Wetherby's Cinema

Wetherby's Cinema, officially known as the Wetherby Film Theatre, is an independent cinema in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England. The venue occupies a building on Caxton Street whose history reaches back to 1865, when the site was acquired by a consortium led by local entrepreneur Henry Crossley. In 1914, Crossley's son George began converting residential cottages on the site into a cinema. The completed venue opened in April 1915 as the Raby Picture House, named after nearby Raby Park. The cinema began operations in difficult technical circumstances. Wetherby did not yet have a mains electricity supply, so the building used a 400-volt gas-powered generator. Film stock at the time was highly flammable nitrate film, which required special fire precautions. Steel shutters were installed in the projection room to help contain a possible fire, and these historic features remain associated with the building. Soon after opening, the venue was requisitioned for billeting soldiers bound for service during the First World War. In 1944, the Raby Picture Houses business was acquired by Harrogate-based Star Cinemas. The new owners renamed the venue the Rodney Cinema. The name is associated with a director's son, rather than with the battleship HMS Rodney, despite a persistent local belief to the contrary. During the 1950s and early 1960s, the cinema was managed by Peter Osborn, who became well known locally as 'Uncle Peter'. He operated a successful Saturday afternoon children's matinee club and also worked as a bingo caller. The club's mascot was Roddy, a former stray dog. The cinema closed in 1964, during a period when television ownership was contributing to the decline of many traditional cinemas. Wetherby Rural District Council considered buying and operating the building, but decided against doing so after surveying the premises. In 1965, the property was acquired by Harecroft Estates Ltd and reopened as the Rodney Bingo and Social Club, later commonly referred to as Rodney Bingo Hall. Bingo continued at the site until 1993. Local businessman and broadcaster Bob Preedy acquired the building and brought it back into cinema use in 1994. The reopened venue adopted the name Wetherby Film Theatre, while the historic building and its earlier names continued to form part of its local identity. Ray and Irene Trewhitt acquired the business in 2007 and subsequently carried out substantial refurbishment. Changes included relocating the box office to the opposite side of the lobby, expanding the confectionery selection, and adding a licensed bar inside the auditorium in 2012. The building's distinctive chimneys along the roof apex were also lost during the later alterations. The venue has progressively modernised its technical facilities while retaining links with earlier cinema technology. Digital projection was installed, but a reel-to-reel projector was retained for screenings of older films. The sound system was upgraded to Dolby 7.1 in 2014. The auditorium's original capacity of approximately 260 seats has been reduced to 136. In 2019, the cinema applied for planning permission to divide its large auditorium into two smaller screens and construct an adjoining bar on currently unused land to the west. This proposal was intended to support a twinned-screen operation while extending the venue's hospitality offer. Wetherby's Cinema remains a locally oriented film exhibition business combining contemporary releases, technical upgrades, historic character, and community continuity.

The building occupied by Wetherby's Cinema originated as a site acquired in 1865 by a consortium headed by Henry Crossley. In 1914, his son George redeveloped cottages on Caxton Street for cinema use. The resulting venue opened in April 1915 as the Raby Picture House, operated after its sale by Raby Picture House Ltd of Leeds. Its early technical infrastructure reflected Wetherby's lack of mains electricity: a gas-powered generator supplied electricity, while steel shutters protected the projection room from the fire risk posed by nitrate film. The new cinema was quickly affected by the First World War, when it was requisitioned to billet soldiers. In 1944, Star Cinemas of Harrogate acquired the business and renamed it the Rodney Cinema. Peter Osborn managed the venue from October 1955 until October 1963, running children's matinees and serving as a bingo caller. The cinema closed in 1964, with television's growing popularity contributing to its decline. A proposed acquisition by Wetherby Rural District Council did not proceed. Harecroft Estates Ltd acquired the building in 1965 and converted it into the Rodney Bingo and Social Club. The bingo operation lasted until 1993. The following year, local businessman and broadcaster Bob Preedy restored cinema use, reopening the venue as the Wetherby Film Theatre. Ray and Irene Trewhitt acquired the business in 2007 and oversaw refurbishment and modernisation, including lobby changes, an expanded confectionery offer, a licensed bar added in 2012, digital projection, and a Dolby 7.1 sound upgrade in 2014. A reel-to-reel projector was retained for older films. In 2019, the cinema proposed creating two screens from its existing auditorium and adding a bar extension. The venue's capacity, once approximately 260, is now 136.

