A series of events are taking place
Lincoln Cathedral has confirmed mourners will be able to view the Queen’s Funeral from a large screen in the nave on Monday.
The Cathedral will open from 8am on September 19 – the day of the funeral – with the broadcast beginning at 11am.
The Queen’s reign as the longest serving monarch in the history of the United Kingdom came to a devastating end on Thursday, when she passed away at Balmoral Castle aged 96.
The country is now in a period of national mourning which will last up until the day of the state funeral service.
The Cathedral is hosting a series of services in the coming days culminating in a service of commemoration on Sunday at 3.45pm in St Hughs Choir.
Local dignitaries have been invited as have members of the Cathedral Foundation.
A spokesman said all are welcome to attend although seating in the choir will be limited. However, the service will also be streamed to the nave for additional capacity.
A book of condolence has been opened, along with others in a number of locations around the county, and members of the public can lay flowers in the Dean’s Green or light candles within the Cathedral.
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Glamorous tradition with its feet firmly on the ground – happy 100th!
Kinema In The Woods in Woodhall Spa is 100 years old. General manager Philip Jones took us on a journey through time for this iconic building. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Nestled in a tranquil wooded area of East Lindsey town Woodhall Spa, The Kinema In The Woods has served the local area for 100 years – showing blockbuster films in a setting that nods to the golden age of cinema.
A century is a mighty long time, particularly in the ever-changing world of film, but Woodhall Spa’s Kinema In The Woods has remained a magical constant through trials and tribulations to delight audiences.
An anniversary event was held on Sunday, September 11, exactly a century to the day from when the first Charlie Chaplin film was shown at Kinema.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The Lincolnite went to visit Kinema In The Woods and its current general manager Philip Jones, who took us on a history lesson of the site’s rich heritage.
We asked Philip what it is about the Kinema that has allowed it to survive and thrive all these generations. He said: “It still has that magic feel even to this day.
“Cinema is all about that shared experience, so there’s nothing better than seeing a full house for a big blockbuster.
“Kinema In The Woods has been styled around the golden age of cinema in the 40s and 50s, with big showmanship and theatrical lighting. You just don’t see our features in most cinema settings.”
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Whether it’s the scatterings of movie memorabilia, the giant Dalek by the confectionery stand, or the iconic Compton Organ, everyone remembers their trip to Kinema In The Woods.
This is an exploration of the site’s rich history, from navigating its way through a World War, a global pandemic and an evolving world of cinema to stand tall in the 21st century.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The building hasn’t always been a cinema. Formerly a sports pavilion belonging to the Victoria Hotel, it wasn’t until a fire at the hotel on Easter Sunday in 1920 that real change began for the site.
The pavilion was untouched by the fire, and eventually acquired by Lady Weigall and Sir Archibald, who lived at what is now the Petwood Hotel. They were very wealthy individuals and put a lot of money into a conversion for the pavilion to become a cinema.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
They enlisted the help of a man called Captain Carleton Cole Allport, who had not long returned from serving his country in the First World War.
Allport ran the cinema for the owners and the first show at the newly named Pavilion Cinema was on September 11, 1922. It was supposed to be a film called Lion Eaters, but that never arrived via train. Luckily, they got hold of a Charlie Chaplin film to show instead.
Captain Allport is etched into the history of Kinema In The Woods. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Captain Allport eventually bought the cinema from Sir Archibald and Lady Weigall and proudly ran proceedings right up until 1973 – where he oversaw major changes to the site itself and cinema as a whole.
It was Allport who gave the venue its now iconic name of The Kinema In The Woods in 1930, and despite being called back into active service for the Second World War, it stayed open in his absence.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The name Kinema is a showcase of the venue’s traditions in the realm of cinema. It originates from the term ‘kinematograph’ which describes machines that could capture objects with and in motion. Over time it became cinematography, and Kinema became cinema, but the original name stuck in Woodhall Spa.
Kinema was a significant place for the community during World War Two, offering a morale boost for servicemen, as well as preparation for any potential bombings given the close proximity of Woodhall Spa to so many RAF bases in Lincolnshire.
