Duke of York’s Cinema

On this day, the Duke of York’s Picture House in Brighton on the south coast of England, opened its doors to the general public for the first time. Built at the cost of £3000 by actress-manager Violet Melnotte-Wyatt, the picture house claims to be the oldest purpose-built cinema in continuous use in Britain, and one of the first cinemas in the world. Renowned as a quality cinema for the more discerning patron, its marketing tag-line for many years was “Bring her to the Duke’s, it is fit for a Duchess.” The cinema has operated as an arts cinema since 1981 and has passed through several owners and even hosted illegal punk rock concerts for a period. It was, in fact, quite run-down when it was purchased in 1994 by Picturehouse Cinemas who have since invested in the building and returned it to its former glory.