Historic photograph recreated to celebrate Pavilion centenary

Year 5 pupils from Grovelands

Community Primary School enjoyed a visit to the Historic Hailsham Pavilion, as part of their local history topic last month.

The trip also involved touring historic landmarks around Hailsham town. On arrival, the children were impressed to discover that the cinema was recently ranked at Number 5 of all the Cinemas in the UK in a Timeout poll.

The visit began with a reconstruction of a photo with a group of children from a mixed age visiting the cinema back in 1924. The 91 Grovelands’ children were excited to think that their picture might be recreated by students in 2124!

After the photo, the children were told about the history of the Pavilion by Gareth Jones, former History teacher and now the Pavilion’s Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Gareth’s talk was followed by the screening of a short film about the restoration of this Art Deco gem in the heart of the town.

Next, the young learners toured behind the scenes, visiting the greenroom where they marvelled at the celebrity posters of former performers.

The projection room filled the children with awe and wonder and they even got to open and close the curtains! They spent time sketching the amazing Art Deco features.

Everyone involved agreed that the day had been a great success. The Pavilion staff, headed up by General Manager Paul Nunney, are hoping that other schools in the area will take the opportunity to visit in the near future.