Cottage Road Cinema

Cottage Road Cinema was originally built in 1905 (on the site of a former stable block) as a garage for H.R. Kirk, a Leeds textile merchant and owner of the nearby Castle Grove mansion. Pioneering Leeds-born newsreel cameraman Owen Brooks rented the garage several years later and, in partnership with his friend and fellow motoring enthusiast George Reginald 'Reg' Smith, converted it into a cinema. This 590-seat cinema opened as 'Headingley Picture House' on Monday, 29 July 1912, with tickets costing sixpence, or one shilling for reserved seating. Smith died in 1922, after which Brooks and Smith's widow, along with a new partner, bought the freehold of the property from the Kirk family. Two…

Although it has digital projectors and Dolby Surround 7.1 sound, Cottage Road retains its wood-panelled lobby and aims to provide "cinema-going as it used to be". Ice creams are sold in the auditorium during the interval before films begin, and the national anthem is played at the end of each evening. Every six weeks, the cinema hosts 'Classics at the Cottage' events, where classic movies, often introduced by owner Charles Morris, are shown. Cottage Road's regular programme includes films that appeal to young children and families — according to Morris "Nightmare on Elm Street isn't for Cottage Road. We're lucky to have very loyal and appreciative audiences, and we try to give them what…