Palace Picture House
History on the Big Screen
Located on the second floor of Leeds Industrial Museum, our small-scale reconstruction of Armley's Palace Picture house will take you back in time to the golden age of hollywood. Experience what it was like to visit a movie theatre at the beginning of the 20th century.
The smallest cinema in the North of England
The cinema is a small-scale, 26-seat reconstruction of Armley's Palace Picture House of 1912. The theatre features 2 'Kalee' projectors originally built in the 1920’s and later adapted for sound. Although, we now use arc lights, the original halogen lights and mechanics have been retained. A piano stands at one end of the screen and would have provided accompaniment to the silent films. Gas lighting had to be retained in the cinema as a means of complying with the regulations regarding an alternative light source. The screen is of an Academy aspect ratio with rounded corners (the latter a feature retained from the early days of film making).
The Palace Picture House in Armley
The Palace Picture Hall opened in Armley in 1912. Located on Eyres Avenue, which is less than a mile away from Leeds Industrial Museum. The picture house had 800 seats but, after a later refurb, increased capacity to 1300. It was a popular attraction the area in its heyday and was once described as “the most healthy and comfortable hall in the district”. The theatre closed in August 1964 and the building became a bingo club but closed permanently in 2016 after a fire.
Come to see it for yourself
Viewings at the Palace Picture House are free with admission so make sure you check it out on your next visit.