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The Picture - Our Town Hall Cinema is of the traditional kind and is Penistone's main centre of entertainment. It has been used for more than a century as Town Hall, Theatre, Assembly Hall, Film Theatre, Comedy Hall, Dance Hall and Band Hall. Unusually, it is managed by the local Town Council and has a special feature - the mighty Compton Cinema Organ. The organ is used for popular organ concerts and the occasional silent film, even to this day. There is also a bar for hot and cold drinks during the intervals. And an ice cream card is wheeled out during the intervals.
Town Hall Drawing
This sketch from the Penistone Archives shows the proposed new building to open in 1914, and that is just how it looks a century later, give or take the odd bit of signage. The grand stairway leads into the foyer of Penistone Town Hall. The other two doors lead into the 'council rooms' and access to the Masonic Hall above. The rightmost door was for the Carnegie Free Library (moved to a new site in 1966). A lintel above the Library door is inscribed 'Carnegie Free Library.' Stained glass monograms in the upper two wooden doors are marked with 'AC' for Andrew Carnegie who helped provide the library.
The Penistone/Clarel coat of arms is displayed prominently on plans and has been adopted by many local organisations as Penistone's own coat of arms and Penistone Town Council agreed in Sept. 2014 to use the coat of arms on official documents. In the Town Hall proper, it can be found above the proscenium arch (currently obscured by curtains) and it is elegantly carved into the Chairman's chair of the Council Chamber next door. An identical chair can be found inside Penistone church, engraved with '1915' and 'Penistone Union' below it, which suggests that it had been used previously by the fore-runner to Penistone council.
1914 Grand Opening of 'Penistone Town Hall and Council Rooms'
A grand ceremony was led by Alderman E Woodhead, JP, of Huddersfield. We were closer to places like Huddersfield and Holmfirth in those days.
On rising to declare the new Penistone Town Hall and Council Rooms open, Alderman E Woodhead declared he hoped that " ... the building would be a kind of 'Open sesame' to all that was good for the town."
On the platform were: local council vice-chairman Mr E Wood 'in the chair'; the Mayor of Huddersfield, Alderman Blamires, JP; Alderman JP Hinchliffe, JP, of Denby Dale; Mr H Hinchliffe, CC, of Bullhouse Hall and Dr ACJ Wilson, JP. Local councillors attending were: EL Ferrall; G Knight; WH Topham; TE Denison with other Council members in audience. It is not entirely clear whether the event was open to the general public but, being a grand new public facility, one might have expected it to have been. The cost of the public hall and adjuncts came to about £3,004 and a further £1,009 for the adjoining Council offices, etc.
Dr ACJ Wilson, JP, had taken a keen interest in the scheme from the beginning and gave a most interesting history of the premises. The architect for the Town Hall was Mr Henry R Collins and he presented Alderman E Woodhead with a beautiful gold key at the ceremony, bearing the inscription: 'Penistone Council Offices and Town Hall opened on October' - The year must also have been inscribed but it was omitted from the Penistone Almanack report of 1915. On the centenary ceremony event of 2014, Cllr Steve Marsh wondered if it might be returned to Penistone at some point.
A new Masonic Lodge was also opened in 1914, adjacent to the Town Hall. The Pengeston Masonic Lodge No. 6933 (established 1874) and Wharnecliffe Lodge (established 1796) moved into their new Masonic Hall in Penistone. The Pengeston Lodge still uses its own variant of the Penistone coat-of-Arms. Looking at the plan below, the Masonic Hall is not shown but is situated in the central part above the Rates Office, Surveyor's Office and Clerk's Office. From the outside, it is the higher roof.
This item was published in the 1915 Penistone Almanac.
The new Town Hall would elevated the status of our town and act as an attraction to visitors for miles around. We must not overlook the self-esteem it must have conferred to a small town which was little more than a village at the time. We already had the railway, a busy livestock and retail market and now a grand multi-function hall. Penistone would be riding high.
Layout Plan and Description
Here is a detailed description of the 'Town Hall and Council Rooms' from the 1915 Penistone Almanack:
The hall has seating accommodation for 500, and the gallery, which occupies the end of the room, seats 108, making a total seating capacity of 608. The length of the hall at floor level is 61ft, and the width 40ft. The length of the hall at gallery level, excluding stage, is 75ft 6in. The stage has a depth of 12ft, and an opening in proscenium of 22ft wide by 19ft high. The property room is 15ft by 12ft; dressing-rooms 12ft square and 9ft square by 8ft 6in.Of course, some of these details have changed and been added to over the years, and the capacity is adjusted to fit fire safety regulations. The stained glass ceiling panels have been obscured for far too long but there are now plans to reveal and back-light them in all of their glory. The roof also needs mending. Our town hall is well worth a visit and it belongs on the 'Talking Pictures' TV channel as a very fine example of a council-run theatre and cinema. Long may it reign supreme as our hall of entertainment.
The Council Chamber is 28ft 6in by 17ft 6in; three offices are 14ft 6in by 17ft 6in. There are also two small offices with a partition folding back forming a small lecture-room with platform, making a room 33ft 6in by 17ft 6in. The cost of the public hall and adjuncts is about £3,004 and the Council office, etc., £1,009. The area of the site, including the Free Library, is 1,550 yards. The ceiling of the Town Hall is glazed with beautiful stained glass, which enhances the beauty of the general appearance of the room.
This plan shown here is from the Neville Roebuck Collection, in Penistone Historic Archives.
The original capacity on the plans was 500 but it was otherwise said to be 550, not including the balcony. The current Fire Safety capacity is 360 (in 2022). A large wooden-framed clock used to face the audience on right side wall by the stage, similar to one at the old Spring Vale school. It was replaced by a digital clock on the left of the stage. The ceiling has two beautiful stained glass panels which had been covered up for many years, later to be painted black to make them opaque. It is possible that nobody in living memory has seen them in their full glory but there are plans to LED back-light them to bring them back to life and to dim them with the house lights.
Having started in 1914 as a theatre and assembly hall for public meetings, our public hall soon gained a new role as cinema in November 1915. As you read on, you will discover some fascinating history of Penistone Town Hall and perhaps some unexpected uses. It all started with the Carnegie Library in 1913. Enjoy!
Did You Know?
We all know Penistone's great hall of entertainment but did you know Penistone once had two competing cinemas; that our wonderful Town Hall (the 'Paramount') has beautiful stained glass ceiling panels; that it has a ghost; that the Proscenium Arch carries the Penistone Coat of Arms; that it has a sprung floor for dancing; that the Good Friday flour ceremony was held on the Town Hall steps, or that the balcony was out of use for many years? It's all in here, somewhere. I hope.
This page is mostly about the Town Hall, our town's centrepiece hall, described upon its opening in 1914 as "Penistone's Coliseum" and "A magnet for miles around" which started as a rival to the earlier 'Assembly Hall Cinema' near St Mary's Street. We also take a look at the Carnegie Library, which later became the Berneslai office (for social housing). It is now an outpost of BMBC support to the Ward Alliance. The 'new' library replaced it on the High Street in 1966. We also look at other parts of the building and the older entertainment centres of Penistone.
The Town Hall was not always the leading entertainment place in Penistone. In fact, it came late to the town. A former gas products showroom (off St Mary's Street) had been used as an 'Assembly Hall' for public meetings and concerts. Perhaps the equivalent in later decades would have been the Drill Hall, which was later converted into the sports centre. Penistone's very first cinema opened as the 'Assembly Hall Cinema' (exact date unknown) and operated sporadically until it caught fire in 1923.
From its earliest days, Penistone Town Hall would take over as the go-to place for meetings and entertainment as the other places mostly dropped away. It has been described as having 'opened as an assembly hall' perhaps to emphasise that it replaced a rival with that name, although it had been designed as a theatre from the start with a stage and proscenium arch. It would be a theatre in the widest sense; for film, thespian, comedy shows, concerts or variety shows. Also with a sprung floor it was designed for dancing and there were many dancing nights there until the 1970s. It was much more than just an 'assembly hall', although it did serve that function too at times. A rare public meeting was held there in March 2022.
"Ah but, which is the Town Hall?"
We now call it the Paramount but here's a quick note about its name. It was always 'The Town Hall' or 'Penistone Town Hall Cinema' on local council documents (PUDC and later PTC) - and on Concert Programmes, Meetings Posters, Theatrical Programmes, Newspaper Articles or any Penistone Almanack from 1914. There is plenty of evidence to support this. When BMBC took over in the 1970s, they started referring to another part of the building as the town hall and redrew the maps accordingly. But Barnsley Council is not in touch with our local history and conventions, and perhaps it does not care anyway. This scan is from the 1914 Almanack:
The former Carnegie Free Library at the top of the building is now used by BMBC staff to support Penistone Area Council and the Penistone Team. Misinformed by Barnsley Council, they refer to their own section as 'the Town Hall' - but that is not right. The old Library where they are now opened the year before the actual 'Town Hall and council rooms' were built. Turn that around the other way and you can see that 'Penistone Town Hall' did not yet exist when the Library opened in 1913. So they are wrong.
However, in many and perhaps most other cases, 'Town Hall' is synonymous with 'Administrative Centre' but even that function is weak here. Meetings are still held in the Council Chamber (which is always called that) but since the 1970s the local council has been administered from offices in the Community Centre. More evidence required? This second scan is from a mid-century Penistone Almanack:
Penistone is proud to share with Huddersfield, Sheffield and other places a long tradition of having a Town Hall as its centre of entertainment. Our public hall functions as a village hall on a grander scale. Consider also Sheffield City Hall, which was always an entertainment venue and not an administrative centre. Its Oval Hall seats 2,271 people who are there, not to nod assent to the latest council whim, but to enjoy live performances by live entertainers, as in Penistone. Local residents should correct those people who say 'Town Hall' to mean a different part of the building than the Paramount. 'If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing reight.'
The Carnegie Free Library
The availability of books had always been one of the best and cheapest ways for ordinary people to educate themselves. Towards the end of the 19th century, literacy was almost universal and a movement started in the UK to promote book-reading for self-education. This led to the gradual establishment of public libraries throughout the land. They are still relevent in the present day. Although reading takes many forms in the modern age and libraries have additional activities and services, they are still among the most important public buildings of any town as a resource of learning, entertainment through reading and the preservation of local history.
Penistone Library can be traced back to a Reading Room in the 1880s but the actual 'Carnegie Free Library' building did not open on Shrewsbury Road until 1913. It had been purchased partly by public subscription from Penistone area residents (on the rates) and partly by a generous grant of money from Mr Andrew Carnegie. This was in the days of Penistone Urban District Council.
Andrew Carnegie was a great Scottish-American steel magnate with the classic rags-to-riches life story. He was born in Dunfermline in 1835 in modest circumstances. The Carnegie family moved to America to seek out a better way of life in 1848. After several jobs, the hard-working Andrew settled on the Pittsburgh railway and invested in various heavy industries as he made his way forward in the world. By 1870, he had co-founded his first steel company then, in 1901, the banker John Pierpont Morgan bought out the Carnegie Steel company for $480m and Carnegie became one of the richest men in the world and turned to philanthropy. His philosophy was that the rich had a moral obligation to promote the welfare and happiness of the common man. (See Andrew Carnegie's history , Richard Wright's People of Penistone and hear to a recording of Carnegie).
He donated church organs and, perhaps of more interest to Penistone people, he funded free libraries throughout the world, to improve public education. Mr Carnegie seldom receives the recognition that he so richly deserves, when you consider what benefits book-reading and the free exchange of ideas can confer upon any forward-looking population and particularly at a time when the education system had often been very basic. Mr Carnegie was a great enabler and, along with so many others, our town has much to thank him for, although it also took the will of the local population to allow the Library and Town Hall to happen. Mr Carnegie died 1919 in Massachusetts, USA.
Carnegie Free Library Opening Times
from the 1915 Penistone Almanack:
I can remember the old library as a stale or musty-smelling and forbidding place for a young lad to visit. Newspapers in the 'Reading Room' were all broadsheets in those days and were laid out and clipped on to large wooden easels which might have been a century old. The room had an air of being out-of-bounds unless you wore a tweed jacket with a whiff of stale tobacco smoke, which is what I thought was the uniform of local councillors. I didn't see many people go in there.
In 1966, the Lending Library was moved to a new purpose-built building on the High Street but the 'Reading Room' (newspapers and journals) was relegated to a small building behind the Town Hall office for a time. With the removal of the library, the space liberated at the top of the building was taken up for Barnsley council services, public information and a social housing contact point, with the local council administration moved to the Community Centre on Church Street. The top office became used for many years as 'Berneslai Homes' to support social housing in the area.
