The Curzon Cinema, in Clevedon, England, is claimed to be the oldest continually-running purpose-built cinema in the world. Map sources for Clevedon at grid reference ST3971 Clevedon Village - circa 1907 Clevedon seafront is extremely windswept, as witnessed by this tree. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ...

Opened on 20 April 1912 by Victor Cox, the original building had 200 seats and the first show raised funds for the survivors and relatives of those killed earlier in the month on the RMS Titanic. By the following year the building had been expanded to 389 seats, and was the first public building in the town to have electricity. April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... RMS Titanic was an Olympic class passenger liner that collided with an iceberg and sank in 1912. ...

Between 1920 and 1922 a new cinema was built on the site (without interruption to the nightly programme of films). The building, still in use to this day, has a row of shops along the front, a cafe above, and facilities for stage shows. The cinema was the site of Clevedon's only fatality due to enemy action in the Second World War, when a soldier standing in the cinema doorway was killed by a bomb, damage from which is still visible on the exterior. 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead...

The exterior of the cinema, 2005

In 1945 the cinema (previously known as "the Picture House") was sold and changed its name to the "Maxime". Another change of ownership in 1953 brought its current name. 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Never hugely profitable, the cinema was taken into administrative receivership in 1995, and was bought by Clevedon Community Centre for the Arts, a registered charity, which continues to run it. Patrons include Sir Charles Elton (son of the notable documentary director Sir Arthur Elton), Aardman Animations founders David Sproxton and Peter Lord, directors Nick Park and Terry Gilliam, and actors Tony Robinson and Alan Rickman. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A charitable organization (also known as a charity) is a trust, company or unincorporated association established for charitable purposes only. ... Sir Arthur Hallam Rice Elton (10 February 1906 - 1 January 1973) was the 10th Baronet Elton, and a pioneer of the British documentary film industry. ... Aardman Animations, Ltd. ... This article contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Peter Lord (born 1953) is co-founder of Aardman Animations, a British animation firm best known for claymation films including those involving the characters Wallace and Gromit, and the 2000 film Chicken Run. ... Nicholas Wulstan Park, CBE (b. ... Terry Gilliam at Karlovy Vary 2006. ... Tony Robinson as Baldrick in Blackadder. ... Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (born February 21, 1946) is an English stage and screen actor. ...

Plans are in progress to restore the building, which was greatly altered during the late sixties and early seventies.

The Electric Cinema in Birmingham opened three years earlier, but was converted to an amusement arcade for several years in the 1930s, and other early cinemas have had similar periods of disuse. The Curzon has been a working cinema throughout its history. The Electric Cinema is a cinema in Birmingham, England. ... The city from above Centenary Square. ... A video arcade (known as an amusement arcade in the United Kingdom) is a place where people play arcade video games. ...

External links

• Cinema website