London's Cinema Museum has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to buy its premises, the historic Grade II listed Lambeth Workhouse. It needs to raise £500,000 in five months to seal the deal and end decades of insecurity - and potential eviction. The Museum is the UK’s only museum dedicated to the experience of cinema going and is volunteer-run with no public funding.
The Cinema Museum in London's Kennington was founded by film enthusiasts and collectors Ronald Grant and Martin Humphries in 1984 and became a registered charity in 1986. Its collection showcases their vast private collection of cinema history, memorabilia, and vintage artefacts, collected - and rescued - over many decades.
As the Museum notes its home is not just a building; it is a living piece of cultural history:
- The Chaplin Connection: Before he became a Hollywood icon, a young Charlie Chaplin lived and worked in the building when it was the Lambeth Workhouse.
- A Treasure Trove of Cinema History: Inside these walls sits an unparalleled collection of art deco cinema seats, vintage projectors, ushers' uniforms, and classic film posters. The Chaplin family themselves call it "the nearest thing that Britain has to a Chaplin Museum"
- A Community Hub: We are a vibrant cultural centre hosting regular independent screenings, local events, and educational tours and provide free and subsidised space to help local charities and initiatives.
- A Supportive Effective Resource: our spaces and collections are not just for looking at - we use them to run projects that make a massive impact on people's lives, young and old. And we share them, with other charities and community groups, who are all part of making life better for everyone.
To secure its buuilding and future the Cinema Museum has launched a Crowdfunder to secure the £500,000 needed - or would welcome a supportive benefactor...
See details here, lend your support, and share the call: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-cinema-museum-buy-our-home
See the Museum website: https://cinemamuseum.org.uk/
