the Pooles sold their business in the 1920s. However, even after Poole’s Picture Palace closed, the Corn Exchange continued to operate as Chichester’s primary cinema throughout the 20th century.

In 1927, the cinema reopened under new management by Wainright’s London & District Cinemas Circuit as the Exchange Cinema. In 1929, the Exchange showed the first talking picture in town, The Fox Movietone Follies. The Exchange theatre was later taken over by the Granada Theatres chain and reopened as the Granada Exchange in 1948.

As the competition of television began to grow there was a steady decline in cinema visitors, which led to the closure of both the Odeon and Gaumont in 1960. The Granada remained the only cinema still operating in Chichester until in 1979, when they announced they would be closing in the following year. This made the Corn Exchange building the site of the longest-running original cinema in Chichester.

On August 9, 1980, the Granada closed its doors with its final showing of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. The announcement of the closure of the Granada, the first and last of the original cinemas in town, prompted the creation of the Chichester College Adult Education Film Society at Chichester College on September 20, 1979.

What was initially created as a solution to the closure of the last and only cinema in Chichester at the time blossomed into something much larger and more significant. The name of the group was later changed to the Chichester City Film Society and relocated to New Park in 1986, where it remains today as Chichester Cinema at New Park.

The film society was awarded Best Film Selection by the British Federation of Film Societies in 1985 and Film Society of the Year by the National Federation of Film Societies in 1990.

The success of the Chichester City Film Society ultimately led to the birth of the Chichester International Film Festival in 1992. The 21-day independent film festival takes place annually, screening films from around the world, and is locally loved and nationally acclaimed.

Although it is not a festival competition, there are audience awards for Best Feature, Best Documentary and Best Independent Film. During its 31 years, the festival has welcomed many notable names in cinema such as Ralph Fiennes and Hugh Bonneville.

Over the 2000s, the Cinema at New Park and the Film Festival continued to bring new things to Chichester’s cinema scene, such as open-air screenings, film quizzes, live performance events and drive-ins. The Chichester Cinema at New Park celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2019 and the Chichester International Film Festival celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2022.

The Cinema at New Park continues to provide exciting entertainment throughout the year, from new cinema, to films talks and performances.

A display about Poole’s Picture Palace at the Corn Exchange is currently available to view at The Novium Museum in the first-floor gallery. Additionally, from Saturday, October 7, to April 20, 2024, visitors to The Novium Museum will be able to view some of the UK’s finest collections of original cinema posters as part of their new exhibition, May the Toys be With You.