Allport returned from the war and continued to run the Kinema right up until he fell ill in the early 1970s. He sold it in 1973, just before his death, to a Staffordshire cinema owner called James Green.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
James Green’s arrival prompted the start of a new era for Kinema, but one that never took away from the initial charm that made Green fall in love with the place.
He wanted to stamp his authority immediately. Previous owners were very particular about the type of film that was showed, but Green threw the rule book out the window from the very first moment.
His maiden screening as Kinema In The Woods owner was A Clockwork Orange, and a massive refurbishment period was underway – including perhaps the most recognisable change in the site’s history…
The remarkable Compton Organ. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
If you’ve been to Kinema In The Woods, it is highly likely you have been treated to a magical performance on the Compton Organ in the screen one room.
Intervals in films are called at Kinema, allowing for a stunning organ to rise from the ground and the wonderful Alan Underwood, resident organ player, to entertain the crowd with music.
The Compton Organ dates back to 1928, when it was installed at the Super Cinema in London. It only lasted a few years in the capital, as it was taken out in the 1930s and moved into storage.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Decades later, in 1988, James Green heard about the organ and acquired it for the Kinema. He built a pit in the ground big enough to fit the organ and someone to play it on a platform, with a vision of them rising from the floor and into sight.
Green himself was a keen organ player, but Nicholas Martin was the first to play the incredible instrument at Kinema – though if you’ve been in the last 30 years or so it will be Alan Underwood that you recognise.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
In 1994, a second screen was added at Kinema, with a showing of Four Weddings and a Funeral gracing the new screen for the first time.
After Green’s retirement in 2013, refurbishment work has not stopped. Screen three arrived in 2019, and an intimate 21-seater screen four room opened in October 2021.
Self-playing pianos can be found at screens two and three, with the grand Compton Organ acting as musical centrepiece in screen one’s theatre room.
Philip Jones, general manager at Kinema In The Woods. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
In 2004, a fresh-faced projectionist by the name of Philip Jones started working at Kinema In The Woods. After years of rising through the ranks, he took over as general manager of the site following James Green’s 2013 retirement.
Philip didn’t have a television in his house when he was a child, so he described going to the cinema as “a big treat” for him and his family. Little did he know he would soon be living that treat every day.
“It wasn’t something I envisaged, but I fell into it and absolutely love it”, Philip told The Lincolnite. “They were advertising for a part time job and my dad told me to go for it, the neighbours worked there and set up an interview for me. 18 years later and here I am.”
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
In March 2020 the nation was plunged into a lockdown due to the spiralling cases of COVID-19, a new virus of which we’d never experienced before. It closed industries and put business on hold, marking a truly frightening time for the country.
Philip Jones said the closure of the Kinema as a result of coronavirus was “the first time in its history it closed for a serious amount of time”, prompting “a few sleepless nights” along the way as an uncertain future lay ahead.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The Kinema In The Woods initially felt left in the dark by delayed government response, but the introduction of business grants and the furlough scheme to financially protect businesses proved a lifesaver for the cinema.
It was “very quiet” through 2020 and again forced to close by COVID at the end of that year, not reopening again until May 2021.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The second return was again a slow burner, with social distancing measures introduced and an evident public anxiety after a year of being locked away at home.
As well as this, film production lines had been halted by the pandemic, so seldom few Hollywood blockbusters were in the pipeline, and it wasn’t until the release of the likes of Top Gun: Maverick or the Downton Abbey film this year that theatre numbers returned to more familiar levels.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The Kinema In The Woods has returned to “around 90%” of its pre-COVID levels for customers, and there is excitement in the air about the future of such an historic venue.
Philip Jones said he enjoys “every single day” in charge of Kinema, but especially loves the “buzz in the air” when a popular film with big name actors is on the screen.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
So why should you keep coming to Kinema? Philip has the answer for you: “We’re offering a unique experience with value for money thrown in there for good measure. It’s an old building but it’s not tired, it’s loved and it shows.”
To book tickets at Kinema In The Woods, check out the what’s on section of the cinema’s website for times and dates.
Oh, and in case you were wondering what the general manager of a cinema’s favourite film is: Philip opted for Christopher Nolan’s 2006 modern classic The Prestige – starring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale.
