History

The Electric Cinema in Birmingham is the oldest working cinema in the UK. Built in 1909 the cinema has gone through many incarnations and name changes. Although Birmingham once had over 100 cinemas, amazingly The Electric remains as the only independent cinema left in the city today.

Timeline:

1909 On the 30th of December the cinema shows its first performance.
1922 Renamed 'Select Cinema'.
1931 On the 14th of November the cinema closed and became an amusement arcade.
1937 The building added a gallery upstairs (now screen 2) and became the 399 seat Tatler News Theatre
1970 The cinema becomes 'The Jacey'
1980 A second screen is added upstairs and the cinema becomes 'The Classic'.
1984 The 'Tivoli' opens on a strict diet of soft porn and horror.
1993 The cinema is renamed back to The Electric and becomes a two screen repertory theatre.
2004 Cinema bought by Thomas Lawes Media Ltd and undergoes conversion to a centre for film making and exhibition.

As this site develops more of the building's history will be documented here.

If you have any photos of the Electric taken over the years please contact us so we can display them on this site and in the cinema itself!