A picture house in a workshop and Pedro running the projector

It was almost 100 years ago that children coming out of school saw on a rough piece of land in Steyne Road (somewhere opposite today's Barn Theatre) a large furniture van pulled by a tractor. They were told to return when it got dark, when they would see a sight they would never forget. Nor did they. As recalled many years after, 'we sat on the grass and on a big screen up in front of us we saw moving pictures - it was coppers and robbers and the like. That was the first time I ever saw the movies'.

Some years later the town acquired its first indoor picture house. We are told that, 'Mr Funnell converted his workshop at the bottom end of Brooklyn Road into a cinema. The man who ran the projector was called Pedro'. By about 1915 a young boy found himself an evening job with Mr Funnell selling 'penny bars of Mazawatee chocolate. I was paid one penny for each dozen bars I sold. Mr and Mrs Roberts were in charge and the audience sat on a strange collection of benches and chairs gathered from far and wide. Mr Trussell was the pianist and Mr Alfred Broad was our projectionist who had to wind the reels through by turning a crank handle'.

By 1913 local folk had decided that the idea of picture houses was here to stay and a site in Sutton Road (on the east corner of Sutton Croft Lane) was chosen for the first purpose-built cinema, the Empire. It may not have been such a good choice '“ the screen faced west and there were problems at evening shows with reflections from the setting sun, till stage curtains were installed.

Throughout the First World War the building would have been a popular venue for locals and visitors alike, with the many troops passing through to and from the fighting. One of my proudest possession is a copy of a handwritten letter dated January 11, 1916 from a North Camp soldier inviting two Seaford sisters to attend the 6.30pm show with him; he was with the British West Indian Regiment some of whom were here for a while. So far from home, it seems those lads were very well received, though we have to record that 19 of them did not survive the great change of climate and now lie in Alfriston Road cemetery.

Another visitor about then was one Pimple '“ a comic character created by actor Fred Evans and recently recalled on TV by Paul Merton in his silent movie presentation. Beneath a banner 'Welcome to Pimple', crowds gathered in front of the Empire for a glimpse of the hero of such wartime epics as Lieutenant Pimple and the Stolen Submarine and Pimple's Volunteer Corpse (sic). It was probably the same day that he made a personal appearance at Newhaven's newly-opened picture house.

The commentary on these silently-viewed pieces was provided by displaying at appropriate intervals on the screen a change of time or place, mood or character, a pianist (as Mr Trussell had done in Brooklyn Road) was often employed to enhance the effect. I find it hard to believe that my own step-father would recount how he spent the last months of the 1914-18 war accompanying wounded musicians like himself.

To be continued next week

PAT BERRY