From the 1960s onwards, Picture Palaces were being boarded up, turned
into bingo halls, split into multiscreens or razed to the ground for
redevelopment. Projection equipment was being thrown into skips or sold
for scrap. It was these developments that in 1978 led to the birth of
the PPT by the then BFI Technical Officer, Charles Beddow. Convinced
that much of Britain’s arts heritage would be lost forever, he
successfully created a steering committee and the rest, as they say, is
history.
Run by an eclectic mix of respected industry professionals
and cinema enthusiasts, the trust boasts a world-class collection of
cinema technology artefacts and a growing digital archive that will
eventually become an accessible hub of knowledge for just about anyone
interested in finding out more about this fascinating, if often
overlooked, side of our much-loved business.
With an impressive portfolio of real-world expertise,
ideas as grand as the films we screen and hard-working, enthusiastic
volunteers, the PPT has the potential to become a world leader in the
field of cinema technology preservation.
The PPT, has a base at Dean Clough Mills, Halifax where
the majority of the equipment is stored and there are displays across
the country. The PPT goes well beyond just collecting equipment. The
trust has a huge range of working projection and sound systems and is
able to provide the expertise to install and operate for events such as
film festivals. Equipment can also be provided as props for film makers.
New Year MBE award for Charles Morris
Charles
Morris, managing director of Northern Morris Associated Cinemas Ltd,
and lifetime member of the PPT, has received an MBE in the New Year
Honours for services to cinema in the North of England.
Charles has always had a passionate interest in cinemas, made his
first visit to a cinema projection room at the age of nine and was
working as a part time projectionist in his teens. He continued as a
part time projectionist while taking up a career in engineering but
in 1988, with the encouragement and participation of his wife Judy,
he brought the derelict Rex Elland back to life.
In 1992 he gave up
engineering and took over the Royalty Bowness. In 1996 he added the
Picture House Keighley, in 1998 the Plaza Skipton, in 2005 the
Cottage Road Headingley and in 2006 the Roxy Ulverston.
Judy died three months ago and on receiving his award Charles
said: “It is rather sad that my wife Judy, who was equally
deserving of it, should have missed the announcement by just three
months.”
The PPT and Charles have worked together on many occasions such as
with the premier of The Railway Children Return. He has a
wealth of knowledge and as Dion has said “is a real nice guy “.
The website for Northern Morris Cinemas can be found here.
What we do
Preserving and restoring
Displaying and exhibiting
Educating and informing
Our base at Dean Clough Mills, Halifax
The images change every few seconds. Hover over one to pause and the arrows allow you to move through the 11 images.
Recent activities at Dean Clough
Reports are by PPT Halifax Coordinator Dion Hanson unless shown otherwise. Click on an image to enlarge.
22 December 2025
Here we have the return of
our VistaVision Kalee from Turkey. Showing myself and Symon
Culpan and then Rob Younger
20 December 2025
These pictures show Peter Berry fitting the hardware to the resprayed
GK21 top box and the second one of it mounted back on the machine.
The exciter is one from a Universal Base which I have
adapted to fit in the Editola Richard Hawley is working on. The old
one was an earlier modification and didn't line up with the optical slit.
Richard is now going to fit a rectifier and smoothing
capacitors since the supply at the moment is raw AC.
Allan
Foster and Symon Culpan are fitting a consumer unit to the Cambridge
machine so that both the Westar motor and 1600 Orcon lamp house are
individually fused.
18 November 2025
Richard
was continuing with the Editola and having changed all the capacitors
in the amplifier began testing it. I have removed the sound optics
and will be giving it a good clean over the next few days. Peter is
continuing with the Cambridge Westar and I have made a plate to take the
Dolby Digital reader. The reader has had to be fitted on the front as
there is a height restriction in the projection room. Putting it on
the plate raised the top spool arm by just 10mm.
16 November 2025
We
were at the Blackpool Film Collectors’ Convention where we sold
lots of Super 8 and 16mm films. If we had saved them any longer they would
have become too poor to run. So it was decided to move them on and
let other enthusiasts enjoy them. They were mostly feature films we
seldom screen at Halifax as short films are more suitable for most of
our activities. We also sold quite a few duplicate books such as
Complete Projectionist and the like. All in all a good and very busy
event.
The images show us at a pre-show relaxation meeting and our stand. We took a couple of pounds short of
£1500, not bad for a day’s work.
7 October 2025
These shots are of the two lots of equipment Steve
Rowley delivered on Saturday 4 October and the following pictures are what
we found and partially assembled on Tuesday 7 October. A couple of machines
(the 9.5mm and the green 35mm have yet to be identified).
The Butchers Empire Model 1 had no arc mechanism and we managed
to find one in our stores that fitted. Although it is mounted on a
base we will have to create a stand for it.
The Ross arc (I am reliably informed) originally came in the bare
metal finish. We fitted it on a pedestal along with an old RCA P3
sound head and an early Ross projector. This makes a very nice period
machine although missing an adaptor gear for the Ross and spool
boxes.
9.5 Mystery
9.5 Specto
16 Agfa
Empire No1
Empire
Gaumont
Not sure
Pallet
Ross arc
Truck
27 September 2025
Fig 1 shows spool boxes off our 21 set which had the paint
peeling badly. Peter sanded it all off and I sprayed it. It
is one of the early ones and consequently mustard in colour and
not hammer finish.
Fig 2 shows Allan making a bracket to fit a limelight into a
Hahn lamphouse which had nothing inside and will go on the back of
our Tyler. In fig 3 Peter can be seen fitting the fire traps and viewing glasses onto
the Tyler spoolboxes which were resprayed last week.
