The Story of the project

Going to the Pictures is a Heritage Lottery funded oral history project looking at cinema going in the areas of Waterloo, Crosby, Seaforth, Litherland and Bootle near Liverpool Merseyside.

Delivered by the Plaza Community Cinema, the only surviving old style cinema in the area, the project has captured and recorded memories of Going to the Pictures from the 1930′s to the 1960′s.

Working in the community, fond memories of cinemas golden age have been digitally recorded in order to preserve part of our local cinema heritage. The oral history recordings are stored within the North West Sound Archive.

The project has focused on 21 Picture Houses which played a part in community life with origins dating back over 100 years.

Through the project we have achieved several outputs including the Creation and development of content for the Going to the Pictures Website.

Cinema Heritage Trail map - made in conjunction with Crosby High School the map depicts the sites of the old cinemas in the area incorporated into a modern collage art work.

The Going to the Pictures Film- made with film maker Christina Condron and project volunteers including Sean Reynolds, Bill Morris, Johnathon Lines, Jordan Plant and Beth Greenaway using a collection of filmed cinema memories providing first hand experiences of Going to the Pictures, the premiere screening was shown at the Plaza Community Cinema at the Going to the Pictures Showcase event in March 2013.

Going to the Pictures Documentary – The documentary made by film makers Tim Brunsden and Fred Bidulff, tells the story of the project filmed over the lifespan of the project, tracing the development and progress of the Going to the Pictures Project. The documentary was screened at The Plaza Community Cinema at the project showcase event and can be viewed within this website.

Almost 50 interviews of Cinema Memories deposited within The North West Sound Archive to be preserved for future generations

Written and video memories of the Going to the Pictures Project and local Cinema Heritage placed within Sefton Records Office – including documents, memorabillia and dvd recordings of cinema memories

The Going to the Pictures Project has engaged with a number of groups, organisations and individuals within the the community and would like to offer sincere thanks for their contribution and to all who have shared cinema memories. And of course a big Thank You to The Heritage Lottery Fund for enabling this project to take place.