This programme is from the Clapton Rink Cinema. It says which films are
being shown for the month of June 1916. The cinema was open every day from
2.30 to 11pm and the programme changed every Monday and Thursday. The
films' enticing titles - The Secret Sin, A Strange Unknown - were
accompanied by lively descriptions.
Popular entertainment
By 1916 cinema-going was a popular form of entertainment in London. It was
especially common amongst poorer people who could buy a ticket for as
little as 3d (three pence). Moving pictures at the time had no soundtrack
and the Clapton Rink Cinema had a special orchestra to accompany the
silent films. At other cinemas a pianist often accompanied the films.
Growth of Clapton
The opening of Clapton railway station in 1872 encouraged the growth of
Clapton as a residential area. The arrival of the railway meant that
people could live in Clapton and continue to work in central London. This
enabled them to move from overcrowded areas of inner London out into the
more spacious housing and healthier atmosphere of Clapton.
