Parkway Cinema Barnsley: Incredible history behind the iconic entertainment venue

One of those cinemas is Eldon Street’s iconic Parkway Cinema, which is one of the few remaining cinemas capable of screening films. Not just 35mm film, which was the industry standard until 2011, but also high definition 70mm film. 70mm was historically screened only in the large cities.

There has been a cinema on the site of Parkway in Barnsley’s town centre for over 100 years.

Rob Younger, who runs the cinema, has been perfecting the art of projecting films since the late 1970s and is on a mission to keep this dying artform alive.

“There’s been an entertainment venue on this site since the 1800s,” he explained.

“First it was a tent, then a wooden structure which was forced to close. It then became a theatre.”

The first cinema on the site opened in 1908 as The Empire, it was later renamed The Gaumont in 1950 before being destroyed by a fire in 1954.

The cinema was then reconstructed and by 1962 it had been reopened as the Odeon before it closed in 2005.

Rob said: “I found out who bought the cinema and I pestered the hell out of them to get it to reopen.”

Rob started running the Parkway venue alongside Gerald Parkes. He was in fact returning to his old stamping ground where Rob had started out as a trainee projectionist aged 16.

The building however was put up for sale in 2022, putting the future of the cinema at risk. Fortunately, the two families that operate The Parkway were eventually able to buy the property to safeguard independent cinema in Barnsley for the foreseeable future.

Rob said: “For the first three years we were running at a loss.”

Then the pandemic hit and now the writers strike means there’s no films to draw people in.

He said: “There’s a black hole of films.

“It's tough times, really tough times for all cinemas.”

Rob said that no matter what he will keep Parkway going, but he would like to retire one day or at least take it easier

The Parkway is a community venue, with regular mainstream film screenings, 35mm and 70mm film shows, event cinema, live stage shows and private hires, all of which Rob manages – and often introduces.

He said: “I like to introduce screenings and the cinema where possible and chat to people about the film they’re watching.”

Rob said there is a resurgence of people watching the original films just like with vinyl records.

He said: “You can’t beat hearing the original sound and even seeing the original colours.”

For now, the show goes on for Rob who climbs the stone steps each day to reach the projection room where he loads the reels by hand.

Rob added: “I want to retire to take it slow to spend more time with my family but I’ll always be doing this.”