• 2019

  Two-screen expansion proposed

  [1]Wetherby's Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  Planning permission was sought to divide the large screen into two smaller screens and construct an adjoining bar.

• 2014

  Dolby 7.1 sound installed

  [1]Wetherby's Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  The cinema upgraded its sound system to Dolby 7.1.

• 2012

  Licensed bar introduced

  [1]Wetherby's Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  A licensed bar was added inside the auditorium.

• 2007

  Ray and Irene Trewhitt acquired the business

  [1]Wetherby's Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  Local residents Ray and Irene Trewhitt became the owners and subsequently undertook extensive refurbishment.

• 1994

  The venue reopened as Wetherby Film Theatre

  [1]Wetherby's Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  Bob Preedy acquired the building and returned it to cinema use under the Wetherby Film Theatre name.

• 1993

  Bingo operations ended

  [1]Wetherby's Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  The bingo hall closed after operating at the former cinema site for almost three decades.

• 1965

  The building became a bingo and social club

  [1]Wetherby's Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  Harecroft Estates Ltd converted the premises into the Rodney Bingo and Social Club.

• 1964

  Cinema operations ended

  [1]Wetherby's Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  The Rodney Cinema closed after a period of pressure on traditional cinemas from television viewing.

• 1944

  Star Cinemas acquired the venue

  [1]Wetherby's Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  Harrogate-based Star Cinemas acquired the cinema and renamed it the Rodney Cinema.

• 1915

  Raby Picture House opened

  [1]Wetherby's Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  The cinema opened in April under the name Raby Picture House and was sold to Raby Picture House Ltd during the same year.

• 1914

  Conversion into a cinema began

  [1]Wetherby's Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  George Crossley began converting residential cottages on the site into a cinema.

• 1865

  Cinema site acquired by a local consortium

  [1]Wetherby's Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  A consortium led by entrepreneur Henry Crossley acquired the Caxton Street site that later became associated with Wetherby's Cinema.

An independent, community-oriented cinema that combines a historic local venue with modern digital projection, upgraded surround sound, refreshments, and licensed bar service.

• Cinema exhibition · 1994

  Wetherby Film Theatre cinema screenings

  The venue's core offering is film exhibition in a historic independent cinema building. The auditorium has a current capacity of 136, compared with approximately 260 when the cinema first opened. Its technical infrastructure combines digital projection with a retained reel-to-reel projector intended to support screenings of older films.

• Cinema concessions

  Refreshments and confectionery

  The cinema provides conventional film-theatre refreshments, including a broadened confectionery selection introduced during refurbishment after the 2007 ownership change.

• Hospitality · 2012

  Licensed auditorium bar

  A licensed bar was added inside the auditorium in 2012, extending the venue beyond basic film admission and concessions.

• 2019

  Plan to twin the cinemaStrategy

  Background

  The cinema sought to expand its programming capacity and hospitality offer using unused land beside the existing building.

  Action taken

  It applied for planning permission to split the large auditorium into two smaller screens and construct an adjoining bar.

  Aftermath

  The available reference material records the application but does not establish whether permission was granted or the scheme was completed.

  Source

• 2007

  Refurbishment under new local ownershipStrategy

  Background

  Ray and Irene Trewhitt acquired the cinema and pursued improvements to its customer facilities and technical systems.

  Action taken

  The owners refurbished the premises, changed the lobby layout, expanded confectionery provision, and later added a licensed bar and upgraded projection and sound equipment.

  Aftermath

  The venue continued operating as a modernised independent cinema while retaining historical equipment and character.

  Source

• 1994

  Return the former bingo venue to cinema useStrategy

  Background

  After the Rodney Bingo and Social Club closed in 1993, Bob Preedy acquired the building and sought to restore its original entertainment function.

  Action taken

  The premises reopened as the Wetherby Film Theatre in 1994.

  Aftermath

  Cinema operations resumed at the site after an interruption of roughly three decades.

  Source

1. 1Wetherby's Cinemaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Wetherby Film Theatrewetherbyfilmtheatre.co.uk