Cinema Museum

Movie buffs will love this cinema devoted to the history of the artform, from the 1890s to the present day. The collection on display was amassed by one Ronald Grant, who started collecting memorabilia at the age of 15. His love of film led to working at the BFI and Brixton’s Ritzy Cinema, and along the way he collated movie posters, cameras, projectors and sound systems. Also on display are journals, such as trade newspaper The Kinematograph Weekly which began in 1899, old furniture and carpets belonging to cinemas, cans containing reels of B-movies, trailers and public information movies, and even uniforms worn by usherettes. There are also regular talks, often analysing specific films or genres. It’s also worth noting that the building occupied by the museum was once a workhouse, where Charlie Chaplin and his mother would stay whenever she didn’t have enough money to rent a room. The museum can only be visited via guided tour, which must be booked in advance.