A Day at The Cinema Museum in London

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to go on a guided tour of The Cinema Museum in London. In this article, I will be providing an overview of my experience for anyone who may be interested in visiting or learning more about the Museum. I was also able to make a video about my visit for my YouTube channel, which can be viewed above or at this link.

The Cinema Museum was founded in 1986 by Ronald Grant and Martin Humphries, and largely consists of their own private collection of cinema history and memorabilia. In particular, visitors can expect to find interior design décor from cinemas that no longer exist, as well as technical equipment, such as old film projectors. The Museum also contains a library with over 10,000 books relating to film and cinema, which researchers are welcome to request access to.

The Museum is open to members of the public via a guided tour, and often hosts film screenings and talks with professionals working in the film industry. On the guided tour, visitors can learn about cinemagoing in Britain between the years of 1920 and 1960. You can find out more about my experience of the guided tour below, and you can find pricing and scheduling information on the Museum’s website at this link.

The first site that housed the Museum’s collection was Raleigh Hall in Brixton, a district in the south London borough of Lambeth. The Museum has changed homes a couple of times since its founding, and its current site is located in Kennington, another district in Lambeth. The building that now houses the Museum was once a Victorian workhouse (the Lambeth Workhouse) where men, women, and children affected by poverty lived and worked. The most notable resident of the Lambeth Workhouse was Charlie Chaplin, who had lived locally and was admitted to the workhouse at the age of seven, along with his mother and older half-brother, Sydney.

During my visit, I was able to speak to one of the co-founders and current director of the Museum, Martin Humphries. In the interview below, Martin provides more information about the fascinating history of the Museum’s collection and the building that houses it.

A Brief History with Martin Humphries

The Guided Tour

When I visited The Cinema Museum, I went on the 2-hour guided tour delivered by Ronald Grant, one of the Museum’s co-founders. As Martin discussed, you can expect to see a large collection of items ranging from old movie projectors, category boards indicating former film classifications, usher uniforms, among much more.

What sets this tour apart from other film museums is that the co-founders themselves collected all the items on display and deliver the tours directly to visitors of the Museum, often including personal anecdotes related to cinemagoing as they do. In this way, you learn first-hand the histories behind these items and, by extension, about Britain’s former cinema culture. After the tour has finished, visitors are also able to watch a collection of short films in the auditorium upstairs whilst enjoying complimentary tea and biscuits.

You can find the upcoming guided tour schedules on The Cinema Museum website, as well as more information about the Museum and any upcoming events they may be hosting. If you would like to book a guided tour, you will need to arrange this by emailing the Museum at info@cinemamuseum.org.uk. I've also included the contact details and address of the Museum below.

Contact Details and Address:

The Cinema Museum
2 Dugard Way (off Renfrew Road)
London SE11 4TH UK
Tel.: 0207 840 2200
Email: info@cinemamuseum.org.uk
Website: www.cinemamuseum.org.uk