The Curzon’s history has been intertwined with Clevedon’s for over 100 years. Unlike many cinemas built in the heyday of early silents and Hollywood, the Grade II listed building has always been a cinema, never closing its doors to film-goers.
Purpose-built in 1912 by local entrepreneur Victor Cox, The Picture House, as it was called then, opened 5 days after the Titanic disaster, with a fundraiser for relatives of the victims.
The neo-classical architecture, the tin panelling that decorates the interior, and the detail of the striking staircase to the balcony and boxes is the reason for the Curzon’s Grade II listing. Threatened with closure in 1996, the cinema was saved thanks largely to local support, and now flourishes under the ownership of the community.
This building has survived two world wars and the dawn of the digital age: and is the oldest, continually running, purpose-built, independent cinema in the country, (with one of the longest descriptors!) entertaining audiences from 1912 to the present day.
