I adore this cinema, it's vintage and old fashioned theme is just timeless! We have visited here on so many occasions and every time I love it that bit more. The price is sooo good! As you know most cinemas can be very pricey, however here it isn't at all. Being a one screened cinema it's never overly busy either. The old time tickets are just amazing too! read more

Cottage Road Cinema - Cinema Near Me - Leeds, XWY

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I used to go here as a child, but, because of the fact it only has one screen and doesn't always choose to show stuff that takes my fancy, I only go about once a year now (and it's always for Harry Potter). Despite this, the Cottage Road is still my favourite cinema in Leeds, even if going there does make you feel older than you actually are. To my knowledge the setup is the same as it was twenty years ago - one screen that's a bit crackly, a vague arc of slightly stained red-velvet chairs, and occasionally an interval in which ice-cream is offered to customers. Essentially, the Cottage Road maintains a balance between a traditional stage theatre and a cinema, and, to anyone sick of the multi-screen complexes where popcorn and a ticket costs you more than a tenner, the Cottage Road will be a breath of fresh (not literally, 'cause it has that great musty old smell about it) air. read more

Cottage Road Cinema - Cinema Near Me - Leeds, XWY

It's all about size these days. Really that shouldn't be the be all or end of of everything, no honestly. With Vue pretty much taking up the main space in the centre of Leeds, it's refreshing to be offered something different than the mass marketed multi-plex parks and complexes. That's what Cottage Road offers. Situated in Headingley, this charming auditorium still manages to house several hundred people and really oozes character. It's been running as a cinema since 1912 and it's grand velvet curtains and fantastic architecture remind us why history really can't be totally destroyed by the onslaught of technology and commercialism. You'll still be able to catch the latest movies, buy fizzy flavoured beverages of your choice and annoyingly much loudly sweet snacks of your choice. You'll just be doing it in a much more traditional environment. This little gem of a venue nearly closed down in 2005, so remember kids keep it local! Places like this should not disappear so support our heritage and have a very different cinematic experience at the same time. read more

Cottage Road Cinema - From official website - Cinema Near Me - Leeds, XWY

This gem of a picture house has been in operation since 1912 and is a building full of character and charm. The times that I have been it seems that the staff have been going almost as long as the cinema and are equally charming, offering a nice cup of tea and a biscuit alongside the standard fizzy drink and popcorn refreshments. You're unlikely to get the full-on 3-D mega-plex experience here but it's perfect for a quiet, civilised trip to see a mixture of the new releases and timeless classics. The Thursday afternoon matinee is worth chucking a sickie for, you'll be sharing the room with the local OAPs who were unintentionally humorous when I went to see 'The Hangover', they were certainly shocked by some of the content exclaiming loudly, 'Bring on Harry Potter'. Indeed. read more

I've not been to the cinema in an age, but Cottage Road Cinema, you have made me love going to the movies again! Upon arrival, I noticed 2 mahoosive queues of people, both leading to the entrance. I was immediately worried that my friend and I would not get in to see the film. I was so pleased to see a member of staff come out and count the number of people. He reassured us all that we would be able to get a seat and that the film showing would be held off until everyone was in and seated. That sort of customer service has never happened to me at a chain cinema, ever. When you get into the teeny tiny foyer, the ticket booth is old school in every way. Set into the wall, sits the ticket seller, taking cash from patron behind a glass window and giving sugar paper tickets; ripped and ready for cinema entrance. The price is fantastic too. The snack and drinks counter, straight ahead, is also small, but compared, once again, to the multiplex, is very good value for money. A medium pop corm and medium lemonade for less than a small pop corn at the town centre chain cinema. Add the small selection of beer, (including Speckled Hen - win!) wines and spirits, and this is bang-on in terms of cinema snackage. One of the best things is that somehow, this little foyer works. It gets full but not crushed toe crowded, and you don't wait 15 mins to get served. The seats are traditional style red velvet, low backed with flippy seats. The tiers are the only small fault, in that I'm not convinced that they allow for the best view. Then again, I don't feel like I'm going to go falling head over heels down a mountain on movie goers. And, to tell the truth, my view was also spoilt by baseball cap man in front of me, who I very much doubt will choose to have major surgery too remove it any time soon. If my hands hadn't been full of popcorn and drinks, I may have choosen to go and buy ice-cream sold traditional stylee at the front. The range of films is certainly blockbuster and mainstream, but sometimes I want to see a blockbuster and in a place I enjoy going too. Not to mention that, not too far down the road is another indie cinema that shows plenty in the way of weird and wonderful and world. There will be many a movie goer who wants the bright lights, neon advertising and over priced and under popped corn that comes with the multiplex cinema experience. If that's all part of it for you, then Cottage Road Cinema certainly isn't for you. Here, there is none of that fleeced sheep on a conveyor belt atmosphere so prevalent with the large multiplexes, Cottage Road Cinema is what cinema should be about: value for money entertainment and popcorn with quality customer service. read more

