This was a fabulous afternoon spent at the Phoenix Picture House on Walton Street in Jericho.  I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this Mayoral engagement but was keen to find out.  I was welcomed by Kenny Gold, the general manager of the Phoenix Picture House and then we were taken into screen 1 where we were treated to a fascination presentation on the History of what is now called the Phoenix Picture House by Dborah Allison, one of the authors of the book that was being launched.

I was fascinated to hear how many different owners and proprietors the Phoenix has had in its 100 year life and how much it has served the local community in its time.  I’m amused that students used to be charged the top rates for tickets because they were considered to be the most well-off people in Oxford.  I hadn’t realised either that the cinema had a rather seedy period in the 1970s where it was owned by a company called Star, and became a bit of a notorious sex cinema.  We saw an amusing press cutting from the era that said “students were accused of kinds of atrocities ranging from shouting, urinating and slamming car doors, to consuming Chinese take-away meals while sitting on walls and discussing films in an obscene manner.”

The talk was finished off with some wonderful memories from Martin Selwood who had been a projectionist in the 1930s and is now 97 years old.  He has some amazing memories to share and was a major source of historical information for the book.

After the presentation we were taken to the Phoenix’s bar for tea and cakes and I very much enjoyed more conversation with the other authors, Hiu M. Chan and Daniela Treveri Gennari.  What an absolutely fascinating afternoon learning about the secrets of one of Oxford’s most lovely cinemas.  I hope it will go on serving the people of Jericho and beyond for many years to come!