Kino at 10

3
1032

Kino Rye is 10 this month, and on Wednesday, January 29 supporters old and new gathered at the cinema to celebrate. Rye News will have a full report on the event next week, but ahead of that, Hugh Kermode, part of The Fletcher Group, remembers how a group of much-loved Victorian school buildings were transformed.

In 2009, Freddie Lees, retired diplomat and Rye resident, suggested that Rye needed a theatre and suggested a location. He thought it should be named after the playwright John Fletcher who was a contemporary of William Shakespeare and was born in Lion Street.

Various locals with very differing backgrounds and skills looked at the feasibility of “The Fletcher Centre” as the idea became known. It was very exciting … a theatre, but also perhaps a small cinema … like the Kino in Hawkhurst. However, developing the original location proved to be too expensive.

The Further Education Centre in 2012

The next year, the principal of Sussex Coast College Hastings (SCCH) announced in a public meeting that the Library and FE centre in Lion Street was to be sold and developed into three houses and two flats. Part of the proposal was that the art room (now Kino’s Silver Room) was to be demolished. It was, said the principal, “a done-deal”. This didn’t go down too well with the audience and a campaign was started – it became known as “The Battle for Lion Street”.

The Library in 2012

Eventually local voices won the day and Rother denied permission for the housing. The Fletcher Group formed a community interest company (CIC) and six generous people gave the CIC interest-free loans to enable the freehold of what is now the current site to be purchased – the other part of the site was sold to St Mary’s Church. The sale was completed on July 18 2012.

Fletcher had been in discussions with Kino and local architects since 2010, and needed to raise, shall we say, “quite a lot of money” to renovate the buildings – getting rid of asbestos, constructing the auditorium, creating what it is today. Happily, many local people believed in the project – lead from the front by Fletcher’s Mike Eve – the finances were raised and building started in December 2013.

Kino Rye opened in January 2015 – and in that time has sold over half a million tickets. There have been around 28,000 screenings of approximately 1,500 films, plays and events.

Kino foyer in 2015

This wouldn’t have been possible without all the supporters and local investors, or the specialist trades necessary to build a cinema. It needed good design and careful financing. It wouldn’t have happened without the work of Mike and the other members of Fletcher in Rye CIC and Fletcher Centre Properties. Crucially, it wouldn’t have happened without Kino Digital – here’s to the next ten years.

Incidentally, Freddie Lees’ ashes were buried in the foundations of the building – so he is still very much supporting the cinema.

Image Credits: Kino Digital , Hugh Kermode .

Previous articleTaking charge
Next article“Completely unacceptable”

3 COMMENTS

  1. One of the very best things to happen to Rye in many years,such a friendly place and the hard working staff are always so welcoming. Here is to many more years of this special place .

  2. It goes without saying the cinema is a wonderful addition to the town’s attractions, but for me, my friends acquaintances and fellow Tuesday Painters, it is the cafe that has turned out to be the meeting place of choice, also conveniently situated next to St. Mary’s Centre where we artists exhibit in August, guaranteeing a decent cup of coffee to keep us refreshed. Gotta say it for the sausage rolls, too!

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here