The old 'Carnegie Free Library' rooms went through many changes after being taken over as a BMBC council facility, at first to support social housing. A new 'accessibility' automatic door was fitted at the top wall. Just beyond the door is a small red-brick building which was a tiny house for the caretaker and family. It was for a time occupied by Penistone & District Community Partnership, and East Peak Innovation Partnership (more or less the same thing).
It is not clear whether he was approached by local officials to help fund the library or if he had discovered Penistone through his steel connections with the iron and steel works, but his contribution seeded the following results:
What a huge improvement to our town to spin off from the Library! One hopes that a Penistone street might one day be named after Andrew Carnegie in recognition of his work.
Index of Topics
Sections in this page.
History Timeline
This long section compiles developments in the old Public Library, the 'new' Public Library, Council Offices, Masonic Hall, the 'Assembly Rooms Cinema', Penistone Town Hall and related matters. Many of the details are drawn from local almanacs, web sources and a wonderful pamphlet, 'The History of Penistone Cinemas' (in plain blue covers), by Stuart R Smith, using research by Clifford Shaw. Look in the Local History section of Penistone Library, centre isle near the desk.
1850
Public Libraries Act:
The Public Libraries Act 1850 (13 & 14 Vict. c.65) was an Act of Parliament which first gave local boroughs the power to establish free public libraries. It established the principle of free Public Libraries which could provide facilities for self-improvement through books and reading for all classes. There had also been a fear that they might become centres of agitation by politically-motivated people and that they would lead to an increase in taxation. The Act was updated several times in the years following.
The 1870 - 80s
Technical Advances
The first photographic analysis of motion was captured by the British photographer, Eadward Muybridge (Wiki - formerly Edward James Muggeridge), in 1872. He had emigrated to the USA as a young man. He used 24 side-by-side cameras using glass plates and triggered sequentially to make instantaneous photographs of a galloping horse. The railroad magnate, Leland Stanford, had hired him to prove that all four legs of a horse were at times off the ground simultaneously. This he demonstrated at the Royal Institution in 1882.
The professional photographer, William Friese-Greene (BFI biography) of Bristol, invented a moving picture camera (Patent no. 10131) which he used for the first time on 15th November 1889, recording the comings and goings of London's Hyde Park. He was a prolific inventor and even patented an early red/green colour film process in 1905, called the Biocolour. He made his fortune in the field of printing but spent everything on his inventions and ended up dying in poverty.
Although several inventors had attempted to create incandescent light bulbs, the London inventor Joseph Wilson Swan (Wiki) was first to demonstrate reliable light bulbs to an audience of 700 in February 1879, months before the prolific American inventor, Thomas Alva Edison (Wiki), was able to demonstrate light bulbs that did not quickly burn out. It would appear that Edison and Swan were both doing similar work at the same time but Swan demonstrated his first and developed a method to prevent the bulb glass from blackening. Swan's house was the first in the world to be lit by electric light and it was powered by a hydro-electric generator from a nearby river. History tends to credit the more famous Edison with the invention of the light bulb but there is a prejudicial culture of 'not invented here' in a certain land and that filters through to the written history. Edison was a good inventor and a shrewd businessman who would employ other inventors but he was also highly litigious and quick to oppose his rivals.
The American inventor, George Eastman (Wiki), was making plate film from around 1880. By 1885, he perfected the first transparent roll film for photography, which was a major breakthrough with long lasting effects. His business amassed a great fortune under the Kodak name, although 'Eastman-Kodak' later appeared on some products. Paul McCartney married Linda Eastman of the same family (and she was a photographer). The roll film opened the way for Edison to improve his Kinetoscope to show moving pictures to one person at a time in 1891, displaying moving pictures in the style of a 'peep show' or 'What the Butler Saw.' Edison's requirement for perforations to be added on both edges of the 35mm films became the moving picture film standard which continues even to this day. Some digitally-edited films are still copied to film which would have been recognisable to Eastwood and Edison.
As always, Edison grabbed the limelight but the UK also had its inventors. Having discovered that Edison's Kinetoscope patent did not apply in England, the London scientific instrument-maker, Robert W Paul (BFI biography), made his own version of the Edison Kinetoscope and exported machines to all over the world. He also invented a cine camera. The difficulty of projecting an image on to a screen for a theatre audience was the next challenge. In February 1895, Paul demonstrated a clear 7ft square moving picture being projected from a 40ft long piece of film. Others followed Paul's progress and the Anglo-American film producer and distributor, Charles Urban, projected moving pictures at theatres using what he called the Bioscope.
Film as we know it was now the new technology of the day, using hand/clockwork or motor-driven cameras at a rate of about 20 frames per second. The standard later became 24 frames per second, as it still is, which might explain why the very old films appear to be speeded up. Modern-day 'films' stay with the 24 fps standard, no matter by which method they may be 'filmed' or even the original frame rate. The experts claim that 24 fps is the 'cinematic' framerate and looks right because it is the established standard.
1878
The Third Annual Entertainment, in the Assembly Room. See also 1906 and 1907 below for entertainments in the Assembly Room off St Mary's Street, which had been a Gas showroom (it was near to the Talbot Road gasworks). The Assembly Room would become Penistone's first cinema, before the Town Hall.
Assembly Room Penistone
25th February 1878
Third Annual Dramatic Entertainment
By the Members of Penistone Grammar School Institute - Programme
Overture - Biltcliff's String Band
"Parliamentary Debate on the Admission of Ladies to the Gallery of the House of Commons"
(* Various MPs played by local people)
Members Supporting the Ministry (* in brief, and played by): W Uncles, F Moore, J Walshaw, W Goodall and FU Laycock.
Members of the Opposition - (* the players): WA Valber, H Rolling, JH Wood and C Kaye.
Recitation "Mary Queen of Scots" - by FU Laycock;
Piccolo - played by Thomas Baxter
"A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing" (Historic, domestic drama by T Taylor Esq., set in Taunton, 1685), A Story of the Monmouth Rebellion.
Played by: H Rolling, R Walber, J Walshaw, WA Walber, F Moore, C Kaye, W Vernon, W Uncles, FU Laycock, Maud Lewis and F Brownhill.
Director and Manager - Mr T Jackson; Stage Manager - F Brownhill
Poster printed by 'John Wood, Printer by atmospheric gas power, Market Place, Penistone.'
Early 1880s
Penistone Reading Room
A reading room was established through the efforts of John Ness Dransfield, location unknown. This is anecdotal but supposedly supported by newspaper clippings in Penistone Historic Archives. At a time when the value of education became prominent, a good reading habit was equated with learning and good schooling. By 1900 there were 295 public libraries in Britain.
1895
Silent Pictures Begin
In France, the Lumière Brothers invented the Cinématographe. Superior to Edison's Kinetograph for one person at a time, moving images could now be projected on to a screen for more people to view. Now the world could move on from lantern slides. Many short moving picture films would be made by Bamforth's of Holmfirth from 1898 - 1900 and later, see 1903 below. Forget Hollywood. Until 1913, it had not yet been invented but Yorkshire was now on the map.
Unknown Date - The 'Assembly Rooms'
A building located adjacent to the Great Central Railways Goods Depot (near the current St Mary's Street roundabout). Known also as 'Unwin's Rooms' it was to become the 'Assembly Rooms Cinema' or 'Penistone Picture Palace' and served as the main centre of entertainment. Penistone Town Hall was not even 'a twinkling of the eye' at this time.
The Assembly Room had been a gas appliances showroom in the early days of Penistone's gas supply (gasworks nearby, off Talbot Road, aka 'Gashouse Lane'). There was no electricity supply around in those days, as Mr Tesla was still experimenting with that in the USA while Mr Edison was trying to drive him out of business. Back to the story.
The Assembly Room name suggests a meeting place for such as election hustings or union meetings but it was also used for dances and concerts, such as the Hunt Ball, the Batchelor's Ball and fund-raisers for local churches and (perhaps ironically given the Town hall history) the Carnegie Library fund. The church school on Church street was another venue for dances. These notes are from an 1878 poster, very much abridged here.
1898
'New Road' Land Built Up
That heading demands an explanation, but it is relevant. The old Grammar School was demolished this year and new buildings would be constructed on the Kirk Flatts site which required cellars to be gug out. This would produce a lot of soil to be deposited elsewhere. The Bradleys of Penistone Rose and Crown were farmers and cartage contracters who were contracted to take away the soil and move it to the side of New Road, as Shrewsbury Road was then called. The soil was used to bring the level of the field up to the road level. The land would later be used as the site for the Carnegie Library, Council Rooms and the Town Hall.
1902
Decision to Build a Library - Public Meeting, Monday 29th September 1902. NB. 'Penistone Reflections' gives the date as Thursday 29/9/1904 but the 1904 Almanack was published before 1904 and could only have referred to the 1902 date, not a date which had yet to happen. This was the first official suggestion to apply to the steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie of Skibo Castle, for money to build a public Free Library building in Penistone.
A public meeting in the Girls' National School was held to consider if Mr Andrew Carnegie's offer of £1,000 for a Public Free Library in Penistone should be accepted. The following resolution was proposed by Dr ACJ Wilson JP CC and seconded by Mr GAB Lockley. It was accepted unanimously: "We, the inhabitants of Penistone, in public meeting assembled, thank Mr Carnegie for his generous offer, and pledge ourselves to use our utmost efforts to raise the necessary £500 in order to take advantage of such offer."
Adoption of Libraries Act in Penistone - 24th October 1902.
On this date, the first 'Conversazione' was held in St John's School (the current Community Centre) to consider raising £500 for the Free Library Scheme. A poll was taken to decide if the Public Free Libraries Act 1892 ought to be adopted by Penistone. A 'Conversazione' is 'a scholarly social gathering held for discussion of literature and the arts'. Details from 1904 Penistone Almanack, referring to 1902. Note that 'Penistone Reflections' gives the date as 29th September 1904 but, as it was published in the 1904 Almanack, presumably compiled the year before or early in the year, the meeting must have occurred before publication.
1903:
Raising Funds
Local fund-raising towards the new public building started around this time. Mr Carnegie's grant was agreed but on condition that Penistone adopt the Free Libraries Act and put £500 towards the costs of building. Reference to 'The Free Libraries Act' refers to 'The Public Libraries Act' which started in 1850 (13 & 14 Vict c.65) but was amended several times (See History of the Act). Local rates added 1d per pound towards the build, as this was the maximum rate which could be under the Act.
13th March 1903.
A 'Social' was held in Penistone Wesleyan Schoolroom to raise money towards the Free Library Fund. This was in a rear room at the old St Paul's chapel, used for a Sunday School within living memory before its demolition in the 1970s (replaced by St Andrews Church). On 19th March 1903, Councillor Derry of Sheffield and Mr Samuel Smith, chief librarian of Sheffield Free Libraries addressed the public in St John's School on the subject of free libraries.
October 1903.
'Animated Pictures' were shown in the 'Assembly Rooms Cinema' by showman Harry Bamforth of Holmfirth. It was a sporadic event, with Jasper Redfearn following in 1905. Bamforth's of Holmfirth had made many short films 1898 - 1900 and later 1913 - 1915, having started with lantern slides for display in Electric Picture Palaces and travelling shows. Bamforths later became well-known for their saucy seaside postcards.
November 1903
Léon Gaumont demonstrated his first sound film to Société de Photographie in Paris. Even before this, in 1899, an experimental three-colour system had been patented and projected by Edward Raymond Turner, who died suddenly in 1903. This was a time of continuing innovation and experimentation in moving pictures.
1906:
'Acis and Galatea' (Concert) - Weds 14th November 1906, 7.30pm, in the Assembly Rooms.
'Acis and Galatea' by Handel has been regarded as the pinnacle of pastoral opera in England. This was performed by an un-named Augmented Band and Chorus. The principals were: Mrs Dorothea Hemmings, LRAM, Soprano (Sheffield); Mr Alfred Clegg, Tenor (Dewsbury), and Mr Hugh Ashton, Baritone (of the Manchester Concerts). The pink poster had 'Doors open at 6.45pm' and 'Carriages at 10pm' but did not show the price of admission. From Mrs D Crossland's collection.
1907:
A 'High-Class Concert' - Weds, 20th November 1907, 7.30pm, in the Assembly Rooms.
A concert by Penistone and District Choral Society, with: Glees, Part Songs, Madrigals, etc., by the Society's Chorus.
1908:
Barnsley Public Hall Cinema Disaster - 11th January.