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Inflation bites as price of steel hikes
On site where the finished sculpture will be erected. Left to right – Jonathan Hammond, of Hammond Property Services; Dambusters collector and researcher Di Ablewhite; Ken Sadler, Chairman of The Bomber County Gateway Trust (all top), and war veteran Harry Parkins (bottom). | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Further funding of £200,000 is needed to complete the full-size art installation of a Lancaster Bomber Sculpture just off the A46 in Norton Disney.
The Bomber County Gateway Trust’s ‘On Freedom’s Wings’ project was put on hold in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, but resumed three months ago and more steel is now needed to finish the construction of the frame of the aircraft, which is being done by Timmins Engineering.
Once finished, the 26-metre long sculpture will be 29 metres in height and have a wingspan of 31m, making it 9m taller than the Angel of the North.
The steel podium on which the full-size replica of the Lancaster Bomber will sit. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
The sculpture will be angled at 45 degrees so, not only will it be a great view from the road, but it will also look as if it’s making a final approach at RAF Swinderby.
Ken Sadler, Chairman of The Bomber County Gateway Trust, told The Lincolnite that he hopes they will be able to erect the structural frame of the sculpture next year. The exact completion date for the full project is not yet known.
The Trust has so far raised £175,000, but around £450,000 worth of work has been done thanks to companies giving their time, resources and expertise either, for free or a reduced cost.
The project has, however, had to contend with delays due to the coronavirus pandemic and also, more recently, the price of steel rising by around 250%.
He believes the sculpture will be better than the Angel of the North. He said: “The Angel of the North is just abstract, but this is a representation of something tangible that represents the people of the county.”
A progress event with a call for fundraising took place on the site just off the A46 in Norton Disney on September 13, 2022. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
A pathway will be created once the project is complete so that people walk through and admire the sculpture from close up.
At the initial groundbreaking event in 2018, eight war veterans were present. Only two are still alive: Sqn Ldr George ‘Johnny’ Johnson, and 98-year-old Harry Parkins who was a Lancaster flight engineer at RAF East Kirkby in the 1940s.
Only two of the war veterans present at the initial groundbreaking event in 2018 (pictured) are still alive – Sqn Ldr George ‘Johnny’ Johnson, and 98-year-old Harry Parkins. Also pictured is Ken Sadler (centre).| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
War veteran Harry Parkins. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Harry told The Lincolnite: “It will give a good memory for the youngsters of today and makes me feel proud.”
Jonathan Hammond, of Hammond Property Services who are part of the project’s fundraising group, said: “I can’t wait for the unveiling ceremony, but to get there this is the hardest part now. Now the stanchions are in place, hopefully the public can see we are over halfway through the project.”
The project has even had backing from Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Peter Jones who has been invited to the official unveiling once the project is complete.
He also said that auctioneer and television personality Charles Hanson will be putting items into a memorabilia auction on October 14, with proceeds going towards the project.
Councillor Lance Pennell, Ward Member for Waddington West, was a former RAF pilot with the Vulcans at RAF Waddington. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Councillor Lance Pennell, Ward Member for Waddington West, was a former RAF pilot with the Vulcans at RAF Waddington between 1974 and 2011. He said: “It’s a wonderful statement as you enter North Kesteven and Lincolnshire and I am looking forward to seeing its completion. I think it will complement the Bomber Command Memorial.”
Tim Strawson – High Sheriff of Lincolnshire (right) with his wife Kerry (left) attended the event. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
Also present at Tuesday’s event were Tim Strawson, High Sheriff of Lincolnshire, and his wife Kerry.
He said: “I think it’s a great way of welcoming people to Lincolnshire and showing them some of our history, which is Bomber county. We are very proud of this, and so many people gave their lives in the war to protect us and we should celebrate that and never forget.”
A spokesperson for North Kesteven District Council said: “In line with the District Council’s active promotion of North Kesteven’s extensive and unique aviation heritage, the District Council contributed £10,000 to the project in 2018, at the same time as giving financial support to a further project at Metheringham Airfield.
“This project will provide a very visible gateway sculpture at the entrance to North Kesteven and Lincolnshire which will serve as a lasting remembrance of the area’s vital role in the pursuit of freedom during the Second World War and ongoing through the continued presence of active RAF bases.”
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