The Cottage Road Cinema

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The Cottage Road Cinema is a little gem of an independent cinema situated in Headingley, down a road you would otherwise miss if you weren't looking for it. One of Leeds' oldest cinemas, it started showing films in 1912 and hasn't stopped since the day it started. The cinema shows a selection of the current films, as well as the odd classic shown every six weeks on a film night called "Classics at the Cottage".



To me, the outside of the cinema seems quintessentially cinematic with four main lights framing the current movie selection, domed entrance and posters of the films currently on show, and the upcoming films.

Once inside, there is a small booth to collect your tickets from where there is a seeming always a chipper man to give you a little stub of a ticket that changes every time, and a decent selection of confectionery items for sale. The cinema has recently been allowed to sell alcohol, which for some will be a nice treat to enjoy whilst watching the film.

The prices for the cinema when compared to the major cinemas blew my mind the first time I went. A student before 5pm costs £4, and after 5pm it costs £4.50, and for this price I could see nearly two films for the price of one at one of the more popular cinemas dotted nearly everywhere around the UK. An adult costs slightly more at their price of £5.50, but the price for an adult doesn't change throughout the day.

The inside of the cinema is where all the magic happens, and this is certainly reflected the fact Cottage Road is an independent cinema. Walking into the one screen cinema for the first time and seeing the red curtains that covered the screen, I felt a sense of nostalgia as it reminded me of all the pictures I had seen of the quaint little theatres back in the 20s that have all but died out, bar a few select cinemas like Cottage Road.

I was also pleasantly surprised to find out that during their longer films they have a 15 minute interval where there is a selection of confectionery on sale from a lovely member of cinema staff who stands at the front with a tray of sugary goodness, or badness depending on whether or not you have the dentist the next day.

One final thing to mention is that though the seats reflect their age, they are without a doubt the most comfortable seats I have ever sat in at a cinema. The seats made watching a 3 hour movie a very cosy experience indeed.

#cinema
#headingley
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