You're going to baulk at this, but last night was the first time I've ever been to Cottage Road Cinema. I know, right? How have I lived in Leeds for so long and never made it over there? Especially being an LS6 resident. Well, I have no excuse, but now that I've been I won't need to find one for a second visit back, and I hope to return often. Rachel C put up a fantastic UYE (unofficial Yelp event) to see Back To The Future, and since I have never seen it (another baulk) I was all over it. Little did we realise that this was a part of some collaboration between Cottage Road and Leeds Back In The Day. They've a Facebook group that posts up heritage items relating to our fantastic city, and this was one of their events. I'll start with the basics. It's a wonderfully retro cinema. Over 100 years old now, this building has survived the test of time and remains a wonderful space to viddy with your eyes. The screen seems larger than HPPH, and the auditorium does too. The seats, although old, are incredibly comfy, which is an essential feature. Even sat at the side, you get a clear view. You can purchase all the usuals, including ice cream and popcorn, alongside real ale as well for those who'd like a boozy bevvie. Fabulous! There's a waiting room, which could do with a bit of a revamp, as it's a little bit of a bare tearoom type feel, but that's not important. The screening started with a myriad of 80s adverts, which had the whole audience laughing and clapping - the Aquafresh cartoon, the Carling squirrel - it was marvellous! And then, after a brief introduction by the lovely organisers and applause, the film began. There was even an interval, which rounded off the experience, offering a brief break for the loo and a refresher of ice cream. We even got to exit through the innards of the cinema via the emergency exit, which in itself felt exciting. I'm almost hoping every film they show offers an experience like this - something more than simply watching a film, but one where the audience feels engaged with each other as well as the film: A proper night out. This beautiful building, excellent hub of curious film, and independent space is one to be admired, and supported. Long live Cottage Road Cinema! read more

There is an escape from the multiplex! If you live in Headingley then perhaps in between Otley Run transfers between the Three Horseshoes and the New Inn you may have noticed a group of sober people inexplicably stood in a polite line down the street next to a mysterious door. No, it's not a pub you've missed. Stop pawing at their window and urinate elsewhere. It is in fact Cottage Road Cinema; something I'm ashamed it's taken me so long to visit. The cinema is old-school in every sense and though I despise using the word....it is so "quaint" its painful (but good painful). There is one small box-office window which produces real stub-tickets, a refreshments counter and a massive auditorium that's so old there are still ash trays on the backs of the seats. The whole building is staffed by, at most, 3 people and just feels warm and cozy and other fluffy adjectives. After the advert reel plays a member of the staff then enters the auditorium with a tray of ice cream strapped to them. This was so unbelievably novel that I had to partake. It's all of these little touches that have made the place our go-to movie-hole and for lovers of cinema and a friendly experience it's just snazzy. It's not at all flooded with foreign-cinema-about-hardship (TM) either and they tend to show whichever current film I was planning on seeing (and is probably shoved into a broom-cupboard sized screen at The Light). Seeing Source Code on their huge screen in a relaxed setting with no gaggle of hormone-sacks happy-slapping OAPs was delightful. Now I'm rambling. Just check out their showtimes and go along for a pleasant cinema experience; the sort that is being lost in this God forsaken modern life of ours...*wipes single tear from eye*. Adam read more

