Historic Bo'ness cinema set to reopen
by Pete Hayman | 05 Mar 2009
Scotland's oldest purpose-built cinema, The Hippodrome in Bo'ness, is set to reopen on 6 April for a special community screening, following a £2.15m restoration scheme.
First opened in 1912, the A-listed building is owned by the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust, which carried out the first phase of the project, and is leased to Falkirk Council. Extensive work has been carried out on both the interior and exterior of the venue, with new seating installed and the restoration of the 1926 decorative scheme. Elsewhere, the original copper dome above the manager's office has been restored and the building has been re-roofed.
New digital and 35mm projection systems have been installed, while new sound equipment and a new screen have been installed. A new kitchen and a café-bar have also been created. Designed by Linlithgow-based architect, Pollock Hammond Partnership, the initial £1.95m restoration programme was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the council through the Township Heritage Initiative.
Historic Scotland, the Architectural Heritage Fund, the Falkirk Environment Trust and the Manifold Trust also contributed towards the scheme, while a £200,000 technical revamp of the venue was funded by the council and the Scottish Arts Council. As well as being a cinema, the Hippodrome became a bingo venue during the 1960s before it stopped showing films in 1975. The building finally closed down in 1980 and was left to fall into disrepair until October 2006.
The revamp of the Hippodrome is at the heart of the My Future's in Falkirk initiative, which includes the £5m regeneration of Bo'ness and a £150m mixed-use development designed to transform the town's foreshore. Adrian Mahoney, the council's convener of environment and heritage, said: "The council has been working hard with the building's owner, the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust, and a number of funders to bring this historic cinema back into use.
"The restoration process has breathed new life into the Hippodrome and made people realise what a fantastic place this is."
Scotland's oldest purpose-built cinema, The Hippodrome in Bo'ness, is set to reopen on 6 April for a special community screening, following a £2.15m restoration scheme. First opened in 1912, the A-listed building is owned by the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust, which carried out the first phase of the project, and is leased to Falkirk Council. Extensive work has been carried out on both the interior and exterior of the venue,
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