At the grossly overcrowded event at Barnsley's Public Hall Cinema, Eldon Street. With children standing in the aisles, those children on the overcrowded balcony were asked to go to the main hall to relieve the pressure. As they did so and in the ensuing panic, children were trampled underfoot. 16 children were crushed to death with 40 others seriously injured with bones broken. The 'Devastating Disasters' site says that someone had called "Fire" in the turmoil, making matters worse. See also Wiki.
1909
Site Chosen for Penistone Library
Penistone Urban District Council had been trying for many years to find a portion of land somewhere in Penistone to put up a public building. Sheffield Shrewsbury Hospital Trust offered a site in Shrewsbury Road for the new public building on condition that the local council adopt it as a public road. (From Penistone History Group archives). On approaching the Local Government Board, Penistone Urban Council was told that they could not build the public building without themselves first acquiring the powers of a Parish Council, which being only a formality, they did (date uncertain).
Cinema Legislation
Around 1908 there had been several cinema fires resulting in loss of life and these led to pressure to regulate the industry more firmly. The Cinematograph Act 1909 (9 Edw.7 c.30 and see updates) brought cinemas under local authority control in an effort to increase fire safety and it gave local authorities the power of inspection. Licencing became mandatory because of safety concerns and for emergency egress. Films of the era used a highly-combustible cellulose nitrate base which, under the great heat generated in projector lamp housings, was easily ignited and could set theatres ablaze. Early cinemas were highly susceptible to fires. Films were now required to be projected from a fire-proof chamber. Stricter building regulations were generally introduced for public entertainment halls.
As the Act did not regulate the content of films, local authorities set their own rules. Films which were acceptable in some areas might not be considered unsuitable in others. Indirectly, the Act led to the eventual formation of the British Board of Film Censors, later re-named as the British Board of Film Classification. According to BBFC History, 'Statutory powers on film remains with local councils, which may overrule any of the BBFC’s decisions upon appeal.'
1911
Assembly Rooms Cinema Licence - 28th December 1911.
It is not clear exactly when the already in use 'Assembly Rooms Cinema' had been built and opened. This would be Penistone's first cinema, before the Town Hall opened. A small pamphlet 'Cinema in Penistone' by Clifford Shaw remarks that there had not been any publicity for its opening as a cinema. It might be interesting to discover why. And when. The lessees were JT Hawthorne and GF King at this time, who also had cinemas in Holmfirth, Skelmanthorpe, Slaithwaite and Ossett. This suggests that they were already well-established; that they operated in rotation and that films might be shown perhaps only once or twice a week at each venue. They would later sell their business to Mr and Mrs Moses Rawson, who kept it until the fire of 1924.
The cinema acquired its cinema licence this year but it is likely that it had shown films here long before the licence became a requirement by law. The licence had been imposed this year by the Cinematograph Act 1909 and could be acquired upon complying with the regulations to operate as a cinema. This was, of course, the silent film era and around the time that the movie industry was developing in the USA. With the Great War around the corner, USA film production increased and would soon outstrip other sources and come to dominate film output for many years to come.
In the modern age, you can still find the old Assembly Rooms Cinema building near St Mary's Street roundabout. Walk towards Julie's Cafe and, on the right, the tall building was the former Railway Station before it moved and there had been a second building (now demolished) as an Engine Shed. On your left, you can see a long red-brick building with what looks like port-hole windows. That is the former Assembly Rooms Cinema and you can make out the shape of a projection room at the far end.
1912:
The Carnegie Free Library
Plans for the Carnegie Free Library were submitted by Mr HB Collins of Barnsley to Andrew Carnegie for approval (his picture is shown here on the right). An additional scheme to add the Town Hall and other rooms for council use was also discussed at the time, as the plans were intended to integrate the separate sections of building together. You can see from the plan layout towards the top of this page how this was done.
Funding a Public Hall - 5th November 1913.
An application to borrow money Mr. E Leonard, P.A.S.I., Local Government Board Inspector, held an inquiry at Penistone into the application of the Urban District Council for power to borrow £3,500 for the erection of a Public Hall and Council Offices in Shrewsbury Road.
1913
Plans for the new Public Hall - 18th March 1913.
Tenders accepted for building Penistone Town Hall and Council Offices as follows:- Mason and brickwork, Mr. MH Mellor, Penistone, £1,885 10s.; joinery, Messrs. J Hawley & Sons, Penistone, £1,260; plumber, Mr. F Tinker, Penistone, £368 5s.; plasterers, Messrs. G Beard & Sons, Penistone, £227 2s. 5d.; painters, Messrs. A Bagnall & Sons, Ltd., Shipley, Bradford, £60 8s.; total £3,801 5s. 5d.
Plans and Loan Approved - 26th May 1913.
The
Local Government Board approved plans and tenders for the new Town Hall and Council Offices next door to it (with an attached Masonic Hall) and gave their sanction to a loan of £4,100. Here is a clipping from page 11 of the 1914 Penistone Almanac, which would have been compiled in 1913. As always, the distinction between 'Town Hall' and 'Council Offices' was very clear.
Carnegie Free Library Opened - Saturday 21st June 1913.
The Carnegie Free Library and Reading Room was completed on Shrewsbury Road, built partly from public subscription (on the rates referred to above) and with a £1,300 contribution from Andrew Carnegie, which had been increased from the original £1,000. Eleven years after it had been first proposed, it was officially opened by the Earl of Wharncliffe (Wiki), Francis John Montagu-Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie, the Second Earl of Wharncliffe (1856 to 1926), who lived at Wortley Hall.
Now we must ask the question: 'Why has Carnegie not been remembered in a Penistone street name?'
Start of Construction
Before Shrewsbury Road had been adopted and improved, the rather narrow Church Street had been the main through road from the town centre towards Oxspring. The libaray had already opened in 1913 but it was also the start of construction of Penistone Town Hall ('Paramount' these days), the adjacent Committee Rooms (including the Council Chamber) and Penistone Masonic Hall. These would be built on to Carnegie Free Library.
1914
Penistone Masonic Hall
The Masonic Hall was built and opened at around the same time as Penistone Town Hall and council rooms. Historic details are not easily available to non-members but the Wharnecliffe Lodge (founded 1796) and the Pengeston Lodge (founded 1874) would now hold meetings in the new Penistone Masonic Hall. According to Kelly's 1912 directory, the Wharnecliffe Freemason's Lodge met at the Rose and Crown with W Bennet as Secretary, before their new hall opened in 1914.
1914
Penistone's "Coliseum" Begins - 31st October 1914. See the Grand Opening section above.
Penistone Town Hall, Masonic Hall, Council Chamber and Meeting Room was completed this year as a continuation of the Carnegie Free Library. The opening ceremony was performed by Alderman E Woodhead, JP, of Huddersfield (see full details below). The cost of the public hall and adjuncts totalled about £3,004 and the Council offices (Council Chamber), etc., an additional £1,009.
As this was at the beginning of the Great War, the Town Hall also became a venue for fund-raising activities, such as dances. A concert on Saturday, 28th November raised £30 in aid of the 'Relief of Belgian Refugees Fund'. Artistes were: conjuror Mr WF Gilbert of Chester and humorist Mr Harry Lawton of Wolverhampton (Penistone Almanack, 1916). In a different style, a children's concert from Spring Vale Council School was a great success in December. The programme of operettas were 'The Toy Shop' performed by the infants and 'A Royal Jester' by the elder scholars.
The new Town Hall had other uses too. On 9th December 1914, the first inquest was held there. This was for the death of 82 year old Mrs Charlotte Mitchell of Spring Vale, who died as a result of a fall.
1915:
Renewed Assembly Rooms Cinema Efforts - January 1915.
With a rival cinema about to start up in the Town Hall, the Assembly Rooms Cinema needed to try harder to gain customers with a renewed advertising campaign. The Assembly Rooms Cinema had been advertising as 'Penistone Picture House' at this time but the name never really caught on. Its film schedule had always sporadic, although the onset of the Great War would have had its effect. Nightly performances started at 8pm, with Saturday performances at 2.30pm, 6.45pm and 9pm. The programmehad a main film (not more than about ten minutes) and a Pathé News, comedy feature or serial. Films would be changed Mondays and Thursdays. Tickets were 3d, 4d and 6d.
One wonders how they stretched out the showings, with the films being so short, but we could make a guess here. We must remember that these were all silent films and would have been accompanied by piano, so performances could have included more than films, perhaps with music sessions and a sing-along. After about five months, the films stopped again but would later return. Mr Will Parfett was billed as Manager for 1913-14. When the Town Hall started with its own film showings in November, Mr Parfett deserted the sinking ship and joined them instead. According to the blue booklet, nothing more was heard about the Assembly Rooms Cinema until 1917.
An interesting factoid turned up after the local dance school teacher Betty Chappelle died in 2020; that her father Matthew had played piano for Penistone pictures, but it wasn't clear which picture house he had played for.
Choral Concert - 7th February 1915
This took place in Penistone's new Town Hall. Dr WM Robertshaw's Stocksbridge Choral Union performed the concert in support of the fund for a Penistone and District YMCA hut for France.
Steelworkers' Meeting - 20th March 1915.
A mass meeting of steelworkers took place in the Town Hall, addressed by Mr M Humberstone and various union leaders. This was in the time of Cammel-Laird steelworks on Green Road, which later became David Brown's (1936).
Penistone Town Hall Licenced for Films - August 1915. See also Cinema Treasures.
The Town Hall was let to Mr Joseph Owen Jesson after the Council licenced the Town Hall for 'Cinematographic entertainments', conditional on its availability as a Town Hall for other local events and public meetings (which still pertains) and the first projectionist was Mr T Lee. Of course, early films had no sound-track in those days but there would have been musical accompaniment by Mrs May Bust on piano (a detail from Penistone Mayor's speech of 2014).
The first 'high-class concert and pictures' event was held on Friday 20th November 1915, described in the Penistone Almanack (see graphic below). According to a historical account at the BBC, which has several inaccuracies, 'The two opening shows in 1915 raised over £20 for wounded soldiers in the Penistone, Thurlstone and District Nursing Association'. See the BBC page.
The balcony was deemed to be not up to safety standards by the West Riding CC licencing authority and remained off-limits to the audience, which could number 550 in the stalls, until it was altered in 1924, at the expense of Penistone council. The regulations were because of a high incidence of cinema fires as a result of the highly flammable films of the day illuminated by very hot lamps. The balcony audience would have required a good fire exit.
Opening Ceremony for Films in the Town Hall
The Town Hall's function could now add the showing of films, although not every night, as the hall would continue its other functions, such as theatre, dance hall and assemby hall. A grand launch event took place featuring a concert and pictures as detailed in see the graphic below, from the 1916 Penistone Almanack:
After the Opening Ceremony, the first programmed film showing would be on 22nd November 1915. Ticket would be 3d and 9d each. The Bank of England calculates that for goods and services, £1 spent in 1914 would be equivalent to £92.37 today (B of E Inflation Calculator). Other sources give much higher, such as £137 and £147. Using the Bank of England's result, a 3d ticket would be worth about £1,15 today and a 9d ticket worth about £3.46 today.
The existing 'Penistone Picture House' (aka 'Assembly Rooms Cinema') now faced direct competition from the council-backed Town Hall Cinema, with two regular film screenings each week. The first year rental for showing films was £526 and included the use of a piano. They were all silent films in those days and a piano was essential. It would be many decades before a cinema organ would be fitted to Penistone Town Hall; much later than the talkies. What we don't know is whether the projector and ancillaries in the Town Hall had been permanent fixtures from the start or just set up as needed.
Soldiers Recruited in the Town Hall
As the Great War gathered pace, Penistone Town Hall was also used as a soldier recruiting hall as Headquarters of the Holmfirth Parliamentary Division Recruiting Committee, 'For men attesting under Lord Derby's scheme for the war.' The 'Derby Scheme' used door-to-door visits encouraging men to 'attest' or promise to serve if called upon, with a promise that bachelors would be called to serve before married men. The 'Derby Scheme' was insufficient for recruiting enough cannon fodder and single men aged 18 to 41 were conscripted from January 1916. This was still not enough and married men were also conscripted in May 1916.
1917
Choral Concert in Penistone Town Hall,
7th February, by Dr WM Robertshaw's Stocksbridge Choral Union, in aid of a fund for providing a Penistone and District YMCA hut for use by our troops in France. This is an advert for films being shown in the same year:
1918
Return of the Assembly Rooms Cinema
The Great War was drawing towards its end. Advertisements for film performances in 'Penistone Picture House' restarted during the Spring and Summer of this year. The manager was Miss Beatrice Harris. Tickets were: 4d, 5d and 8d, which now included an entertainment tax. Film serials running at the time were:
1919
Assembly Rooms Cinema Refurbishment - 26th May 1919.
