ccl-cs-6019

Castle Theatre

The Castle Theatre was an early Christchurch cinema at the 1906-1907 International Exhibition.

N.Z International Exhibition 1906-7 Hagley Park. Christchurch Open Nov 1st 1906
N.Z International Exhibition 1906-7 Hagley Park.. No known copyright

The Castle Theatre was a feature at the 1906 New Zealand International Exhibition held in Christchurch which ran from November 1906 to April 1907.

Moving pictures were shown by Thomas James West in a hall at the rear of the building, adjoining the concert hall. West also owned theatres in Britain and earlier that year he had taken out a lease on the Palace Theatre, Sydney.

The films were shown daily on a half hour schedule. Some of the features included ‘A Day With A Menagerie,’ ‘What The Curate Really Did,’ ‘The Carnival of Venice,’ and ‘The Opium Smoker.’

By 15 February 1907, West had given his 1107th consecutive display. The final screening was held on 16 April 1907.