Winter Talks – The Last Picture Show, Thursday 19 February 2026

Image Copyright: North Berwick Playhouse Souvenir Brochure.
The copyright is held by Tom Brownlee.

The Last Picture Show, an illustrated talk by Tom Brownlee

We continue our popular Winter Talks series on Thursday 19 February with The Last Picture Show – East Lothian’s Lost Cinemas, an illustrated talk by local historian Tom Brownlee.

Drawing on a rich mixture of archive photographs, cinema programmes and personal reminiscence, Tom will transport audiences back to a time when almost every town in East Lothian boasted its own picture house. Do you remember those long lines of excited bairns waiting for the Saturday matinees? Are you one of those people who got in for the cost of a jeely jar? Or did you share a “chummy seat” with a sweetheart? From the Playhouse to the local fleahouse, this is a celebration of shared fond memories and the magic of going to the pictures. Audience members are warmly invited to come along and share their own stories.

The talk begins at 7.30pm in the Abbey Church, Church Road/High Street, North Berwick, and is open to all. Admission is free for members and patrons of the Coastal Communities Museum, with a £5 donation requested from non-members. Light refreshments will be served after the talk.