After the renovation, the Assembly Rooms Cinema re-opened with Moses Rawson as Manager. Following the upheaval and losses of the Great War, the opening show had been to raise money for a Penistone War Memorial to be erected outside Penistone Church (see 1924) and it included a variety act. A free children's matinee was shown at 5pm the same day. This cinema continued (possibly sporadically) for another four years until its demise in 1923.
Mr Carnegie Died - 11th August this year.
Who can be sure that a library would not have been built without the help of the steel magnate and philanthropist? It is possible that, without the library, the Town Hall might not have been built. But, in Parliamentary terms, Penistone was a rival to Holmfirth and the competitive instinct would ensure that both functions would as a necessity arrive in town sooner or later. With Mr Carnegie's help, it was sooner. With these new facilities, Penistone could attract visitors and more commerce. Council meetings could easily have continued in other buildings, such as PGS or function rooms, but the arrival of the purpose-built Council Chamber elevated their status. The availability of the new Masonic Hall would also be of particular importance to council members and to other notables in the community.
1922
Bulging Gable Requires Work
A bulge appeared in the gable end of the Town Hall and repairs were called for. The local council also chose to have work done to bring the balcony up to the WRCC's safety requirements at the same time, so that it could be brought back into use. Capacity was 550 seats, which excluded the balcony. The hall was also redecorated. Reconstruction and enlargement started in July 1924 with H Slater as architect, costing a total of £1,200, but with the lessees paying towards it.
1923
Demise of The Assembly Rooms Cinema - Thursday 12th July.
Competition between Penistone's two picture palaces came to an end this year. 'Penistone Picture House' met its untimely end when fire gutted the building, leaving only the walls remaining. The last film shown was 'Love at the Wheel' (1921). According to IMDB, it was a film about a sacked foreman who set up his own car business and won a race. The players were: Victor Humfries, Pauline Johnson, Leslie Steward, Annette Benson, Arthur Claremont, Clare Greet, A. Harding Steerman and May Price. The building appeared to be unused in the latter half of the 20th century until it was taken over for car repairs.
1924
Town Hall Building Work - Balcony ('Circle') Made Safe at Last
The gable end of the Town Hall had developed a noticeable bulge in 1922 and building work was started to remedy this. It made sense to improve the Balcony gallery area at the same time to comply with the WRCC's safety standards and, at last, to actually allow an audience make use of it. Always referred to as 'the Circle' on Town Hall programmes, it was deemed unsafe for ten years and out of bounds to the public. The architect to improve the building was Mr H Slater and the cost of all the work came to £1,200.
It had been a busy year in Penistone, if you take a look at the History Timeline for 1924. The church clock was replaced this year and a second face fitted to overlook Shrewsbury Road for the first time. Also, the new Penistone War Memorial was unveiled this year, engraved with the fallen of the Great War. The Penistone Almanack of 1925 has the following item, referring to 14th July 1924.
'Grand Popular Concert' (first of a series) - 7.30pm, Weds 5th November 1924.
From the start, Penistone Town Hall had been a theatre and dance hall, then a film theatre from 1915. Penistone and District Musical Society performed 'The May Queen' by Sterndale Bennet. Conductor was Mr A Harley. Artistes: Miss Ida Bloor, Soprano, Mr Joseph Green, Tenor, Mr Ernest Platts, Bass, Mr Melvyn Roebuck at the Piano. (This item from Mrs M Marsh's collection).
1925
Public Assemblies
Meetings were being held in the Town Hall as a public assembly hall. Random examples from Penistone Almanacs are: The 70th Annual Parochial Gathering, Wednesday 7th January 1925. A little later, Mr George Lansbury, Labour MP, spoke to the masses there on the subject of 'Nationalisation of Mines', Sunday 1st February 1925, in connection with the formation of the Penistone Branch of the Labour Party.
1927
Cinematograph Films Act 1927
The 1927 Act (see Parliament) was designed to halt the decline of the British film industry, at a time of declining British film audiences. It was trying to counter Hollywood's perceived economic and cultural dominance by promoting similar business practices among British studios, distributors and cinema chains for the limited time of ten years.
The 1927 Act made it compulsory for every film renter trading in Great Britain to provide a quota of British films, to increase yearly from 7.5% in the year ending March 31st 1929, up to 20% by 1938. Exhibitors were also required to show a quota of British films, starting from 5% in 1928 and increasing to 20% by 1936. It was generally regarded as a failure. Cinematograph films entering Great Britain were subject to import duties: raw stock (blank film) one-third of a penny per linear foot; positive film, 1d per foot; negative, 5d per foot.
Until 1929, most films had been silent and most were from America. European countries were increasing their output, however, with the arrival of talking films and this provided an opportunity for British producers to regain lost ground. As an example of film output around 1930, taking an annual production of 1350 feature films, 750 would be produced in America, 200 in Germany, 140 in Great Britain, 130 in Russia, 60 in France and 70 in all other countries.
Technical - The Talkies?
Many people believe that the first 'talkie' film was the 'The Jazz Singer' (1927) but several inventions to synchronise sound to moving pictures preceded it by perhaps three decades, with such as the Synchroscope, Chronophone and Cameraphone. Most of them did not have the funding or resources to be commercially viable and many gifted inventors ended up in debt or subject to ruthless patent litigation by those who were better-established who might risk patent litigation.
'The Jazz Singer' was regarded as the first feature-length 'talkie' film to be distributed in 1927 but was not shown in Penistone at the time. It was silent with captions for the most part except for the songs and some ad-libbing. None-the-less, it was hugely popular at the time in America (where the history is written) and caught the public imagination as the technological breakthrough which would herald the demise of silent film. The film used the Vitaphone system with four gramophone discs for 'Sound on Disc' and very similar to a French system of nearly thirty years before. Al Jolson's first words to be actually heard in the film were: "You ain't heard nothing yet."
The Vitaphone disc system had a limited recording time and was subject to synchronisation problems if a disc was damaged or nudged in the projection room. A better method invented long before Vitaphone used an optical 'Sound on Film' track, allowing perfect lip-synchronisation but it did not have the financial backing to succeed until much later. Then it became the standardised technique for decades until digital methods appeared in modern times.
In the 1900s, Léon Gaumont's Chronophone had projected film on to the big screen and he used the French equivalent of the phonograph and two large horns to amplify the sound. There was no electronic amplification in those days. Even before that, around 1895, Thomas Edison played music on his cylinder phonograph with a continuous film loop in his Kinetophone. It was a coin-operated machine for one person at a time. Kinetophone Parlours were set up across America and even in London's Oxford Street. The 1920s were the early days of radio ('Wireless' in those days) and its improving technology was useful for the development of cinema, with microphones, amplifying valves, loudspeakers, photocells and other developments available and becoming increasingly affordable. The expanding electricity supply in the UK played no small part in the process of invention and take up. Further UK Cinema History can be found at the British Cinema History site.
1929
Glen Cinema Fire Disaster - 31st December.
Even after various changes to the law for fire safety in cinemas, 71 children died in the Glen Cinema fire disaster in Paisley, Scotland. Around 900 children had gone to Glen Cinema to see the new cowboy film 'The Dude Desperado', as their mums cleaned up at home ready for the New Year. A film reel caught fire, filling the hall with black smoke. The children panicked and stampeded to get out, leading to 69 being crushed and 40 injured. The final death toll was 71. Ironically, the projectionist managed to extinguish the fire.
The Nitrocellulose film of the day had been highly flammable and the cause of the fire. People (mostly children) rushed the exits, only to find that they either opened inwards or were locked to prevent unauthorised entry. The cinema has been inspected that same day by the local fire service and pronounced safe. This had been the worst cinema disaster in UK history. After this the tragedy, picture house inspections became compulsory and the Cinematograph Act 1909 was amended so that emergency exits opened outwards and had push bars for a rapid egress.
An Empire Cinema? - 10th June 1929, from the 1930 Penistone Almanack:
'Plans passed for new Empire cinema on site of old Assembly Hall, Penistone, destroyed by fire.'
It didn't happen.
1929 Events in the Town Hall
This is a sample from just one year, which demonstrates the frequent use of the hall at the time. From the 1929 Penistone Almanack, which listed events to October 1929, texts unedited here:
The 1930s
Penistone cinema projectors at this time were two British Thomson Houston (BTH), Type A, with carbon arcs and 20 minute reels (see the Regal Group site). BTH was a large engineering and heavy machinery company which made a wide range of products including steam turbines, electric motors, power generation equipment, Mazda radio valves, a two-valve wireless, aircraft parts, naval parts, cinema sound and cinema projection equipment. In 1937, Frank Whittle's Power Jets company built the world's first prototype jet engine at the BTH works in Rugby but BTH also made domestic appliances under the Hotpoint name and BTH film projectors, which were installed in Penistone's Town Hall Cinema. See Grace's Guide.
1930
Talkies Arrive in Penistone
Fifteen years after he had started showing films in the Town Hall, Mr Jesson continued with a six-year lease to show films, at a rental of £300 a year for the first three years and by negotiation afterwards.
'Sunny Side Up' was the first talkie film shown in Penistone, with a run time of just over two hours. It was made by Fox Film Corporation and premiered 3rd October 1929 at the Gaiety Theatre in New York City. It laid claim to being the first original musical talkie for the silver screen. Up to this year, films at Penistone had been silent except for a piano accompaniment. The title song from the film will be familiar to many people, as in '(Keep Your) Sunny Side Up'. On the poster: 'William Fox Presents Sunny Side Up. The screen's first all-talking, singing, dancing musical comedy (etc.)'
The film starred Janet Gaynor as Molly Carr (who sang and danced to the title song) and Charles Farrell as Jack Cromwell. They had been the top screen couple in the early 1930s and were romantically involved with each other at the time of the film. They were making the transition from silent to talkie films with some success. She was barely 5ft tall, while he was 6ft 2in but they had a noticeable chemistry between them.
Janet Gaynor had appeared in many films in the 1920s and 1930s (mostly uncredited) but was aware of her vocal short-comings and arranged to avoid musicals in future. She had all but retired but appeared in 'The Love Boat' TV series in 1981. Charles Farell is best remembered for his teaming with Janet Gaynor in twelve screen romances between 1927 and 1934. He retired in the late 1940s but made an appearance in the popular US TV series 'My Little Margie' (1952).
Technical Advances:
This was a Fox Movietone film, which used a variable-density optical soundtrack based on the 1920s Phonofilm system developed by American inventor Lee deForest, rather than the variable-width optical soundtrack which became the standard for later years. In fact, either type could be played back on the same projector, provided the frames per second were similar. This 'Sound on Film' method ensured accurate lip sync, unlike the Vitaphone system used in 'The Jazz Singer' which played the soundtrack from four special gramophone records which could easily 'jump a groove' and lose synchronisation.
Most of the film was black and white except for one sequence, 'Turn up the Heat', which was coloured using a tinting process and called 'Multicolor'. This was rather an erotic sequence with Eskimo girls dancing as the temperature rose and igloos melted, to be replaced by palm trees and skimpy clothes. Unfortunately, that appears to have been lost and can only be found in black and white now. Camera techniques were evolving at this time from the static angles of the silent era and this film used such as tracking crane shots to make it more interesting and immersive. See Wikipedia and IMDb.
At this time, Penistone's cinema had BTH projectors. Then as now, the film changed on Thursdays but sometimes the films were not being shown when the hall was used for theatrical or other purposes. Each year had a regular theatrical booking by Penistone and District Amateur Operatic Society, which was the forerunner of the current Penistone Centre Stage. Films were usually advertised in the Penistone district news.
1931 (From the 1931 Penistone Almanack.)
1933 - 22nd to 24th February, Penistone Town Hall.
The play Highwayman Love' was performed by Penistone and District Operatic Society.
Performers were: Mr W Gorton, Mr L Cossey, Mr J Acaster, Mr S Lee (possibly Mr Arthur 'Spinner' Lee), Mr A Womble, Mr F Lockwood, Mr G Bashford, Mr C Boradhead, Mr S Hinchliffe, Mr N Walshaw, Mr FH Austin, Mrs E Hinchliffe, Miss E Crossley, Miss M Longbottom, Miss G Winterbottom, Miss H Womble, Mrs Austin and Miss D Green, with others joining in the chorus. Act One, 'Before the Terrace at Lovel Court; Act Two, 'Outside the Lovel Arms.,
This was in two acts: 1. 'Before the Terrace at Lovel Court'; and 2. 'Outside the Lovel Arms.'
1935:
A Refurbishment
The Town Hall was renovated again and more comfortable seating was fitted.