Finally, in fig 4, Richard is seen starting to replace all the old capacitors on
the Editola amplifier that he has been working on these last few
weeks getting the film transport mechanism refurbished.
Fig 1
Fig 2
Fig 3
Fig 4
16 September 2025
An Evening of Nostalgia, organised by Sue Hanson of Halifax
Heritage Tours was held at Crossley Gallery on Tuesday 16 September and was the second such event we have done with
them. The turnout was around 50. We screened rare films of the
ever-changing face of Halifax over the last century.
The first photo
shows the image on the screen at the start of evening. The second one
is a shot of the audience at the end.
14 September 2025
Basically Richard (Fig 1) has continued his restoration of the
Editola. In the foreground to the right is a silent Tyler which
Peter is restoring followed by the spool boxes being resprayed
(Figs 2 & 3). Then the Eiki (Fig 4) which Allan is repairing
and is at present waiting for a new xenon bulb to be delivered.
Alex and I met at Cambridge to look over some equipment which may
become available to us along with a load of other film equipment
(Fig 5, 6 &7). They are an old portable Simplex, a 16mm Studio
machine, and another model of an Eiki with a xenon and integral
electronic rectifier. Much lighter than our EX1500 but same size
lamp. Finally Peter running through the 16mm part of the programme
for An Evening of Halifax Nostalgia at Crossley Gallery on Tuesday 16 September (see below).
Fig 1
Fig 2
Fig 3
Fig 4
Fig 5
Fig 6
Fig 7
Fig 8
28 June 2025
Fig 1 - Peter Berry fitting an adapter plate to a Super
Simplex for fitting on to the Western Electric TA7400 sound head. Fig 2 - a front shot of the mech mounted and on the back
is a Brenkert which was renovated a year or so ago by Mike Astley. Fig 3 - the Simplex stand had to have a strap fitted to repair a
cracked casting as well as an internal bush to
eliminate
movement
due to a worn collar inside the vertical column. Fig 4 - the pile
on the pallet was a Gaumont Chrono as it arrived from Elstree and just
tucked away until now. Fig 5 - we had to make a
new platform to take the Chrono machine head and that is waiting to be
completed and sprayed to match. The lamphouse was going spare but we
hope to find a more suitable one shortly. Fig 6 - a Zeiss 35mm portable which is in the process of being restored. Fig 7 - the Zeiss with a stero cell fitted . On Saturday 5 July: Fig 8 - new LED exciter ready to replace old exciter lamp holder of Zeiss Fig 9 - optical slit projected onto film on the Zeiss Fig 10 - new Gaumont platform ready for painting
Fig 1
Fig 2
Fig 3
Fig 4
Fig 5
Fig 6
Fig 7
Fig 8
Fig 9
Fig 10
Ongoing
We have had a productive few weeks constructing what is now called
Screen 2. Never thought we would 'twin' Dean Clough and add an extra
screen! Just like back in the 1970s.
Here is the story so far:
Fig 1 shows the area we are turning into the new screen which
will be for narrow gauge and video screenings. The area is quite damp
and has an uneven York Stone floor.
Figs 2 - 5. The metal end wall panels were removed and old
pallets used to raise the floor above the flags by cutting and
packing them to create a level sub-floor.
Figs 6 - 8. Once completed it was treated with wood preservative
before the finished damp proof floor panels were laid.
Figs 9 - 11. A new stud wall was built and fitted at what will
become the screen end and similarly one for the front wall of the
projection area.
Figs 12 - 16. The old electrics were removed before fitting the
joists for the projection room floor.
Figs 17 -20. Fitting floor to projection area.
Progress has been delayed due to the illness of Tom Harris.
The Projected Picture Trust would love to welcome you as a new member.
As a member you would be free to participate in
the activities of the trust in any way that suits your time and skills
and meet others with similar interests. Or you can just have the
satisfaction of knowing you are aiding the trust in its efforts to
preserve the magic of cinema.
Members can participate in outings and visits,
including those organised by the Cinema Theatre Association, access the
Member zone on this website and have their say at the annual general
meeting. They receive a copy of our magazine, Rewind, every three months
and have access, via the Member zone of this website, to an archive of
around twenty years of Rewind.
Rates
Adult: £24 - receives one printed copy of Rewind.
Family: £27 - please note one copy of Rewind is sent to cover family membership.
E-member
: £15 - receives Rewind in pdf format.
Student: £10 - receives Rewind in pdf format.
Overseas: £30 - receives one printed copy of Rewind.
Lifetime
- under age of 65: £240 one-off payment Receives one printed copy of Rewind.
Lifetime
- over age of 65: £150 one-off payment. Receives one printed copy of Rewind.
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The largest collection of cinema projectors in UK
Jack Hadaway-Weller visited Dean Clough Mills in Halifax to meet Dion Hanson and the meeting was broadcast on BBC Radio Leeds.
This video uses the audio produced and broadcast by BBC Radio Leeds with images added by Dion.
We appreciate the coverage BBC Radio Leeds has given to the PPT.
Reference library
The PPT Reference library contains over 800 scanned documents consisting of sales brochures, service and operating manuals and information sheets.
Even if you are not looking for specific information, the library gives a stunning view of what was the vastness of the cinema industry and the many fields it encompassed.
NEW Twelve years of Cinema Technology is being scanned and added by Bob Mandry.
These specials are versions of our Rewind magazine covering selected subjects produced for online viewing. Click on an image to view/download. It will open in a new window/tab. To return to this page close the window/tab.
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This is a temporary website as a completely new site is being produced by PPT Committee Member David Ferguson. Please return on a regular basis to see if it is up and running and the new features being offered.
