Meet the man looking after the world's largest collection of cinema projectors in a Yorkshire basement
As Halifax celebrates its Year of Culture with a reputation as the ‘Hollywood of the North’, perhaps its best kept secret is what literally lies beneath the surface of the place that was once the world’s largest carpet factory.
Dean Clough, the 22-acre historic landmark and thriving mixed use destination in Halifax, is now home to the largest collection of historic cinema projection equipment in the UK.
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Hide AdProjected Picture Trust (PPT), the UK’s only charitable organisation dedicated to preserving cinema technology equipment and 35mm film prints, recently relocated its significant collection of equipment from the Elstree Screen Arts Academy.


All of its thousands of artefacts, from projectors to valves, from fracture films to classic cinema adverts, are now housed centrally in the basement at Dean Clough as a literal treasure trove for the avid film culture fan.
Dion Hanson, co-ordinator for the Projected Picture Trust, Halifax explains that PPT was established in 1978 in response to the closure of traditional picture palaces with a desire to preserve projection equipment which would otherwise be discarded.
"Back in the ‘70s our founder started to realise that a lot of the old commercial projectors were going to scrap and they thought they’d collect a few of them and like everything in snowballed,” says Dion.
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Hide AdThe collection, which has projectors dating back to the 1890s, used to be house in offices at Bletchley Park but when they received Lottery funding to develop the site around 12 year ago a new home was needed for the collection.


Nowhere suitable could be found at the time to house the entire collection and so it was split up around the country including some to Halifax. But since then the PPT has been asked to move the projectors out of the other parts of the country and Dean Clough offered its underground basement to house what is now the UK’s biggest collection of projectors – both professional and amateur.
“Originally we took up about a third of the space but now we have taken over pretty much all of it,” says Dion for whom cinema has been a massive part of his life.
"I think I’d just started secondary school and my dad was a plumber and he took me on a job to fix a burst pip at our local cinema. They showed me the projector room and I was hooked.”
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Hide AdIn the 1960s Dion worked servicing in Leeds servicing projectors. Then he moved to rank before working for Dolby where he got to travel the world. Now he’s retired he says he has never been busier, looking after the machines he loves.


"At Bletchley Park some had gone a bit rusty and we have to restore quite a lot of them.”
The collection also includes a lot of film and there is even a cinema in the basement where they can view the films.
“Not everyone would like working in a basement as there are no windows but its perfect for us, it mean we can view the films without having to black out everything.
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Hide Ad“We are also getting a lot of amateur cameras in – I think we have about 200 – in and we are still happy to take more if they are rare and in good condition,” says Dion who says the aim is to allow people to come and view the collection by appointment.


The PPT is made up of an eclectic mix of highly respected industry professionals and cinema enthusiasts who seek to rescue and manage a world class collection of cinema technology artefacts with a view to creating an accessible hub of knowledge for any enthusiast.
“With an impressive portfolio of real-world expertise, ideas as grand as the films we screen and enthusiastic volunteers, the PPT has the potential to become a world leader in the field of cinema technology preservation,” says Nigel Wolland, Chair at PPT.
“We are incredibly grateful to Dean Clough for providing this valuable space so that the PPT can continue its legacy building plan. Indeed, the site is most befitting to our cause as a centre of excellence for arts and media in its own right. From here, we can continue to build our collection whilst also undertaking important restorations, exhibitions, events, and prop supplies to film makers.”
They’ve have already supplied projectors to films and TV.
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Hide AdJeremy Hall, Chairman and Managing Director at Dean Clough Ltd, said: “We are very happy to provide a safe and secure space for PPT and its impressive collection of fascinating film heritage. It sits very comfortable with our overall cultural proposition as a leading location for all things related to arts and media.
“Placemaking is all about embracing diversity and inclusion and this is central to our offering as we continue to engage and support occupiers large and small. Learning is fundamental to this too and we were delighted that Calderdale College recently elected to locate its new 12,835 sq ft state of the art digital skills hub at Dean Clough.”
The creation of a varied, vibrant, and diverse community has been a core commitment for Dean Clough from the outset with the arts being a vital part of this journey.
The 300-seat subterranean Viaduct Theatre, half a dozen galleries, a significant collection of original art works, artist studios and a dedicated arts mill all contribute to the dynamic whole.
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Hide AdRecent introductions to Dean Clough include the Art Lab - a monthly meet-up for artists and art practitioners to discuss their work, concurrent ideas, and critical thinking.
The Square Lens Alliance, a network of Calderdale filmmakers and creative industry professionals, has also relocated to Dean Clough with an inclusive space for people who are passionate about creating visual stories, foster collaboration, fuel innovation, and grow professionally.