County Durham’s Beamish offers invitation to ‘take a seat’ at 1950s cinema recreation

Beamish buffs and film fanatics are being offered an exclusive opportunity to Take a Seat in the museum’s 1950s cinema which is due to open in 2024.

The County Durham open air museum is building a recreation of The Grand from Ryhope in Sunderland and people are being given the ‘unique opportunity’ to sponsor a cinema seat as part of the Take a Seat campaign.

Cinema seats within the main auditorium of the recreation of The Grand can be sponsored by individuals or businesses. Those who Take a Seat will receive a brass plaque on the back of the seat with their name engraved on it, as well as an invitation to a special celebration event.

Liz Peart, Partnerships Officer at Beamish Museum, commented: “The Take a Seat campaign offers a fantastic opportunity to support the museum. Those who sponsor a seat will be able to see their chosen name in our 1950s cinema when they visit the museum for years to come.

“By sponsoring a seat in our recreation of The Grand from Ryhope, you will help the museum generate funds to complete the build and fit out of our cinema. Plus, everyone who sponsors a seat will be invited to a special celebration event when the cinema opens in 2024.

“We’re so excited about the cinema and this is a lovely way for our visitors to get even more involved in the work that we do at the museum.”

Beamish is a self-reliant charity and 95 per cent of the museum’s income comes from its much-valued visitors. Every penny spent at the museum and through the online shop supports the museum and its work to preserve North East heritage for future generations.

Located in the museum’s 1950s Town, which is being developed with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the cinema will offer visitors the chance to experience a trip to the pictures during this golden age of cinema. The exhibit includes a main auditorium with stage, screen, pit benches and the upholstered seats.

The Grand was a working cinema from its opening in 1913 and was hugely popular in its heyday in the 1950s, regularly selling out all its seats. A sharp decline in cinema visits in the 1960s, due largely to the popularity and availability of television sets, meant that the cinema ceased trading and became a bingo hall.

In 2019, the original building underwent a full architectural survey to assess which materials were suitable for salvage and re-use and a record made of any items that could not be saved. In 2020, The Grand was dismantled, with re-usable parts and features incorporated into The 1950s Town cinema.

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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