1939 - 1945
The War Years:
Films were not shown in the Town Hall during the War years of 1939 to 1945 but Friday night dances continued and were popular, along with band concerts and fund-raising efforts such as the 'Salute a Soldier' week shown below. Penistone Operatic Society returned to the stage in 1947.
1944:
Penistone Urban District 'Salute a Soldier' Week - Friday 7th July to Saturday 15th July 1944.
A big event during the Second World War. A leaflet from Charles J Gillis, implored the public to buy National Savings Certificates towards a target of £50,000, to help the war effort.
People of Penistone,A year ago I appealed to you on the occasion of 'Wings for Victory' week when you so generously invested monies well above the target figure of £50,000. Once again Penistone Urban District is called upon for a major effort and with military operations proceeding on unprecedented scale I ask the people of Penistone to lend every ounce of support during 'Salute a Soldier' week, July 8th - 15th.
(Signed) Charles J. Gillis, Chairman, Penistone U.D.C.
The message had not included the date of the Friday Town Hall dance, for some reason. As an aside, the leaflet referred to the Council Chamber as distinct from the Town Hall. Further evidence (if ever it that was still needed) that 'Town Hall' was synonymous with the now-called Paramount theatre hall. The 6d souvenir programme included a list of 'Names of Members of HM Forces resident in Penistone Urban District on enlistment' and shorter lists of the Missing (two from Thurlstone), Prisoners and deceased.
Official Selling Centres, open during the week for buying the certificates and stamps, were:
'Entertainments' for 'Salute a Soldier' week in July 1944:
Tickets for these concerts were sold by: O Lockwood, R Proud, EB Broadbent, Mrs Eyre, T Lee, AE Savile, Mrs Jubb, W Harrison, T Wadsworth, JH Wood and W Chapelle. Someone might find names such as these interesting for genealogy purposes.
1948:
Sunday Openings
A public meeting was held by Penistone Urban District Council to consider allowing Sunday cinema in the Town Hall. At the time, Sundays were sacrosanct as the quiet 'day of rest' with no shops open. The majority said 'No' and this remained the situation until 1961. Also in the late 1940s, the UK Government had become again concerned about Hollywood's domination of the film industry and a lack of finance for British film production. It altered the quota system accordingly. American film producers were able to circumvent the rules to some extent by having studios in the UK.
The 1950s:
Radio had always been very popular from the mid-1920s and was reaching a peak but a single BBC television channel was now becoming established for news and entertainment. TV had actually started in the London area in 1936 but closed down in 1939 for the war. TV was seen as an increasing threat to cinemas, especially when ITV started in 1955 to give a choice of two channels. The writing was on the wall. The film industry started to decline and needed to innovate to survive. By 1958, eight million UK households had television licences and many of the British film studios were being closed or sold to broadcasters.
1953:
Technical Advances
Following quickly on the success of the 'Cinerama' wide-screen format (not in Penistone), 'CinemaScope' was invented this year using special anamorphic lenses on cameras to distort (squash) wide pictures into the standard film frames. The projector would also need an anamorphic lens to undo the distortion and project the film as wide-screen, with a theoretical maximum aspect ratio of 2.66:1 (nearly 2½ units wide to every unit of height). The first CinemaScope film was the religious epic, 'The Robe', which was a huge box office success. All things considered, CinemaScope was a great breakthrough and eventually every cinema would have anamorphic lenses ready for each of the usual pair of projectors.
In contrast to CinemaScope, its forerunner Cinerama had required three synchronised projectors to throw images on to a curved screen, which limited its widespread implementation to just a few cinemas in the UK. The 'sweet spot' best viewing area in the auditorium was also somewhat limited. The three images had a slight overlap, producing a slightly brighter band down about a third of the way on each side of the screen. I remember watching a Cinerama film in Huddersfield. The fixed angle of each taking lens prevented the use of zoom lenses, although it must be said that, even to this day, prime lenses have always been preferred to zooms in the film industry.
The 1960s:
The Town Hall had a 'sprung floor' for dancing, which is currently wedged up. Local council workers had to remove the rows of seats before each dance night and re-fit them afterwards. Cinema was generally in decline during this decade as television and later colour tv was assuming a greater part of people's lives. BBC 2 started its colour service from 2nd December, 1967. Many cinemas closed during this period but Penistone had soldiered on.
1960:
End of an Era
Late this year, and after 45 years, Mr Jesson ended his lease to show films in the Town Hall, after objecting to the use of the hall for a pantomime. It is likely that it conflicted with, or reduced, his film showings rather than any objections he might have had about the actual production. Film audiences had been declining at the time and Mr Jesson was reluctantly making way for other entertainments such as the now very popular dances, which must have required plenty of down time to remove and replace the seats. The pantomime could have been 'the last straw.'
1961:
Sunday Cinema Discussed
Films had been not shown on Sundays until it had been discussed in a public meeting held in the Town Hall on 7th May this year. This had been a hot topic this year and other parts of the country were also looking into the matter but with resistance from those wishing to keep Sundays special in the face of increasing commercialisation.
Chairman of Penistone UDC, Cllr W Murphy, said that the meeting would be open to local government electors of the urban area. Town Clerk, Mr J Hodgkinson advised other people to sit apart from local government electors, presumably to reduce the possibility of influence by any pressure groups, as this could have been a contentious meeting on religious grounds. Concerns were raised about the creeping commercialisation of Sundays.
The formal proposition was that an application be made to the Secretary of State to include Penistone urban area in the Parliamentary order on Sunday cinemas. This was proposed by Cllr A Fielding and seconded by Cllr DW Myers. On behalf of Mr Jesson (the current Town Hall cinema manager), Mr Fowler, a cinema manager from Huddersfield, said that Sunday cinema would be essential to keep the operation viable and that without it, the cinema might have to close completely. Cllr Gledhill remarked that the issue had been addressed in 1948 where it was rejected. If the issue went to a ballot, it would cost somewhere between £120 and £180. Cllr Tinker said that he had not heard any demand for Sunday cinemas except from Mr Jesson.
Although the votes at the meeting were 32 in favour with 38 against Sunday Cinema, Penistone UDC would have the final say. The newspaper article which provides this information did not show the conclusion but it appears to be that Sunday Cinema was agreed to by the council and that it would begin in Penistone Town Hall. Supporting this supposition was the fact that Mr Jesson gave up his job as cinema manager.
From 4th June, Mr George L Edwards took over from Mr Jesson as lessee. He was also manager of the Theatre Royal in Manchester and he employed Rodney Byrne as Penistone Town Hall Cinema Manager. The opening week showed the black and white film 'Saturday Night and Sunday Morning' (See IMDb). What you might call a 'kitchen sink' drama, starring Albert Finney, who was still acting up to 2018 in such as the Bourne films. The Town Hall was also redecorated this year. Bingo started on Friday and Saturday afternoons from 25th November 1961 and proved to be popular.
1962:
Film showings in the Town Hall appeared to be sliding into disarray and the programming of films became erratic. Adverts stopped being shown from July. Financial difficulties appeared to be behind the malaise and a writ was served on the venue to recover arrears of £312. Ouch!
1963:
Re-opened under PUDC - 8th May.
Penistone Urban District Council (PUDC) took over the management of the Town Hall Cinema and it re-opened on 8th May 1963, with films being shown on Saturdays, Mondays and Tuesdays and children's 2.30pm Saturday matinees with a programme of cartoons. Better films were now being shown under the PUDC management and trade picked up. Mid-week bingo re-started mid-week but lasted only a few weeks. Mr A Hinchliffe was taken on as part-time manager. He would later resign (1967), mostly because of the controversial showing of 'Fanny Hill' a film which had the reputation of being obscene.
1966
New Library - 30th March.
Penistone Carnegie Library went on the move from the Carnegie Library on Shrewsbury Road to the High Street. A new, purpose-built building was constructed next to the old St Paul's chapel (now St Andrews' Church). The old Reading Room (for daily newspapers and journals) persisted for perhaps a year or two longer in a small building behind the Town Hall, thence into obscurity and oblivion.
It has been speculated that the Reading Room had to be retained, possibly to retain a Library presence close to the original site and perhaps fulfil some sort of contractual obligation to Andrew Carnegie's original grant towards the old library in Penistone. The new Library was officially opened by County Councillor S Palmer of the WRCC.
Saturday Film Matinees
Children's Saturday matinees in the Town Hall were very popular around this time, with a programme of cartoons in the 'Saturday Club', and starting (from memory) at around 2pm. They came to an abrupt end amidst what was said to be an acrimonious dispute between its compére ('Uncle' somebody) and management. There was talk of a children's Christmas fund that the nippers had paid into but which would never be paid out. The matinees never restarted.
1967:
Part-time manager of Penistone Town Hall Cinema, Mr A Hinchliffe, resigned this year mostly because of the controversial showing of 'Fanny Hill', which had the reputation of being obscene.
1968:
Mr F Herton takes over as part-time manager of Penistone Town Hall Cinema.
1971:
More rumours about the Town Hall being closed down. This would not be the only time.
1974:
Conquest by BMBC
Penistone's assets were appropriated by (or possibly gifted to) Barnsley MB Council under the 'Local Government Reorganisation' Act of 1972, which came into force this year. Barnsley took control over our Town Hall and quickly raised the hire fee for various organisations which held functions there, making it prohibitively expensive and many of them simply dropped out. Around this time, the popular dance nights also came to an end. This might have been partly because control over the necessary manpower to remove and replace the seating had moved to Barnsley. The sprung dance floor was chocked up for perhaps the last time.
Former Sheffield University technician, Mr Steve Tales, was taken on as part-time Cinema Manager. He would later become the full-time Cinema Manager in 1978, responsible for all aspects of the running of the Town Hall Cinema, except for being licencees of the bar (corrected around 1989/1990). A remark on social media said that he followed on from Terry Priestley.
With the changes to local government, Penistone Town Council and other Parish Councils were now reduced to 'advisory' status and would often (usually?) be ignored by the senior council. After the local government changes, old documents and other archive materials stored in the building were sent to Barnsley Council archives, which the late Councillor George Punt had described as "A shambles." Cllr Punt had been tasked with tracking down the deeds to the buildings, to legally establish its original ownership status to the sceptical Barnsley Council of its day. Unfortunately, the deeds were not found. One explanation was that there had been a fire in the archives but local people were (and continued to be) somewhat unimpressed.
Hospitality Room - Operating under BMBC Catering Services, alcoholic drinks from the bar were initially only available for dance nights. That would later be extended to '18' film nights.
1975
Steve Goes Full Time - Having being appointed Part-time Cinema Manager in 1974, Steve Tales was now made Full-Time. Steve was a great enthusiast of all things 'cinema.'
New Projectors
These were
changed to two Gaumont Kalee, Type 20, for improved efficiency and reliability (see the Regal Group site). Of course, projectors were fitted in pairs to facilitate a smooth transition as the reels were changed over. The projectionist was more than a button-pusher in those days. It is likely (to be confirmed) that they were fitted with the Kalee Varamorph lens, which had three magnification settings to accommodate different aspect ratios. These were: 1.38 for Rank's Anamorphic VistaVision, 1.5 for Paramount's Anamorphic VistaVision and 2 for CinemaScope and others. It had not been unusual for the film to break down and the audience reaction was always the same - foot stamping. You can download the Kalee Projector manual (pdf) from Film-Tech (under the Warehouse section).
1978
New Spooler - A double-sided 'Cinemeccanica' spooling tower was added to the Paramount projection box equipment to speed up the rewinding of films. See the picture for 2005, below.
The BBC Gets it Wrong!
According to the BBC, the film projector had been powered by carbon arc lamps until this year. The BBC page has other gnawing inaccuracies:
It's not just the BBC, there has often been confusion about the earlier 'Assembly Hall Cinema' near St Mary's Street. At one time, Penistone had two cinemas. Yes, Penistone Town Hall was used at times as a Public Assembly Hall but was never 'Converted from an Assembly Hall' as some sources (especially Barnsley Council) insist. The history and usage of Penistone Town Hall is well-established and well-known locally, without any 'help' from Barnsley or elsewhere.
1979
New Manager
Steve Tales appointed as Cinema Manager and was to continue for more than two decades. It was usual at the time for two films to be shown, with a second feature short first film (lasting perhaps half an hour), which might typically have been Pathé News or something from the RAF, British Railways or something industrial. After an interval and the ice cream trolley, the main film would be shown. When the programme was reduced to just the main feature without an interval, they lost sales and income.
