Palace Picture House
Our very own 1920s cinema
Leeds Industrial Museum is home to one of the smallest cinemas in the world. Come along to watch a film in our cosy 26 seat cinema and be instantly transported back to the Golden Era of cinema.
The smallest cinema in the North of England
The cinema is a small-scale, 26-seat reconstruction of Armley's Palace Picture Hall of 1912. A piano stands at one end of the screen and would have provided accompaniment to the silent films. The screen is of an Academy aspect ratio with rounded corners (the latter a feature retained from the early days of filmmaking).
The Palace Picture Hall in Armley
In 1912, The Palace Picture Hall opened in Armley on Eyres Avenue - less than a mile away from Leeds Industrial Museum. Originally with 800 seats, the cinema expanded to 1,300 seats after refurbishment in 1937.
With the closure of the Picture Hall in 1964, some items were donated to Leeds Industrial Museum, which opened in 1982, after Armley Mills closed in 1969.
The original building became a bingo club, which sadly closed in 2016 after a fire.
Events in Palace Picture House
During school holidays, family-friendly films are screened daily in the cinema as part of our popular 'Mystery Matinees' series.
Other special events often take place in the cinema too, including screenings from Leeds Film Festival.
Venue Hire
Palace Picture House is available to hire for private events and film screenings.
