Double Whopper with Chips?! - Rehoming Cinema Projectors

In 1999, two cinema projectors were acquired for Brighton & Hove Museums from an unlikely source – Burger King.

Burger King in North Street, Brighton is on the site of the Bijou Electric Empire. Opening in 1911, this was one of Brighton’s earliest cinemas. It was renamed in 1915 as The Prince’s Cinema. In the late 1940s it became a news cinema showing newsreels, short films and cartoons.

The Prince’s New Theatre 1966. bhp1346 — (left) The Prince’s News Theatre, 1966 [BHP1346] / (right) The Prince’s Cinema, 1933 [BHP1312]

From 1969 until 1978, it operated as the Brighton Film Theatre. This was part of a chain of regional film theatres supported by the British Film Institute (BFI). Showcasing art-house screenings, this was a notable period in the building’s history. After the BFI’s lease expired the cinema was acquired and run by Myles Byrne. He ran various cinemas in Brighton, as well as the Palace Pier Theatre. The building ceased operating as a cinema in 1983.

This pair of 35 mm cinema projectors are Gaumont-Kalee GK20s built in Leeds by A Kershaw & Son Ltd. in the 1940s. Due to their size, the projectors couldn’t be displayed easily and remained in storage for many years. In recent years, Brighton & Hove Museums’ Collections Panel deemed it unnecessary to retain both projectors. Following various attempts to find temporary or permanent new homes for the GK20s, we are pleased to say that both have now been relocated.

In August 2024, one of the projectors was transferred permanently to The Broadway Cinema in Prestwick, Scotland. This lovely Art Deco cinema is being restored and will host screenings on 35 mm film. You can read more about the transfer on the Friends of the Broadway Prestwick website.

The other machine was partially restored for display purposes using the best elements from both projectors. This was done with expert advice from The Projected Picture Trust (PPT), a charity led by former cinema projection staff. Nigel Wolland and Bob Mandry from the PPT assisted with the restoration, also replacing some missing or damaged parts with spares from the PPT’s stores.

Bob Mandry and Nigel Wolland from the The Projected Picture Trust

Installing the Cinemascope widescreen lens

As of December 2024, the partially restored machine is on loan at the film studios run by MetFilm School Brighton. This is a leading film, television and online media school offering a vast array of courses. The projector takes pride of place outside the entrance to Studio One at the site. Tutor Craig Ennis is keen to show the students how real (or should that be ‘reel’?) film operates in comparison to digital. With limited access to a 35 mm projector in the Brighton area, this loan will enable large groups of students to see the workings up close. It will also be an eye-catching feature for visitors on open days.

It is rather fitting that one of our GK20s has found a home in these studios. The group of early film pioneers working locally at the turn of the nineteenth century is known as ‘The Brighton School’. This name was coined by French film historian Georges Sadoul in 1948. More on the city’s film heritage can be discovered in the Film Galleries at Hove Museum of Creativity.