Intermission Troubles
Steve re-introduced the intermission into each film but the Society of Film Distributors (SFD) discovered this and threatened to stop providing films unless he ended the intermissions. Once again, Penistone had became newsworthy, but this time in a 'David and Goliath' story with the SFD as the baddy Goliath. The local community was happy with the intermissions. Radio Sheffield's Roger Kilner broke the news and the story reached national TV and newspapers. It was even included in The Big Issue. With the overwhelming support of the public and media for the 'David', the SFD backed down and intermissions were restored. See also 1999.
Early 1980s
The Communications Hub (The CB Evening)
This was a time when CB Radio was reaching its peak of popularity and a special evening of CB films was arranged by the Manager Steve Tales, who himself had been an enthusiast. 'Convoy' had been a popular film at the time and had helped to spark off the CB phenomenon in the UK. Unfortunately, the evening did not attract many 'Breakers'. During the interval, an audience member with a portable CB radio struck up a conversation with 'Road Runner', a hillside farmer in his tractor and working in the fields. The manager must have been listening in, as he unexpectedly piped the conversation through the PA system, to everyone's delight (and possible embarrassment).
1982:
Penistone Town Hall Cinema re-decorated once again. It's a busy building.
1982
Scrap metal dealer Leslie Taylor went out of business when the old Assembly Room Cinema building he had been using on Stottercliff Road was put up for sale.
1986:
Metro - An Unloved Name
Under the control of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, the (largely unloved) name of 'The Metro' was imposed upon the former Penistone Town Hall Cinema, presumably to reflect the 'Metropolitan' part of their own name (they were in charge and wanted us to know it). Control over booking the films moved from Brian Megson in Barnsley to the Penistone Cinema Manager of the time, Steve Tales. Under its new 'The Metro' name, the first film shown was James Bond in 'The Living Daylights' with Timothy Dalton in the starring role.
A Refurbishment
The theatre also received new permanent seating this year, ending the era of dances for all time. The 'sprung floor' with large steel springs had been designed from the beginning for dancing events but, with the demise of the dances, the springs were chocked up by wooden wedges to make the floor more stable and the seating would stay put. The nearby Community Centre became the new venue for discos and dances.
1989:
New Hospitality Room - Hot and cold drinks now became available.
In November, a bar licence was granted and the side room converted into a cosy relaxation area for before performances and during intermissions. At first, alcoholic drinks had only be available on dance nights but this would now be extended to film nights. Barnsley MB Council's Catering Services had previously managed the food and drink side of the operation but Steve Tales, the Cinema Manager at the time, became the licensee. A good range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and snacks became available. The foyer continued to supply the usual pop, sweets and the traditional popcorn. At first, alcoholic drinks were only available for '18' films but this was extended later.
The availability of beer has been much appreciated by the clientele. At one time, major football matches were also shown at the Town Hall until an occasion when fan behaviour went off the rails and some numpty threw beer at the silver screen. That ended any future football showings. It only takes one idiot with weak self-control to spoil things for the others.
1993:
It's Ours Again - And another Refurbishment
The Metro Cinema reverted to local control under Penistone Town Council from 2nd April this year, under a 25-year lease from BMBC, who had appropriated Penistone's assets under the Local Government Re-organisation of the seventies.
A request to the National Lottery in 2006 (£5k support for sound and sub-titling) begins thus:
'This town council acquired the management of the Penistone Paramount cinema in 1993 to prevent its closure by the local authority and it is run as a not-for-profit community resource.'
The above-named application to the National Lottery was to '... use the award to introduce a new digital sound system, audio description and soft subtitling which will make the venue more accessible.' A worthy cause.
The next lease renewal would be due around 2018. New seats were fitted throughout the theatre at around this time. As before, every second seat had a small ashtray attached. Indoor smoking was still legal and quite normal during film performances, right up to the turn of the century. This often led to a hazy fug in the hall which showed up in the projection beam. 'Secondary smoking' had not yet been invented. This was banned in July 2007 when a new law made it illegal to smoke in all public enclosed areas and workplaces.
1999:
The Organ Arrives - And a Better Name
The 'Mighty Paramount Theatre Organ' had originally been built for the brand new 3,000-seat Birmingham Paramount cinema which opened in 1937 (Cinema Treasures). The Birmingham Paramount would be renamed the Odean in 1942. The organ was restored in the 1950s but removed in 1988 to The Oswestry Regal (Leg Street and Oswald Road, see Cinema Treasures), where it gave good service until the cinema closed in 1994. The well-known Blackpool Tower Ballroom organist, Kevin Grunhill, bought it from them. After careful restoration, the organ was installed in Penistone Town Hall in 1999 with due ceremony. This led to a new name for the theatre, now called the 'Penistone Paramount', which replaced the generally unloved name of 'The Metro Cinema' which had been imposed on the building by BMBC in 1986. The first organ recital at the Paramount was in November 2001 with Kevin Grunhill tickling the ivories. He continued as the main organist for what proved to be very popular organ concerts on Market Days (Thursday), often playing to capacity audiences. The Organ Trust went on to provide a second venue for organ concerts at the Astoria Centre. See the Town Hall Tour and Town Hall History pages (the same text on both). Penistone Cinema Organ Trust.
The Town Hall theatre was renamed the 'Penistone Paramount', which was a vast improvement on its previous 'Metro' name, imposed after the take-over by Barnsley M Borough Council in the 1970s. It proved to be a very worthwhile asset to our great hall of entertainment. See the Organ Section below and the Organ tour page for some behind-the-scenes pictures.
First Footie - In November, the first live football match was shown in the Paramount. This was England versus Scotland in a qualifying play-off for the 2000 European Championship. Other matches would be shown from time to time until someone threw beer at the screen, causing damage. Then they ended.
Intermission Troubles Again
Once again, the Intermission came under attack by the Society of Film Distributors (SFD) (see 1979 above), who again threatened to stop supplying films if it continued. The Paramount was resolute and now considered taking it to the European Court to settle the matter. Penistone MP Michael Clapham said the situation had become 'daft'. The SFD backed down for a second time and intermissions continued as before. The SFD was later 're-imaged' (renamed) as the Film Distributor's Association (FDA), in 2002.
2001:
Technical Upgrades and the First Compton Organ Concert
The Westrex projector was fitted with Dolby stereo sound along with the necessary sound equipment, and a new wide screen was fitted. Total seating was reduced to 346, of which 128 were in the Circle (balcony). The first organ recital at the Paramount was held in November. See the Cinema Organ Trust site and the Organ page on this website.
2002
Take a look at a BBC 'Where I Live' archived page, outlining a visit to the Town Hall. Its historic details are not very accurate; for example. it says that the theatre had originally been built as a library. Of course, the library was next door and co-existed with the Town Hall for five decades. Ignoring a few erroneous details, it is still an interesting article.
2003:
'Heartlands' Premiere - Film rated '12'
Actors Michael Sheen and Mark Addy came to the Paramount for the world premiere of the low-budget film 'Heartlands'. The local folk singer Kate Rusby had pressed for the premiere to be held at Penistone, after being involved in the film's music.
BMBC to Sell the Town Hall Building?
Barnsley MB Council had more than once declared an ambition to sell off the building, having assumed ownership via Local Government Reorganisation Act (enacted in 1974), possibly for it to be demolished and the land re-used for housing. This year, Penistone Town Council and the local community were forced to oppose Barnsley MB Council's plans to sell off the venue, with demolition as a distinct possibility.
It was suggested by 'people in the know' that the lucky accident of the Masonic Lodge being attached to the same building might have have protected it from disaster. BMBC does not have any powers over the Masonic Hall, which sort-of sits above and behind the council rooms and cannot be detached from the main part of the building. Penistone has not always enjoyed a happy relationship with its Barnsley lords and masters (other than being its alleged 'Cash cow').
2004:
A Mighty Fall-Out
A most unseemly dispute arose between the Penistone Organ Trust and Penistone Town Council on what ought to have been a trivial matter, easily resolved. It led to our town becoming a laughing stock in national and international media. The dispute started as dispute about how visiting coaches being (legally) parked on the road outside the Paramount. It soon evolved into a major stand-off and a fine example of small-town intransigence. Something which belonged to the Victorian age.
As the dispute deepened, the Organ Trust (which put on the concerts) was punished by being locked-out of the building and this prevented them from doing their routine maintenance tasks. The ensuing publicity was embarrassing for our town and it was on television news and in national and local newspapers (Eg. Daily Telegraph, The Times and The Star). 'Locks were then changed on the doors and the council and Cinema Manager said that because of harassment and intimidation of staff and volunteers, recitals had been suspended.' Concerts stopped and the organist was prevented from earning his money. The story reached as far as Australia.
In a fine effort at damage-limitation, Penistone's MP Mick Clapham asked The Rt Rev Stephen Platen, Bishop of Wakefield, to intervene in the dispute as an independent arbiter. He was politely refused (See Huddersfield Examiner). Our local council can occasionally be wary of public scrutiny (especially where co-options for empty seats are concerned) but its secrecy in the dispute only made matters worse. They could not handle this level of journalistic probing and gave the impression of being an example of intransigence, pettiness and heavy-handedness in an otherwise unremarkable dispute. Quite simply, they closed ranks and kept shtum.
Penistone's 'grapevine' has always been very efficient and the lid always comes off any can of worms, sooner or later. After the dust had settled, the council licked its self-inflicted wounds and held a private meeting with the organist to assess his claim for loss of earnings. He was duly compensated out of public funds, indirectly conferring an admission of guilt. Except for the embarrassment, this was all rather entertaining to the local public, in its own way.
2005:
The 90th Anniversary of Films
This was the 90th Anniversary of films being shown in the Town Hall (the rival 'Assembly Rooms Cinema' had preceded the Town hall Cinema by at least a decade). The Manager Steve Tales put on a very fine and informative exhibition on the stage, with display boards, running films and a display of projection and other equipment. These photos give a taste of the event, with a projector and spooling platter. There was plenty to see at the exhibition and it was well supported by the public.
The projector on display was a Lanterne Cinémeccanica CX21H, which you can view in more detail on the French-language Projectionniste site. It is possible to download the Service Manual (pdf) but in a foreign language. The projector used a 1.6 kW xenon bulb with air-blast cooling. For an interesting demonstration of film winding using a platter, take a look at a 15-minute Youtube video, which is not from Penistone.
2008:
YFA Event
Brian Barnsley took over as Paramount manager this year. A special Yorkshire Film Archive (YFA) event took place in November 2008. An organist played before the YFA films were shown and a YFA commentator explained details about the old film clips. The first clip was of a train, from the 1880s. The presenter referred to his pleasure in being 'In Barnsley' on three occasions and was met with a certain coldness from the audience each time. We could forgive his poor grasp of geography; he had come from York. It was a good show.
2012:
Going Digital
This was the start of a new wave of modernisation, involving a new Dolby sound system with BOSE speakers and a satellite dish installed in 2013 to stream live events from such as The National Theatre in London, to reach its conclusion in 2014. £86,000 was spent on digitising the theatre in the major upgrade. The old column speakers at each side were replaced with more modern types. Soon after, films would only need one digital projector and could be distributed digitally on something like a Hard Disc Drive cassette, with a dongle-like device to control the number and times of showings.
The old film projectors had become redundant. The projection booth did not have room for a pair of the old projection equipment alongside the new digital 2k Christie projector. Film projectors needed to be in pairs for reel-changing but digital projection needed only one device to play a film continuously (except, of course for the intermissions).
2013:
Town Hall in Danger - Not!
With Barnsley Council's habitual disregard for local naming, the headline 'Uncertain Future for Penistone Town Hall' appeared on the 'We are Barnsley' website. It was nothing to do with the actual Town Hall (Paramount) but was concerned with the top office which was being used as an outpost of BMBC for their 'Barnsley Connects' service. The article implied a low demand from local people for its use. In time, some of the facilities were transferred to Penistone Library but the office continued in use by BMBC employees to support the Penistone Area Council (the six Penistone councillors on Barnsley Council) and the Penistone Ward Alliance, a spin-off from PAC.
2014:
Centenary of the Opening of Penistone Town Hall - Special event, by invitation.
Fully digital showings of films and live events from distant theatres were now possible. Also film distribution by satellite was possible, although normally distributed by encrypted hard disc drive. New seats and foyer carpets were planned. An October facelift of the frontage was made ready for the Centenary Celebrations (see picture further down this page). The actual Centenary Event was a notable and grand affair, described in detail below. It had the Kirklees Mayor, the Penistone Mayor, florid speeches, era-related sandwiches, organ music on the Compton organ and a fine medley played by Thurlstone Brass Band. It was attended by local councillors, dignitaries and Penistone MP Angela Smith. The local 'Community Radio' Penistone FM ignored the occasion!
