Help Save the Cinema Museum: £500,000 to Buy Its Home
The Cinema Museum in London, housed in the Grade II listed former Lambeth Workhouse, where a young Charlie Chaplin was sent as a boy with his stepbrother and mother, needs to raise £500,000 by December to buy the building it has occupied for decades. It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring 40 years of uncertainty to an end.
The Cinema Museum is dedicated to the experience of going to the cinema. It is entirely volunteer-run and receives no public funding.
Its collection includes art deco cinema seats, vintage projectors, ushers’ uniforms and classic film posters. The museum also hosts independent screenings, local events and educational tours, and provides free or subsidised space to local charities and community groups.
According to the Cinema Museum, for years, property developers and changes of ownership have put the museum at risk of closure or eviction. It has now secured an option to buy its buildings, but only if it can raise the money in time. As the organisers put it, the finish line is in sight; they just need to cross it.
If you’d like to help, you can:
Donate via the campaign page.
Share the campaign with friends, family, film clubs and anyone who loves cinema.
Spread the word on social media. Even a single repost could help the campaign reach someone who can make a difference.
Any funds raised beyond the target would go towards long-overdue repairs and development, opening the museum to the public daily, and expanding its wellbeing, environmental and education work.
Places like this are rare. Once a collection is scattered and a building like this is lost, it can be very difficult to bring them back together. If you’ve ever loved a night at the pictures, please consider chipping in.
Disclosure: We are not affiliated with The Cinema Museum or its fundraising campaign. We simply want to see the museum succeed and are sharing the campaign because we truly believe it is worth supporting.