The big equipment move of Elstree to Halifax

After storing equipment at Elstree Screen Arts Academy for many years, the Projected Picture Trust have now begun and performed a majority of the move of this equipment to our main storage area and base at Dean Clough Mills, Halifax.

The images below show pictures of the move – from the full storage area at Elstree Screen Arts Academy, to the equipment sorted and stored at Dean Clough Mills, Halifax.

Elstree storage area

The first set below show the storage area in the basement of Elstree Screen Arts Academy, first before the move filled with film projectors and other equipment, and then after the move.

Arrival at Halifax

Below the images show the lorry arriving at Dean Clough, filled with treasures from a century of cinema history. All equipment is stored, and transported on pallets for easy transportation, so the next task was to unload and move into the basement area of Dean Clough.

How many models of projector can you spot and recognise from the pictures below?

Transporting the equipment

Under careful direction of the PPT's Dean Clough Coordinator, Dion Hanson, the equipment started coming off the lorry. From there it had to go through a corridor, onto a lift, and into the basement, where the team had cleared and made space previously.

All shapes and sizes

It wasn't just standard 35mm film projectors being transported either – there were also some interesting narrow gauge equipment, two pallets of 35mm films, a 70mm capable Cinemeccanica Victoria 8 and a Kalee modified to run horizontal VistaVision!

A good days work

What was an empty area of our storage basement at Dean Clough is now filled with the UK’s cinema history. Well done to everyone who helped, including: PPT Restoration Engineer Steve Rowley; PPT Curator Alex Cooper; PPT Chair Nigel Wolland; PPT committee member Allan Foster; PPT member Jacob Pearson, PPT Archivist Tom Harris; PPT member Symon Culpan; PPT member David Ferguson; PPT Halifax Coordinator Dion Hanson.