Duke of York's Picture House

Preston Circus,
Brighton, BN1 4NA

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Related Websites

Picturehouse Cinemas UK (Official)

Additional Info

Operated by: Picturehouse Cinemas UK

Architects: Charles. E. Clayton

Firms: Clayton & Black

Functions: Movies (Classic), Movies (First Run), Movies (Foreign)

Styles: Neo-Classical

Phone Numbers: Box Office: 440871.704.2056
Manager: 440127.360.2503

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Duke of York's Picture House

Brighton’s Duke of York’s Picture House is Britain’s oldest continuously operating cinema, still showing films.

First opened by the mayor of Brighton on 22nd September 1910.

Since 1995, the Duke of York’s Picture House has been owned by City Screen/Picturehouse Cinemas who have renovated the building. It screens a mixture of first run, classic, and art-house films.

From 26th August 2020 “Tenet” will be screened in 35mm.

The Duke of York’s is a Grade II Listed building.

Contributed by Steve Lynch

Recent comments (view all 15 comments)

Ken Roe
Ken Roe on July 25, 2007 at 11:04 pm

Here is a link to a page showing a small vintage photograph and a potted history:
View link

davepring
davepring on July 16, 2009 at 8:34 am

A fabulous cinema with an eclectic programming mix of mainstream and arthouse movies.The balcony has comfy sofas and there is a small but well stocked cafe bar with terrace at first floore level.Plans for the future include expansion into a former fire station next door to add more screens and cafe/bar

Ian
Ian on September 28, 2010 at 10:58 am

Here is a 1986 photo showing a rather run-down looking cinema:–

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stagedoor/5032764936/

davepring
davepring on April 1, 2012 at 5:54 pm

Cinema to be refurbished in the summer with new seating and decoration and an additional 3 screens to open at Komedia Brighton in Dec 2012

RHScottSpencer
RHScottSpencer on March 15, 2013 at 5:16 pm

I can remember going to this cinema as a kid during the summer holidays as it was cheap to get in about a 1- (5p). I remember you could hear the fire engines next door when they where called out to a fire etc. It was called the flea pit by some, I recall one afternoon seeing a rat running about the stalls and a woman screaming about it. I am amazed that it it still a working cinema as all the other cinemas from that time have been closed and have been or are about to be demolished.

davidcoppock
davidcoppock on November 13, 2016 at 5:08 am

The Duke of York’s Picture House, once a year shows the Eurovision Song Contest live on the big screen.

Ian
Ian on February 6, 2017 at 8:45 am

Some contemporary images (taken January 2017) here, showing a stark contrast to the run down state of the building in my earlier 1980’s photos:–

FACADE

FOYER

AUDITORIUM FROM BALCONY

AUDITORIUM FROM STALLS

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on December 10, 2019 at 3:41 am

Cineworld Picturehouse restore in place.

PhilipWW
PhilipWW on December 10, 2019 at 9:46 am

Link to the video on Facebook showing the external restoration of the cinema https://www.facebook.com/DukeofYorks/videos/555698904986830/

popcorn_pete
popcorn_pete on January 25, 2022 at 3:38 pm

Commissioned at a cost of £3,000 by former actress Mrs. Violet Melnotte-Wyatt and named after the London theatre of the same name which she and her husband Frank Wyatt had built in 1892. The legs on the roof were acquired in 1991 from the Not the Moulin Rouge Theatre in Oxford. A further history available here: http://dukeofyorkscinema.co.uk/2010/06/a-brief-history/ and some more images here: https://www.snoozebrighton.com/2019/07/30/the-duke-of-yorks-cinema/ Link mentioned in 2007 now dead.

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