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VICTORIA PICTURE THEATRE, HORSHAM

1913-14
by Keith Davies

n the centre of Victoria’s wheat
Ibelt, the town of Horsham is
located on the Western Highway,
some 280 km west-north-west of
Melbourne.
During a recent stay in Horsham,
I wandered the streets looking for
old and current picture theatres.
The still-operating Horsham
Theatre was in a prominent
location. I also found a triple
frontage building with lettering
“Picture Hall” at the top, and the
barely discernable word
“Victoria” over the central
section. Upon returning from
Horsham, I looked up the theatres
of Horsham in my collection of
past issues of CinemaRecord to
find detailed articles by Gerry
Kennedy and Ian Ballinger (issues
16 & 17, 1997) of the Horsham
Theatre and other cinemas of
Horsham’s past.

However, the articles’ only reference to the “Though not yet complete in all branches of The two shop fronts have been leased to
Victoria Picture Hall buildings said that “it is ornamentation, the new buildings which have Mr Phillips, who intends to conduct a
not known if the Picture Hall Buildings were been erected in Wilson Street Horsham for thoroughly up-to-date café, combined with a
used for screenings”. Further, “the original Mr W Puls, were sufficiently advanced last
Town Hall, opened in 1886, housed the night to permit the opening of the new picture
hall.
The buildings are substantial and constitute a
valuable addition to the architecture of the
town. It is a massive two-storey brick
structure, containing three separate
frontages. The most westerly frontage is that
occupied by the picture show. It is a neat little
place of modern design, capable of seating
250 people. The walls of brick and plaster
are high, and admit ample air space for the
audience. The seats are of the latest folding
type, and they afford a maximum of comfort.
A small balcony, or staging, at the rear of the
building has been erected for the
accommodation of the lantern and the
operator, and from this point the moving
pictures are projected on to the screen, which
takes up the whole of the proscenium space.
The hall is brilliantly lighted by electricity, the
triple cluster lamps being so shaded as to
soften the effect of the illumination.
It is the intention of Mr Puls to run continuous
pictures. There will be exhibitions every night
Victoria Picture Theatre, which was operated of the week, except Sundays, and changes of
in 1913/14 (at least) by the Victoria Picture program on Tuesdays and Fridays. On
Company”. Thinking it was unlikely that a Wednesdays and Saturdays there will be
building with the words “Picture Hall” never matinee performances, but when important
screened movies, I embarked on a little football matches are being played locally the
research and found that, indeed, movies were mid-week matinee will be postponed to Friday.
shown in the building.
Mr Puls and his manager, Mr Tarnowski,
The Victoria Picture Hall buildings opened on anticipate there will be large support for the
22 May 1913. The Horsham Times (23 May innovation.
1913) records the opening:

32 CINEMARECORD # 89