Back To The Future!! I feel like I should know this place better as I was raised in Headingley but I don't. For me as a child it was always Saturday afternoon matinee at The Lounge in Headingley. Looked like I backed the wrong horse there as The Lounge has closed down and I have been told it's now a Tesco Express?? The reason for this visit was at the open Yelp invite of Rachel C to come along and see the classic film that is the first ever Back To The Future. Mat, Row and myself took up the invite and I was really looking forward to going 'Retro' for the evening. Little did we know that this was an event organized by founder of the Facebook page - Leeds Back In The Day. Which I am a member of but I didn't know it was on?? Think he needs to talk to Row about publicity! Before the film got underway we were treated to some cinema product adverts from the 80s. They were brilliant, fun and very cheesy. Umbongo! Levi's! Aqua fresh! Carling Black Label, before it became just Carling. Milky Way! Everyone sang along to 'The blue car and the red card had a race'. Then the founder of Leeds Back In The Day said a few words before the film started. Even calling down the cinema manager and thanking him for sourcing all the commercials. Then he gave us a little background info on the film which was a fantastic touch. Cottage Road is still an independent cinema which is a great achievement in this day and age, and I think that alone should attract loyalty. So has the cinema, like the film stayed in the 80s? Definitely not. They have had a referb and the picture quality was as sharp as any modern built cinema that I have been to. The sound was modern too. I remember it saying it was Dolby 7.5. Not sure what that actually means but being a man I know that bigger numbers are better. There was the personal touches too and I thought the venue was very well staffed with attentive employees. Can I just say that it was to nice to have refreshments at a reasonable price! £2.50 for a 500ml bottle of beer! THANKYOU!!! Popcorn that you don't have to take a brown-note out to purchase!! Like Roweena my only gripe is that maybe the tea room felt like it was a little bit of an afterthought. Very sparse and lacking some soul. Which is such a shame in this building that has bags of character or kerb appeal. Take your pick. The cinema was almost a packed house which I found very surprising until I found out about the Facebook connection. You could tell the seats were original because not only were they a snug fit, but they also still had the original ash trays built in on the back rests. They were plush and comfy and didn't show their age. All in all a very nostalgic trip down memory lane for me. So my experience at Cottage Road Cinema? Tell 'em Arnie. - "I'll Be Back!" read more

Somehow in the almost 11 and a half years I've lived in Leeds now I'd never been to the Cottage Road Cinema until this week. But rather than try and work out what on earth is wrong with me, I'll just try and describe how brilliant the place is! First off, it's pretty awesome that my first experience here was to see Ghostbusters (complete with uber 80s adverts beforehand!)! It was also a little bonus that the lovely lady I brought along had never seen it before (I know - don't get me started!), so I got to see the joy on someone's face of seeing this classic for the first time! But they seem to show a lot of older films, which I love that places do at all, but we're being spoilt rotten by this cinema and Hyde Park Picture House. At the showing they had ads for It's a Wonderful Life and The Wizard of Oz that are being shown in the run up to xmas. The place itself is lovely though - it's like an old fashioned picture house, very similar to Hyde Park. But the look suits the place very well, giving it more of a homely. welcoming feel than the bigger cinemas. The staff were lovely, and we even had an intermission (I've not had an intermission for about 15 years!) complete with a guy dressed as the Stay Puft marshmellow man helping with ice cream duties, and also a guy dressed in Ghostbuster attire outside! All in all, a wonderful experience then. I'll definitely be coming back in the future, possibly to have a few pints as well seeing as they serve alcohol in there, as well as other reasonably priced food and drink. read more

Recently I jumped at the chance to go to the Cottage Road Cinema for a rather civilised birthday evening out for a friend. This took on board 2 firsts for me- experiencing the Cottage Road Cinema and also the first time I've ever seen Hitchcock's Psycho! (what a gasp I hear). Having lived in Leeds all my life I had heard tell of this quaint and original Cinema but never had the opportunity present itself so well to go! Well done Kerry!!! So, one drawback- there Is no designated parking (and it was cold and raining and all the surrounding streets are residential so are Permit holders only :-( ) so I had a grumble about this. On 'special showing' evenings i'd advise to book your tickets in advance as there was a massive queue! Thankfully we had! Aww, how lovely to get old fashioned tickets as opposed to a load of printed rubbish with 'sponsored ad's!' and an equally old fashioned ticket collector directing you into the screen! I was blow away by the setting of the auditorium! Lovely original velour seats, a proper 'stage' and the threat of an organ in front of it!!! We were introduced to the show by the Cinema manager (very nice touch but sorry I forgot his name!) and settled in. And there was an interval........and women with ice-creams in a tray!!! How cute is all this! The bar in the foyer provided an array of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, had a proper popcorn maker and was all very reasonably priced (£3.20 for a medium coke and medium popcorn!!!!) And then another drawback- only 2 VERY smelly toilet cubicles! And I mean SMELLY! The film continued after a respectable length of interval and even though i'm glad I've now seen the film (tick it off the list)- I won't be in a rush to see it again. I'm glad I experienced it in this setting however as it seemed quite fitting for the age of the film and the originality of the Cinema. The manager then came back to advise of future 'Special' showings coming up and about the social network option to keep in touch which indeed I am now doing. At £5.50 each for the 'Special screening' I was more than happy to go here and will do so again! 1 star loss due to parking & toilets but definitely up there as one of my recommendations to experience in Leeds. read more

