Keswick Alhambra – its history and challenges : Graham King

KESWICK’S ALHAMBRA is one of the oldest continuously operating cinemas in the UK, having opened its doors in January 1914. The projectors continued to roll through two world wars and showings were brought to an extended halt only by the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021. This talk covers the cinema’s long history from its earliest days through the introduction of talkies to the latest technological innovations and the Alhambra’s resurrection as a twin-screen cinema in 2021. Beyond this history, we’ll tell you about the current challenges of running a stand-alone independent cinema in a business dominated on the distribution side by massive international companies such as Disney, Sony and Warner and on the exhibitor side in the UK by the large multiplex chains. We will also discuss the tensions of being a much-loved small-town institution that in fact makes the vast majority of its living from visitors. 

Graham King is the Alhambra’s current proprietor along with his partner Jonathan Moore. A 2020 transplant to Keswick from London, his past career includes radio and television presenting, running a TV outside broadcast company and 20 years as a barrister practising mostly in criminal law.