Palace in the Forest
Yannick Guerry
Nestled in the midst of the dark and ancient Forest of Dean lies the small town of Cinderford.
The streets of this former coal-mining community are desolate save for the occasional gang of Burberry-capped urchins lurking outside the local Spar or Bargain Booze, and cliques of pensioners wistfully eying their surroundings. A cold wind blows, even though it is early summer.
A beam of sunlight breaks through the leaden clouds and illuminates a redbrick building, the Palace Cinema.
The Palace is Cinderford's second claim to fame - the first being the birthplace of journalist and broadcaster Jimmy Young.
This small independent cinema recently hit the local headlines when it was featured on the BBC's business makeover programme Mind Your Own Business. Mark Cunningham, the owner, was delighted at the publicity: ''It was wonderful to have our profile raised on national TV. Since the programme was aired, we've have plenty of interest in what we're doing here.''
Why all the fuss?
The Palace, known to have been in existence since 1909 at least, is one of Britain's oldest purpose-built cinemas. It still has some of its early features including its interior decoration, dating back to 1923 when it was rebuilt following a fire four years earlier. It still has its music-hall stage behind the modern screen, alluding to earlier times when the auditorium had a dual function.
Unfortunately, some of the other features have been lost. The original sloping floor and 1923 facade were victims of later refurbishment that took place after 1966 when the Palace closed down and was taken over by first the British Legion, then a nightclub and finally a rave venue, before Mr Cunningham came to the rescue in 1998.
The day-to-day running is the responsibility of Andy Lougher. Among his numerous job titles are 'confectionery vendor', 'painter and decorator', 'projectionist' and finally, 'deputy manager'. ''It's all hands on deck here'' he jovially exclaims. Andy is used to multitasking; his CV includes spells as a lab technician, caving instructor and even a miner. ''I sort of 'fell into' this job'' he says, ''Mark was looking for a general helper and I ended up running the place.''
And what of the future?
Andy takes a pragmatic view: ''These days cinema is big business. We're up against the giant multiplex chains who concentrate their efforts on getting as
many people into as many screens as possible. We don't have the resources to compete, so the strategy that many independents are adopting is to focus on enhancing the individual experience. That means having bar facilities, private bookings and a wider range of films available. The customer pays a little extra but hopefully they get a little more out of their visit.''
They have also introduced 'tea matinees'. Alan and Marie Pedley are Palace regulars: ''We only travel two miles to come here for the matinees and when we arrive we get a cup of tea thrown in. It makes such a difference having a cinema so close in a rural area like this'' says Marie.
The cinema hasn't yet gone the whole hog with diversification despite revealing plans to convert some office space into a DVD lounge which will be available for private hire. ''We're gradually making changes but I'm not sure Cinderford is ready for Champagne Soirées just yet'' laments Andy.
The Forest of Dean is slowly being regenerated as people are moving into the region, realising the natural beauty of the area and the relatively cheap house prices. The cinema is certainly a further selling point for the town, claims Andy: ''Before the Palace was re-opened, people had to travel 25 miles to the multiplex in Gloucester. Now they can catch the latest films at their doorstep.''
Star Wars Episode Three is currently their highest grossing film of the year. ''We had 62 in here yesterday and the film has already been showing for one week'' says Andy. Spectacular stuff indeed.
The Palace has been with us since the early days of British cinema and shows no signs of throwing in the towel just yet. The show goes on.
Nestled in the midst of the dark and ancient Forest of Dean lies the small town of Cinderford.
The streets of this former coal-mining community are desolate save for the occasional gang of Burberry-capped urchins lurking outside the local Spar or Bargain Booze, and cliques of pensioners wistfully eying their surroundings. A cold wind blows, even though it is early summer.
A beam of sunlight breaks through the leaden clouds and illuminates a redbrick building, the Palace Cinema.
The Palace is Cinderford's second claim to fame - the first being the birthplace of journalist and broadcaster Jimmy Young.
This small independent cinema recently hit the local headlines when it was featured on the BBC's business makeover programme Mind Your Own Business. Mark Cunningham, the owner, was delighted at the publicity: ''It was wonderful to have our profile raised on national TV. Since the programme was aired, we've have plenty of interest in what we're doing here.''
Why all the fuss?
The Palace, known to have been in existence since 1909 at least, is one of Britain's oldest purpose-built cinemas. It still has some of its early features including its interior decoration, dating back to 1923 when it was rebuilt following a fire four years earlier. It still has its music-hall stage behind the modern screen, alluding to earlier times when the auditorium had a dual function.
Unfortunately, some of the other features have been lost. The original sloping floor and 1923 facade were victims of later refurbishment that took place after 1966 when the Palace closed down and was taken over by first the British Legion, then a nightclub and finally a rave venue, before Mr Cunningham came to the rescue in 1998.
The day-to-day running is the responsibility of Andy Lougher. Among his numerous job titles are 'confectionery vendor', 'painter and decorator', 'projectionist' and finally, 'deputy manager'. ''It's all hands on deck here'' he jovially exclaims. Andy is used to multitasking; his CV includes spells as a lab technician, caving instructor and even a miner. ''I sort of 'fell into' this job'' he says, ''Mark was looking for a general helper and I ended up running the place.''
And what of the future?
Andy takes a pragmatic view: ''These days cinema is big business. We're up against the giant multiplex chains who concentrate their efforts on getting as
many people into as many screens as possible. We don't have the resources to compete, so the strategy that many independents are adopting is to focus on enhancing the individual experience. That means having bar facilities, private bookings and a wider range of films available. The customer pays a little extra but hopefully they get a little more out of their visit.''
They have also introduced 'tea matinees'. Alan and Marie Pedley are Palace regulars: ''We only travel two miles to come here for the matinees and when we arrive we get a cup of tea thrown in. It makes such a difference having a cinema so close in a rural area like this'' says Marie.
The cinema hasn't yet gone the whole hog with diversification despite revealing plans to convert some office space into a DVD lounge which will be available for private hire. ''We're gradually making changes but I'm not sure Cinderford is ready for Champagne Soirées just yet'' laments Andy.
The Forest of Dean is slowly being regenerated as people are moving into the region, realising the natural beauty of the area and the relatively cheap house prices. The cinema is certainly a further selling point for the town, claims Andy: ''Before the Palace was re-opened, people had to travel 25 miles to the multiplex in Gloucester. Now they can catch the latest films at their doorstep.''
Star Wars Episode Three is currently their highest grossing film of the year. ''We had 62 in here yesterday and the film has already been showing for one week'' says Andy. Spectacular stuff indeed.
The Palace has been with us since the early days of British cinema and shows no signs of throwing in the towel just yet. The show goes on.
posted by Yannick at 7:48 AM
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