Plaque

Regent Street - first cinema in Britain

Inscription

Commemorating the Centenary of Cinema 1996
In this hall the Lumière Cinématographe premiered to the press on 20th February 1896 and the next day gave the first cinema show to a paying audience in Britain.

The Lumières' friend, Felicien Trewey, a French music hall entertainer already popular in London, brought the Lumière Cinématographe machine to the Marlborough Hall at Regent Street Polytechnic for a 3-week booking, charging 1 shilling a ticket. During one of the screenings the projector abruptly caught fire - a not infrequent occurrence in the history of early cinema.

A timeline for this cinema is given at Birthplace of Cinema. We've also heard that in 1951 this was the first cinema to show an X rated film.

2015: Londonist reports that the cinema has been restored and reopened as a cinema.

Site: University of Westminster (4 memorials)

W1, Regent Street, 309, University of Westminster

Formerly The (Regent Street) Polytechnic. The plaque for the first cinema is inside the hall and is not normally accessible except when the hall is in use. The other two plaques are on the Regent Street facade. The University's Archive Services have produced a number of useful research guides for their different sites and facilities.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Regent Street - first cinema in Britain

Subjects commemorated i

First cinema in Britain

It was in Regent Street that a film was first played to a paying audience in ...

Read More

Lumière Cinématographe

The Lumière Cinématographe was a machine for projecting moving pictures, inve...

Read More

This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Regent Street - first cinema in Britain

Also at this site i

George Cayley

George Cayley

George Cayley, engineer & inventor, established on this site The Royal Po...

Read More

Quintin Hogg at the Poly

Quintin Hogg at the Poly

Quintin Hogg, educator & Christian benefactor, expanded his work by found...

Read More

University of Westminster - Pink Floyd

University of Westminster - Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd Between 1962 - 1966, Nick Mason, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright ...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Gilbert Bayes

Gilbert Bayes

NW6, Greville Place, 4

Gilbert Bayes, 1872 - 1953, sculptor, lived here 1931 - 1953. English Heritage

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Watch House

Watch House

NW3, Holly Place, 9

British History Online points out that this plaque incorrectly names the Hampstead Police Force since, by the time they moved into this b...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
King Haakon VII

King Haakon VII

W8, Palace Green, 10

The vertical line down the plaque is not a fault with our camera, but a rope hanging from a flagpole.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Goodenough House

Goodenough House

WC1, Mecklenburgh Square, Goodenough House

Carved on the wall to the right of the front door: "William Goodenough House, 1957 Goodenough College"

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
RCGP opened in this building

RCGP opened in this building

NW1, Euston Square, 30

The Martin plaque is above the door, inside the projecting porch in Melton Street, shown in our photo. The Duke of Edinburgh plaque is on...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator