During the 1930s there were four cinemas in Bexhill today there is only one, the excellent Curzon Picture Playhouse in Western Road.
Both Pat Kinsella and Harry Bolton made their own films of local events which they showed at Bijou/St. George’s Cinema. There were also live shows at the Bijou, mostly by the Coronets 1910-1911 and the Poppies who performed between 1910-1917.
- 1898 The Kursaal showed a velograph of Gladstone’s funeral.
- 1900 Mutoscope show at Kursaal.
- 1901 Kursaal, bioscope of South African war.
- 1910 Bijou opened in Town Hall Square, managed by Kinsella and Collard.
- 1912 The Bijou closed and was modernised.
- 1913 The Bijou re-opened and the Cinema-de-Luxe opened in Western Road.
- 1916 The Bijou renamed the New Palace.
- 1917 The New Palace was taken over by John Ash and named St. George’s Cinema.
- 1919 A cinema for Devonshire road was proposed but never built.
- 1921 Cinema-de-Luxe moved to the adjacent property and became the Playhouse cinema.
- 1928 St. George’s taken over by Edith Bolton, her husband Harry became the manager.
- 1929 The first talking picture was shown “The Broadway Melody”. It was the first cinema between Brighton and Folkestone to show a ‘talkie’.
- 1931 St. George’s was renamed The Carlton.
- 1935 The York Hall in London Road became the Gaiety cinema.
- 1937 The Ritz opened in Buckhurst Road.
- 1940 The Gaiety cinema was bombed and never reopened.
- 1951 The Carlton was renamed the Savoy.
- 1954 The Savoy was closed unexpectedly in October and never reopened.
- 1961 The Ritz closed.
- 1966 The Playhouse became the Classic.
- 1974 The Classic became the Curzon and was divided, the ground floor was used for bingo.
- c.1990 The ground floor became an indoor market and the foyer a shop.
- 1991 The Curzon closed for several months.
- 1994 The Curzon closed in April.
- 1995 The Curzon re-opened on 10th February.
The following list gives the location, dates and name changes of Bexhill’s cinemas:
- Seafront, 1896-1936: Kursaal
- Town Hall Square, 1910-1954: Bijou / New Palace / St. George’s / Carlton / Savoy
- Western Road, 1913-present: Cinema-de-Luxe / Playhouse / Classic / Curzon
- London Road, 1935-1940:York Hall / Gaiety Theatre
- Buckhurst Road, 1937-1961: Ritz