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All the United Kingdom England Penistone Paramount Cinema
AO Edited

Penistone Paramount Cinema

This century-old, single-screen cinema still puts a 1937 Compton organ to good use.

Penistone, England

Added By
Alan Newman
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Cinema during roof repairs in 2024   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Cinema during roof repairs in 2024   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
  Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
The stage curtain   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
The Compton organ console   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
  Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
  Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Some of the smaller, higher pitch, organ pipes   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Some of the larger organ pipes awaiting re-installation   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Base drum controlled by the organ console   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Part of the special effects panel   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Gaumont 35mm projector   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Stone piers in the basement house the sprung floor mechanism   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Close up of the spring floor mechanism   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
The Paramount’s contribution to the Penistone Sheep Trail   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
The ceiling has its original art deco plasterwork   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
  David Ward
Auditorium during 2024 Heritage Open Day   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Stained glass in the cinema ceiling   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Entrance to the Carnegie Library   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Stained glass motifs on the Carnegie Library door   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Andrew Carnegie’s monogram   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
The upper circle of the cinema   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Some of the original art deco plasterwork   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
  Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Posters for a classic movie showing and an event for a cancer charity   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
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About

As theaters full of cushy recliner seats, food service, and the IMAX experience slowly become the norm for moviegoers, some fanatics still seek out a more classic, no-frills experience. Along Shrewsbury Road in Penistone, England, an unassuming single-screen theater keeps cinematic nostalgia alive.

While Penistone Paramount Cinema screens both major blockbuster movies and regular historic classics, it also has a program of live events, including recitals on a Compton organ. In 1913, the building was established as a "lecture and recreation" space for one of Britain's many Carnegie Library buildings. The auditorium was equipped to double as a dance hall; complete with a sprung floor, and the ability to remove all the fitted seats before dances. It is now out of use, but the mechanism for the sprung floor can still be seen in the basement.

In 1917, a projection box was installed, establishing the space as a cinema. The theater's Art Deco architecture has survived renovations, with the period plasterwork still complete.

Inside, the star of the show is the Compton organ. The instrument was originally built by the John Compton Organ Co. in 1937. It was first installed in Birmingham’s Paramount Theatre, where it entertained audiences for over 30 years. In 1988, it was bought by a private cinema owner and installed in the Regal Cinema at Oswestry in Shropshire.

After four years at Oswestry, it was brought to the Penistone Paramount Cinema by organist Kevin Grunill. The instrument was restored in 2000 and again in 2013. Most recently, the organ accompanied a brass band concert and provided a musical backdrop for the first-ever silent vampire movie from 1922, Nosferatu.

The cinema's projection box also received an upgrade over the years, but the original Gaumont film projector is still on display inside.

Related Tags

Theaters Organs Film Art Deco Cinema Movies Movie Theater

Know Before You Go

See the cinema's website for show and tour hours. 

Community Contributors

Added By

Dr Alan P Newman

Published

November 4, 2024

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Sources
  • https://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/films/paramount/
  • https://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/entertainment/film/paramount/organ.shtml
  • http://penistone-compton.co.uk/
  • https://www.barnsley.gov.uk/news/can-you-find-all-the-flock-new-sheep-themed-art-trail-launched-in-penistone/
  • http://studio-standaart.co.uk/list-view/paramount-cinema-penistone
Penistone Paramount Cinema
23 Shrewsbury Rd
Penistone, England, S36 6DY
United Kingdom
53.525546, -1.628141
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