Cottage Road Cinema in Headingley celebrates 113 years on screen

On a quiet residential road in Headingley stands a cinema that has been showing films since before the First World War. Cottage Road Cinema describes itself as the oldest cinema in Leeds, and possibly the oldest continuously operating independently owned cinema in the UK.

Its story began in 1912, when founders Owen Brooks and Reginald Smith turned a former motor garage into the Headingley Picture House. It opened its doors on Monday 29 July 1912. Brooks was a pioneering film cameraman who had made short news films for showing at the Tivoli Theatre in Leeds.

Ownership changed over the decades. Frank T Thompson bought the cinema in 1937, and Associated Tower Cinemas acquired it soon afterwards and gave it the name it carries today.

There was a moment when the story nearly ended. The cinema was due to close at the end of July 2005, and staff had already received redundancy notices. Charles Morris stepped in with an eleventh-hour deal that July, saving the screen for Headingley and for the generations of film fans who have followed.

In July 2025 the cinema celebrated its 113th birthday on the anniversary of that first opening night, with a screening of Alfred Hitchcock's 1946 classic Notorious, starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. It was a fitting choice for a venue that loves its film history.

That love of the classics runs through the programme. Time Out notes that its Classics at the Cottage series takes place every six weeks and proves popular, while the regular schedule takes in blockbusters, independent films and children's movies. The auditorium seats 468 and has Dolby Digital 7.1 surround sound with digital projection.

Leeds List, in a 2025 guide to Headingley, described it as a family friendly place, which sums up its appeal. This is a neighbourhood cinema in the truest sense, where a trip to the pictures still feels like a small event.

Few towns can say their local cinema has been running for more than a century, and Headingley is lucky to have one.

Cottage Road Cinema lists its current films and Classics at the Cottage screenings on its website, where visitors can check times and plan a night out in Headingley.