Speaker: Liz Woolley

‘Dream Palaces: A history of the Ultimate Picture Palace and early cinema in Oxford’ 

When the Oxford Picture Palace (now the Ultimate Picture Palace) opened in 1911 it was Oxford’s first purpose-built ‘electric theatre’. The technology of projecting moving images on to a screen was still in its infancy, but the ‘cinematograph’ had become wildly popular and a wave of new cinemas quickly followed, offering thrilling entertainment to both Town and Gown. In a 27-year period no fewer than ten new cinemas opened. This talk introduces audiences to this fascinating aspect of Oxford’s social history.