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The 19th Century London cinema that showed the first proper public film screening is about to be restored thanks to Heritage Lottery funding.

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The 19th Century London cinema that showed the first proper public film screening is about to be restored thanks to Heritage Lottery funding.

To many, the Regent Street Cinema is considered the birth-place of British movie-watching. It is currently used as a lecture hall, belonging to the University of Westminster but was originally the place where in 1896, the first Lumiere brothers moving picture was shown.

The Lumiere brothers chose the Regent Street Polytechnic, as it was then called, for the screening because of the institution's reputation as a leader in scientific experimentation and entertainment. The building itself is grade II listed and is due to have its restoration completed in 2014 when it will be transformed into a state-of-the-art auditorium. The cinema will give film students at the university an unrivalled opportunity to premiere their work in London's West End.

In an interview with the BBC this week Sue Bowers, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund for London, said the cinema was a 'fascinating part of our heritage' and has 'an important place in the world history of film'. Film producer Tim Bevan of British film company 'Working Title', who is Chair of the Regent Street Cinema Advisory Board said: #quote#'The investment made in education and training has been an enormous factor in the success of the UK film industry, which creatively and technically is a world leader, and Westminster continues to be very much part of that.'#/quote#

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