2015:
Centenary of Films in Penistone Town Hall
This was to mark the historic milestone of films being first shown in the building on Friday 20th November 1915 (have a look at that entry, above). A much larger Centenary Event for the film showings had originally been proposed but it had been scaled down. A week of special films from different decades played in a bitterly cold spell in November. The event was given minimal publicity (it was not even in the Paramount leaflet) and was badly attended. For the film centenary event, see below.
New Equipment for the Paramount - (From PTC MInutes, May 2015, pdf)
2016:
Lease Extension Applied For.
From Minutes (pdf) of the PTC Leisure and Amenities Committee (Held 8th Feb. 2016, IT Room, Community Centre):
The BMBC Estate Manager confirmed in correspondence with PTC that Barnsley Council had no objection to extending the lease of the Paramount. In order to extend the lease, the current lease would need to be terminated and a new lease granted, to expire in April 2029. It was said at this meeting that a new lease arrangement might open the door to the Town Council obtaining funding for a new cinema screen from a cinematographic body; the existing one having a degree of wear and tear. Furthermore, any lease extension would be conditional on BMBC meeting certain requirements and, upon satisfaction, would subsequently require the approval of a full Penistone Town Council meeting. (The grant of lease being extended was achieved in 2017).
2016
50th Penistone Library Anniversary
2016 was a 50th anniversary of the 'new' Library which had continued the facility after the Carnegie Library closed in 1966. The week was marked with a series of events, including a Launch Event with fine speeches, a buffet, General Knowledge quiz and book-signing. It was attended by library officials, local councillors and the MP Angela Smith. One event was a talk by the nonagenarian historian, Cecil Hallas, who had been a popular Gents' hairdresser in Penistone before his retirement. A rather good (and somewhat familiar) historic timeline went up on a library wall and there were interesting historic displays on show. This event was well-publicised and well-attended by the public.
BBC Report - British Libraries in Crisis
Penistone did well to keep its Library, given that one in four libraries in the UK have closed in the previous six years, with the loss of around 8,000 library staff. Where libraries have been under threat, nationally around 15,000 volunteers have kept them going. In fact our Library thrives as one of the busiest in the Barnsley Borough. Now in its 50th year in its current location, Penistone Library had expanded to include the Internet, job-search assistance, computer courses, genealogy courses, a readers' group and more, keeping it right at the heart of the Penistone district community. See the BBC's Libraries Report.
2017
Refurbishment
This was more than the usual lick of paint. It included a brand new screen and new mechanism to hoist and contain the screen, as it is rolled up during theatrical productions. When the retro-reflective screen is not needed, for such as a play, it is wound up into a box above the stage. The earlier box was open at the top for a line of dust to accumulate on the screen. The new arrangement protects it better. According to a Penistone Town Council Precept meeting (Feb 2014, pdf) the new screen cost £10,000, presumably including fitting and ancillaries.
'
The General' (Silent film special, rated 'U') - Saturday 14th October.
In a very full theatre, Buster Keaton's 'The General' silent film was shown and accompanied by Jonathan Eyre on the mighty Compton cinema organ. This had followed on from the first hour of happy organ music performed by the wondrous Elizabeth Harrison, who was also well-received. Penistone is one of the few remaining places in this country where a silent film with accompanying organ music is still possible (and with an interval and beer).
'What's Your Penistone' - Public consultation event on alterations to the Town Hall and elsewhere in Penistone.
Sunday 15th October. a group of enthusiastic Architect Masters students from Sheffield University held a public consultation event in Penistone Market Barn to seek ideas on how to improve our town and its three main focal points: Railway Station; Town Hall Building and Market Barn. This was part of BMBC's 'Principal Towns' project with funding available to encourage economic regeneration across the borough. The funding came about after large sums had been allocated to renovate Barnsley town centre and to mollify surrounding places which might otherwise become resentful. Penistone is one of the 'Principal Towns' and could attract spending. Given the remoteness of Barnsley Council and its often poor understanding of our district, the student event would bring fresh eyes into the town to pick up on its weaknesses and strengths.
The students had some good ideas of their own, such as improved signage and better access to assets such as the Market Barn and Trans-Pennine Trail. They also proposed converting parts of the Town Hall building as a second cinema with a community area and snack bar or cafe. Various acronyms and names were invoked under the 'PenistoneLive' heading (an offshoot of Penistone Area Council).
It was a good effort with good intentions and conducted under poor weather conditions, but the students were not properly briefed by Barnsley Council (this, in itself, was informative about what Barnsley really understood about Penistone). They had a very weak knowledge of Penistone and did not know that the Council Chamber was in active use, nor even that Penistone had its own Town Council. They did bring some youthful enthusiasm to the Market Barn - and a bicycle machine. Their local history was inaccurate, such as the Town Hall being 'Converted from an Assembly Room' (it was a theatre, assembly room and dance hall with stage from its opening in 1914).
The students thought that the Council Chamber was 'Only used once a month'. They had no idea about PTC meetings, sub-committees or even their own mentors Penistone Area Council holding meetings there. The Armed Forces Day committee also had met in the Council Chamber, complete with fish and chips.
Penistone Library Under Threat.
Towards the end of 2017, BMBC held a Public Consultation on the borough's Libraries in order to save £250,000 from their libraries budget. A minimally-promoted questionnaire appeared with its content based on a flawed 2016 Libraries Consultation. In the 2016 effort, Question 17 had a choice of locations where library services might be farmed out to, such as pubs and churches. There being no box to tick for 'None of the above,' it was impossible to complete the online survey without agreeing to one of their off-loading options. Such is Barnsley politics; trick people then tell them they agreed to it.
2019:
A New Lease
After much preparation work by our (unpaid) Town Councillors and delays by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, an agreement was reached to extend the current Town Hall lease to Penistone Town Council for a further 25 years. The lease renewal had originally been expected early in 2018 but was eventually signed by Penistone Town Clerk, Keith Coulton, in December 2019.
Some significant upgrades were held back until the lease was signed, which could now go ahead in 2020. Intended improvements included a cinema projector upgrade to 4k DCI standard, new LED stage lighting (higher efficiency, cooler running, cheaper bills), updated Box Office computers, general lighting improvements, re-upholstered seating and a major re-modelling of the Bar area to create a long bar down the window side. After many years of disuse, the stained glass panels in the ceiling are also to be cleaned and back-lit lit with LED panels which would be dimmable with the room lighting. Penistone's Coliseum will gleam.
2020:
Covid - 19 Shut-down and Refurbishment
During the Covid-19 lock-down, Paramount staff did their very best to reduce outgoings. To take best advantage of its prolonged closure, £80,000 of improvements were carried out to our Town Hall. A £10,000 grant was received from Barnsley MBC and was not liable for business rates (Leisure and Amenities, June). The hall was extensively re-decorated inside and out, with new furnishings, new seats, new carpets, repaired floors, improved electrics and lighting, the circle re-arranged for two aisles instead of one and brand new stone steps outside, with the old refurbished railings re-fitted. Also a move towards more cashless and online payments to reduce the use of cash.
This picture was taken on on Monday 14th September 2020. From left to right, it shows the new Town Clerk Tara Ball with Penistone Mayor Cllr Steve Webber and Mayor's Consort Cllr Lynette Webber, all standing on the new Town Hall steps. This was before the refurbished handrails were re-fitted.
Although there had been some hoo-hah (or confected anger) on social media about the lack of wheelchair access at the main door, such access had already been in place via a side door and working well. Councillors had looked at the possibility of a wheelchair ramp to the main entrance but it was not practical. It could only be fitted to the higher side of the steps and, in order be clear of the other doorway further up, it would have been too steep for safety. You can see this for yourself in the picture above, if you consider that the grooves in the wall are horizontal; that the ramp would have to go to the very top of the steps and that there would need to be a clearance to the door further up. There would also have been some problems with making a flat part at the top to fit with the other steps. Not just that, it would simply have looked wrong as well. Anyway, it isn't a problem.
New Seats - Formerly of the Odeon of Leicester Square, London, the old seating had served us well but were wearing out. They were sold on Ebay for £2,600 and the money was used as a deposit to the new seats, thereby offsetting their cost. Cllr Millner said that it had been a great idea by the manager Brian Barnsley to get something back from what might otherwise have gone in a skip. Looking at a sample 'Bristol' seat from the Audise company, Cllr Cutts liked it and called it "The bees' knees." He said the seats would also be easier to keep clean. With a polished wooden back, the new seats are slightly thinner than before, giving a fraction more leg room between rows. Other companies had been considered but this was one the most practical within the available time-frame. The Cinema Manager Brian Barnsley has said that he will look into a seat-sponsorship plan to raise a bit more money.
We can see details of the refurb in a Special Meeting held on 26th July 2020 by Penistone Town Council, Here is an interesting section about the seating:
RESOLVED
The Bristol seat supplied by Audise be selected, as it was a traditional seat that is built in a strong but light frame. It has a high seat pad-to-floor height with a polished wooden back and arm rest and comfortable seating in a rich red velour, all of which can be easily cleaned. The total cost is £63,428.30 which works out as £182.26 per seat. This was agreed unanimously.
The new carpets entailed more work than might have been expected. Upon lifting the carpets, it was obvious that parts of the flooring needed to be repaired. It also uncovered some electrical wiring which nobody knew about and the cables had to be traced and made safe. The new Circle seating was re-arranged to allow two aisles for easier access. The back stairs would be put to greater use as an egress point. Some security work on the outside access points was also carried out. An odd factoid that came to light is that there is a 'dumb waiter' (a small lift for such as food and drink) which would need to be removed. This would have been expensive, so it was left for another time. Covid-19 protocols were put in place to comply with government regulations to reduce the spread of the disease while keeping public places open for business.
Penistone Paramount Re-opening - I was very pleased to be able to visit the Paramount just before the re-opening and Brian Barnsley was good enough to show me the new fixtures and fittings and what a splendid job they had all done to get it ship-shape for the day. I took many photos and posted them on Facebook. Unfortunately, this website is now too full to add more photos unless I can make some space by removing something boring.
On Friday 18th September, the doors opened 7pm for the public but with a small re-launch ceremony had happened at 6.45pm. It had to be small to comply with the Covid-19 rules, with only six people and some people walking past. The moment when Cllr Gill Millner cut the red tape was televised live on the BBC's Look North regional news programme. I was well away from them across the road and the tv presenter and cameraman were a few yards away from me on my side of the road. The Sci-fi film 'Tenet' was the first film to be shown at the re-opening. We can chalk it up as a success.
2022:
History Revisited - 15th March 2022, the Town Hall in use as an Assembly Hall. Public meetings in Penistone Town Hall were not uncommon in the earlier years, including hustings and union meetings, but they petered out over time. This one qualifies as a rare return to its Assembly Hall function, but in the 21st century. The Events List entry on this site for 15th March 2022:
PLP Public Meeting and AGM - 1pm to 3pm, Penistone Paramount. Penistone Line Partnership invite you to a Public Meeting on Tuesday 15 March 2022, at Penistone Paramount, Penistone. We will share an update on our projects past and present, and have a guest speaker from the rail industry. Everyone is welcome. Refreshments served. The meeting will be followed by our AGM and Committee Meeting at 3pm. This one is an interesting meeting from a historical point of view. One of the functions that Penistone Town Hall had been built for was public meetings but they have been exceedingly rare. Penistone Line Partnership. See Facebook Event.
Silent Film - Sunday 16th October 2022.
Unusual though it was in the modern age, the showing of a silent film filled the hall almost to capacity. Here is an abridged version of the Events List entry:
'Nosferatu' (Silent 1922 horror film, rated 'PG') - One showing only, 2.30pm, Penistone Paramount Theatre. Tickets: £12 all areas. A special cinematic event for Penistone: a silent film being shown in its centenary year. Nosferatu is a German expressionist horror film based upon Bram Stoker's book 'Dracula' which itself was based upon 'Vlad the Impaler,' a real-life torturer and murderer of Bran Castle in Romania. Dracula is called Count Orlock in this adaptation as a way to circumvent copyright. The Players: Max Schreck, Alexander Granach and Gustav von Wangenheim. As a silent film, it will be accompanied by Donald MacKenzie on the Compton cinema organ. When this film was originally shown in Penistone Town Hall, it was accompanied by incidental music from the piano. It is downloadable from Archive.org in five sections. Run time 94 minutes. See All Movie and Wiki. Penistone Paramount (Facebook).
2024:
Paramount Film Tickets -
15th March 2024. Film ticket prices increased.
