The Kinema in the Woods
The Kinema in the Woods is a cinema in the village of Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, England. It dates from 1922, and it is the only fully functioning cinema in the UK to employ back projection.[1][2]
The building that houses the Kinema was originally a farm building, and after that, a concert pavilion. In 1906, it became the cricket pavilion for Petwood House (later the Petwood Hotel) and was converted in 1922 by Captain (later Major) C. C. Allport into the Pavilion Cinema.
The Pavilion Cinema (as it was then known) was only the 68th cinema to be opened in Britain - and the unique rear projection system is still used today in the original screen (screen 1).
Major C.C. Allport ran the Kinema in the Woods from 1922 to 1973, when it was bought by its current owner, Mr James Green. A second screen, named Kinema Too, was added in 1994 and the main foyer was extended. A third screen was added in 2019[3], matching the design of Kinema Too; the car park was extended as part of the same works.
As of 2007 the Kinema is open 7 days a week, all year round, except Christmas Day. Evening shows run every night, with matinée shows at weekends and during school holidays. Resident organist Alan Underwood performs in the intervals of the film showing in the main screen (screen 1) most nights.