The Depot, Lewes and Newlyn Filmhouse, two community cinemas designed by Burrell Foley Fischer have been revealed as Regional Finalists in the 2018 Civic Trust Awards. The awards were established in 1959 to recognise outstanding architecture, planning and design in the built environment and projects that demonstrate a positive civic contribution.
Newlyn Filmhouse
The Newlyn Filmhouse provides a new two-screen cultural cinema with a café bar in a former fish store on the Coombe in Newlyn, Cornwall. Externally the conversion makes use of existing large shuttered openings at ground and first floor level and retains the character and appearance of the building as a former light industrial building. Since opening the cinema has become a much-loved addition to the seaside town and fishing port, with one cinemagoer posting on Facebook “Best cinema seats ever, good steep sloped tiers, huge screen, good sound, not too hot. Lovely cafe. Perfect one on one service. Very very impressed.”
Depot Cinema, Lewes
The Depot is a new three-screen community cinema on the site of the modest but much loved existing warehouse of the old Harveys brewery depot in Lewes. The three screens have been discreetly inserted within the saved brick shell, with the major design move being to attach a new glazed extension with the depot structure fully visible as the historic backdrop to the new box office, café bar, restaurant. A Facebook user commented, “Enjoyed our first visit to our new local cinema yesterday - comfortable seats and excellent sound system certainly enhanced the experience. The after-screening drink in exterior seating area gave us a chance to appreciate how attractive the whole development is: contemporary, stylish and well laid out.”
As Regional Finalists, both cinemas will now by considered by the Civic Trust Awards for a National Award or Commendation. In addition, The Depot has been shortlisted for consideration for the Selwyn Goldsmith Award for Universal Design. This award is given to projects which have demonstrated excellence in providing a scheme which is accessible for all users, from people with decreased mobility, to parents with small children, to people with sensory impairments and everything in-between.