They had been steady since 2016 but the increasing costs had forced a price rise. From 2016 until now, the usual ticket price were (for normal films): Adult £6.50, Concessions (child or OAP) £5.50 for the stalls only. Special event films such as a silent one with accompaniment (as in the next item) below would be priced to include the organist. The new ticket prices from 15th March 2024 would be: Adults
£7.50; Concessions (stalls only): £6.50. That was just a pound more than previously and still good value compared to other places. Also, the online booking charges were being waived. An example Events List entry from 2012 had these ticket prices: Adults - £5.50, Concessions (stalls only) - £4.50, so the price increases in 2024 had not been excessive.
'Steamboat Bill Jr' - Sunday 17th March 2024 (1928 silent film with organ accompaniment, Rated 'U'). Tickets were £15 all areas.
Frank 'Buster' Keaton does his famous falling wall stunt in this film, which terrified half of the film crew. Staff walked off the set rather than be witness to his death. The story is somewhat convoluted, so see IMDb for that (and Wiki). The event is supported and cleverly punctuated by Donald Mackenzie on the mighty Compton theatre organ, using its 'Toybox' of sound effects (Organ page). Run time, 1hr 10mins. It flopped with mixed reviews at the time but gained merit and would come to be regarded as one of Keaton's best films. The title inspired that of the second Mickey Mouse film, 'Steamboat Willie' from the same year. Now, you could download this film (Archive.org) but you would miss the chuckles and communal atmosphere (minus cigarette smoke) which would have prevailed in its day. The main film is followed by 'One Week' ('U'), a 1920 comedy short, again starring Buster Keaton (ImDb and Wiki). Will they also play the national anthem at the end for the authentic experience? The Paramount has a bar with hot and cold drinks available before the start and in the interval. And an Ice Cream trolley. By arrangement, wheelchair users can gain access (with friends) via a side door, given enough notice. The Paramount schedule is on 76 2004. Penistone Paramount (Fb), included in Penistone Arts Week, (Fb).
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Compton Theatre Organ
This item is also on the Town Hall Tour and the Ogan Tour (pictures of the pipes, etc.). This picture shows the Manager, Steve Tales, standing by the organ console.
The 'Mighty Paramount Theatre Organ' had originally been built for the brand new 3,000-seat Birmingham Paramount cinema which opened in 1937 (Cinema Treasures). The Birmingham Paramount would be renamed the Odeon in 1942. The organ was restored in the 1950s but removed in 1988 to The Oswestry Regal (Leg Street and Oswald Road, see Cinema Treasures), where it gave good service until the cinema closed in 1994.
The well-known Blackpool Tower Ballroom organist, Kevin Grunhill, bought the organ from Oswestry and set up Penistone Cinema Organ Trust. After careful restoration, it was installed in Penistone Town Hall in 1999 with due ceremony. This led to a new name for the Penistone theatre, now to be called the 'Penistone Paramount', replacing the generally unloved name of 'The Metro Cinema' imposed by BMBC in 1986.
Beginnings of the Organ at Penistone
On 1st March 1999, an agreement between Penistone Town Council and the Penistone Cinema Organ Trust was signed to install the former Paramount/Odeon, Birmingham Compton cinema organ into our Town Hall cinema. The Penistone Cinema Organ Trust was formed at the same time. The founding committee members were organists Kevin Grunill (Chairman), Ronald Dickinson (Vice Chairman), Frank Wensley (Treasurer), Barry Metcalfe and PTC Councillor Maureen Harrison (Chairman of Penistone Town Council’s Cinema Management Committee). Trustees on the committee were Barry and Georgina Grunill.
The 'Mighty Paramount Organ' was installed in the Town Hall with due ceremony that same year. The organ performances soon proved to be a popular attraction on Market Day afternoons (Thursdays) as mostly grey-haired music lovers pack coaches from far and wide to visit Penistone. As part of the same organisation, organ concerts were also held in St. Andrew's church, next to Penistone Library but these were discontinued. Another outpost at Barugh Green is part of the Penistone Organ Trust.
Steve showed me the Compton organ console and I was very privileged to see the secrets behind the scenes in the pipe room. The brilliant white organ console gives no real impression of how elaborate are the marvelous workings in the pipe room. The whole under-stage area is filled with row upon row of pipes and other instruments to give the organ its wonderful wide range of voices and special sound effects.
Organ Concerts
The first organ recital at the Paramount was in November 2001 with Kevin Grunhill tickling the ivories. Penistone's weekly organ concerts proved to be hugely popular from the start and can easily pack the town hall with mostly elderly music lovers. What they call 'the toy box' finds particular favour when the occasional silent film is being shown. Kevin G continued as the main organist for the Market Day organ concerts. The Organ Trust went on to provide a second venue for organ concerts at the Astoria Centre.
The organ has proved to be a very worthwhile asset to our great hall of entertainment. Everything is electrically controlled from the keyboard, which can be unplugged and moved about but the sounds come from air-driven pipes and a few solenoids. In its original setting at the Birmingham Odeon, the solenoid-operated console could also have controlled the theatre lights.
The 2014 Town Hall Centenary
The grand event took place Friday 7pm, Friday 31st October 2014 by 'invitation only' and was intended to replicate the opening ceremony of 1914 as closely as practicable. BBC TV Look North sent out a team to interview the Manager Brian Barnsley in the morning and that went very well. They also returned to report live in the early evening.
News Blackout
This website was the only source to inform the community about this event before the day. Both the 'Community Radio' and the Paramount's own 'What's On' booklet performed a news blackout before the event. The visit by the Look North team had been arranged by a local resident unconnected with the event. A Google search revealed nothing about it before it happened. Ed Elliot (Penistone reporter for Barnsley Chronicle) followed it up with an excellent and informative article, covering the centenary event itself and Town Hall/Library history in some detail. Some of Ed's work found its way to this page.
A Landmark Event
It had been a well-organised, joyous and friendly occasion with around 160 people attending and went very well. Glasses of champagne (or similar) were offered to guests upon arriving as Kevin Grunhill played the Mighty Paramount Organ for perhaps twenty minutes, in an increasingly animated and absorbed fashion. An old lady had laughingly described him as 'A Man Possessed', as in a Hammer Horror film, but I prefer 'Absorbed'.
The invited audience included three Mayors, dignitaries, people with a connection to the Town Hall such as thespians, history group members, Town Hall staff, council officials and a few councillors. Two previous Cinema Managers were also present. Penistone and Stocksbridge MP Angela Smith also attended and was herself attended by a small group of admirers, perhaps in the hope of glory rubbing off, but she did not make a speech.
The Speeches
The first speech was by Penistone's Mayor of the time, Cllr Steve Marsh, who had the audience in the palm of his hand with a very well-crafted and animated speech. He covered the Town Hall's milestones, going in some detail to the opening ceremony of 1914 and remarks made at that time. He referred to a description from 1914 of the hall as 'Penistone's Coliseum' and that it would be an "Open sesame for all that was good for this town." He also described features of the hall, council offices next door, landmark film moments and how it had been supported by the public, through good times and bad. He concluded by saying how it was a much loved part of our town and quite unique, with its half time intermissions for a drink. The Mayor Cllr Marsh concluded by calling upon the rapt audience to raise their glasses to the Town Hall for the next 100 years. The audience willingly obliged and applauded appropriately.
The 1914 opening event had the Mayor of Huddersfield, Alderman Blamires, JP, as one of the guests of honour. The 2014 equivalent was Mayor of Kirklees, Cllr Ken Smith, who made a brief but effective speech echoing the sentiments of the Penistone Mayor. He responded to Cllr Marsh's speech with: "That sounded like a plea for home rule for Penistone!" He described how a century earlier the country was walking innocently into an awful tragedy for the four years of the Great War, and that the same happened twenty years later in the Second World War but that the Town Hall managed to carry on functioning. He concluded with his thanks and said that he was "Grateful to have the opportunity to bring again the good wishes from the people of Kirklees to the town and particularly this enterprise in your wonderful venue." He too was well-received.
Barnsley's Mayor, Cllr Tim Shepherd, followed on with the observation that, "When coming on third, it's best to leave the speech in the pocket." He had lived in our area and referred to his political career starting on Penistone Town Council. He had regularly enjoyed being a visitor to Penistone Town Hall and had proudly attended the 1996 world premiere of 'Brassed Off' in Penistone. He continued by wishing all the best for the next 100yrs and: "... hoped to be around for a good few of them". With that, he thanked everyone and received good applause.
The Manager Brian Barnsley also spoke about the Town Hall's history and films which had been shown. He referred to the two former Managers in the audience and their years during difficult times. He mentioned an old lady in the audience who had been coming to the theatre for eighty years and was still going strong. After a brief round-up of coming theatrical events, he brought the audience to attention by calling upon the band to play the National Anthem, in accordance with old cinema tradition, and was applauded for his effort. Thurlstone Brass Band was in fine form and went on to perform some inventive medleys themed upon events in each decade of the centenary, including elements of the French and Russian National Anthems.
A munificent buffet appropriate to the style of 1914 was opened and a splendid time was had by all, with a very worthy "Well done" to all concerned.
See the Cinema Tour section for Paramount views behind the scenes.
2015 Centenary of Films in the Town Hall
To mark this local historic moment, films were shown during the centenary week which had been popular during their time, including a silent 1920s film. This was originally going to be a much bigger event with an exhibition like in 2005 but it was scaled back (possibly because of adverse weather).
Publicity for the week had been somewhat weak and fellow customers were heard to remark to that effect. It appeared to have relied on a Barnsley Chronicle article a fortnight before. A poster went up outside the Paramount for passing pedestrians but the event was omitted from the Paramount's 'What's On' leaflet and there were few posters around town. I remarked that: 'Even a church jumble sale would have had more publicity'. Few people attended, although the bitterly cold weather would have been a factor. Even so, the Penistone community saw it as an historic event.
These films were shown in the Centenary week of Sunday 15th to Sunday 22nd of November 2015:
The Council ChamberThese pictures show the council chamber in 2005, with its elegant wooden table and framed pictures of council members. In 2021, it looks just the same. The public can visit this room to observe Penistone Town Council meetings, 7pm on the third Monday of each month except August and councillors sometimes hold 'surgeries' there.
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A tunnel storage area under the Town Hall buildings was used to archive record books and documents going back centuries. These items of local history were shipped out to Barnsley after the local government re-organisation, to become lost in their system. Many years before the council rooms were built on to the Town Hall, Penistone Urban District Council (PUDC - PTC's predecessor) met in the board room of the Union Workhouse, Netherfield. The Workhouse later became an old people's home and, more recently, a base for the Grammar School's sixth form before being unceremoniously demolished in this century to make way for a new school.
A Busy Building
The Paramount is still very well-used and (in normal times) there is some activity there every day or evening but it might not be obvious that other parts of the building are also in use. Students of Sheffield University had been asked by Barnsley Council (BMBC) to do a public survey to determine demand and to see if the building as a whole could be converted to allow more public use, perhaps with a second cinema or cafe. As briefed by Barnsley Council, they believed that most the building was unused or dormant.
However, the building is not unused or dormant. Taking 2017 as an example, Penistone Town Council, PTC sub-committees, Penistone Area Council (BMBC councillors), Penistone Ward Alliance and other meetings take place each month in the Council Chamber. The first committee of the Penistone Armed Forces celebrations also took place in the Council Chamber (irreverently accompanied by fish and chips). They students held public consultation events and created an entertaining animation film of their ideas. In spite of a few errors, they put a lot of effort into the exercise but little more was heard about it.
After the Carnegie Library closed and moved to the High Street, the top offices were taken over by BMBC to support Berneslai Homes social housing. Then that moved away to Barnsley and the offices were taken by BMBC staff in support of the Ward Alliance, accessed from an entrance around the top. This picture shows the main top section when it was used as an Information Hub in 2014.
The Masonic Hall has continued in regular use since 1914, accessed from the door nearest the Paramount steps. Barnsley Council does not know much about Penistone's Town Hall building. The postal address of the whole building is 'The Town Hall' but it is in several separate sections. Looking at the sketch above we have, left to right: The Town Hall proper, Pengeston Lodge Masonic Hall (set back and above), the Council Chamber (with minor rooms and toilets) and the Carnegie Free Library at the top end. Further around the top end is the old red-brick former Caretaker's House.
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For further reading.
Penistone Town Hall has always been a great asset to our town and it continues to enjoy great popularity as a venue for film, theatre, comedy and music. Now with surround sound, a digital projector, digital film distribution, a bar and conference facilities, it was extensively refurbished in 2020. Major film releases are often shown soon after release.
Address - Penistone Paramount, 23 Shrewsbury Road, Penistone, S36 6DY. Telephone: 01226 76 7532. Recorded schedule on 01226 76 2004.
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Samuel Palmer (1805-80): 'Wise men make proverbs, but fools repeat them.'
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