If you are planning a trip to London and staying in a hotel in Chelsea, or if you live in one of London’s plushest areas, you are likely to have taste and style : ) So it is reasonable to expect that for an evening at the cinema, you’d be hoping for something with a similar style and elegance.
Here are my top 3 cinemas in the Chelsea, Kensington and Knightsbridge area that will provide something a little bit different from your normal cinema going experience.
Curzon Chelsea
Conveniently located for shopping enthusiasts on the King’s Road, the Curzon Chelsea is one for the traditionalists. One huge screen is hosted inside an old fashioned type cinema which shows the best of art house movies along with recent major blockbuster films. As it was originally built as a music hall, the space for the stage is now filled by a gigantic screen, the biggest in the South London area, meaning that all 700 seats in the enormous auditorium can see the film clearly. The décor helps create an atmosphere that is quite unique compared to modern cinemas, yet the screen has the capability to play movies in 3D, mixing the old with the new.
The Curzon also has a bar for drinks and food before and after the movie, making it a perfect evening’s entertainment. As an independent cinema, it is possible to hire the auditorium for events. With one screen however, there is no wealth of choice should you just turn up on the day; you will have to view whatever is being screened. Should you prefer a wider selection of mainstream movies, there is a nearby Cineworld on King’s Road too, and an Odeon in Kensington High Street to give you a greater choice of current Hollywood blockbusters.
Cine Lumiere
Do you have an interest in French culture? The Cine Lumiere is run by the Institut Francais for the promotion of French culture, but the cinema itself plays host to more than just French language films. The auditoriums focus is on European and World cinema, with perhaps a slight bias towards French films, with Sunday afternoons exclusively reserved for the screening of classic French films.
If you are French, a Francophile, learning a European language or simply wishing to see the best of cinema from around the world and escape the constant stream of Hollywood releases, the Cine Lumiere may be your best option in Chelsea.
With the first two options from my top three cinemas, I covered Art House and mainstream cinema with the Curzon, and European and World Cinema with the Cine Lumiere. For the third option, I’m going to suggest something completely different.
IMAX – Science Centre
The IMAX Cinema at the Science Museum in South Kensington plays a range of nonfiction films to help educate the museum’s visitors. The IMAX experience provides a much greater picture and sound quality than regular cinemas, and these movies will be ideal for the documentary fan. If you want to gain this experience for mainstream fictional cinema in South London, you will have to make the short trip out of Chelsea, across the river to South Bridge.
So there you have it. The cinemas in West London do not all offer the same experience. There are a variety of different cinemas to suit different people, or their different moods, and I have presented 3 of the best for you – and the good news is that they’re all within easy reach of our hotel!
Why not combine a weekend of intimate cinematic experiences with our Autumn offer?
Photo Credits: Steve Snodgrass, the_whiteness, Ewan Munro, southtyrolean