The Cottage Road Cinema is the one of the few remaining film establishments to still be in use in Leeds - and despite the fierce competition from the Vue and Showcase breed of cinemas (which are fine), Cottage Road remains a gorgeous throwback to the vintage cinema days. With plenty of comfy seating, wonderfully pleasant staff and the refreshments being... well, refreshingly inexpensive, the Cottage Road Cinema is an ideal locale for the cinema-goer who fancies something different. While variety is somewhat sacrificed (there's only two or possibly three films on at any one time), there's a lot of love here and a lot to love too. A true little gem of a picture house. Go pull up a seat and enjoy the show. read more

Such a cute theatre to go see a movie at. I've seen four different movies here and didn't have to pay over £10 for ticket, popcorn and pop. They play the most recent movies and offer a great student prices for tickets and concession. They also serve alcohol. It's such a great, quiet place to catch a movie. read more

Cottage Road Cinema - During intermission (after the adverts and before the movie), someone sells concessions at the front. - Cinema Near Me - Leeds, XWY

It's great to see a little old cinema like this surviving, it's a shame it's not busier, much cheaper than the multiples and oozes character... And you can have a beer or a cuppa tea too ! Support it or lose it I reckon is the rule here! If you haven't been ... Do, if you have ... Do it again :-) read more

Cottage Road Cinema makes me feel nostalgic as I used to love going there, when I lived near Headingley. I still remember watching Titanic there, when they had a proper interval in the middle, with a lady selling icecreams from a tray 'like they used to'. Cottage Road is a lovely little old cinema in Headingley. Obviously, there's not much choice of film, as there is only 1/2 screens there( sorry can't remember whether it is 1 or 2), but they have old-style popcorn stand, old-style red plush seats, etc. and the whole experience makes going there to watch a film a real event read more

The Cottage Road Cinema, located conveniently just off Otley Road and adjacent to The New Inn Pub in upper Headingley, is a longstanding establishment with a considerable reputation among locals. With only one cinema screen, it certainly lacks the punch of other alternatives such as Vue at The Light, but what it may lack in volume it assuredly makes up for in terms of experience. Often showing films shortly after they have been released, it is a cinema for the casual movie goer; certainly if you are eager to catch a film upon immediate release, you'll be waiting a long time. But this needn't distract from a pleasant experience inside a cinema which exudes a classic feel. Just don't be worried if you turn up and Casablanca is showing; rather than being behind the times, they're revisiting the times by way of their "Classics at the Cottage" every six weeks. Inside, the decor is ornate and old fashioned, but never distracting, and the acoustics often have that faint, warm, scratchy quality similar to vinyl records. And what's more is that the Cottage Road Cinema doubles as a time machine, allowing one to relive those happy memories of ice-cream sales before the main event. The Cottage Road isn't for everyone. If you are the Germany of the cinema-goer world, efficient and uncompromising in what you expect, I advise you steer clear. But for those of us more like France - romantic and traditional - it's a definite recommendation. However, you might be spluttering your popcorn out over the prices. Nostalgia, it seems, isn't exactly what it used to be. read more

Cottage Road Cinema - Taken from busines website. - Cinema Near Me - Leeds, XWY

Derrick L. Todd. Lincolnshire. Ex manager. I was interested to note the favourable impression from patrons of Cottage Road Cinema. From 1971 to 1988 I was manager there and although it is 25 years since I left Cottage Road, in my eyes it always had that quintessential cinema atmosphere. I like to think that special atmosphere must have been created out of its long history. The cinema was opened on the 29th July 1912 by Owen Brooks (an early cinema pioneer) and George Reginald Smith. Lastly, may I congratulate the present management who, by the response of their patrons are obviously 'doing a good job'. Keep up the 'good work' and long may Cottage Road reign. read more

After a hard day at Leeds Festival we visited this cinema for a relaxing time. What an amazing cinema!! We both found it very comfortable and the screen and sound quality is mind blowing. Much better than our local UCI in my opinion. Great price, lovely staff and a great overall experience that reminded of why I used to love going to the cinema. read more

Watching a film here felt like being in someone's housein a tucked away room. Very, very special atmosphere and very very cute. Showings in the one screen are described as sporadic at best. If you like multiplexs, don't even look for this place you will hate it. If you like your cinemas showing odd, non-mainstream flicks in unique settings, take a note of the location and find the website before visiting. You will be pleased you did. read more

Another lovely retro cinema in the heart of Headingley. This place is completely retro with red velvet seats, it really does seem like you've gone back in time. The seats are comfy too. There's a little popcorn kisok and an old school booth to pay at. They sometimes show cult films too. read more

It is definetely worth going. It's an experience, like travelling back in time; and it is cheaper than the vue cinema at the light. Also the guy working there is really nice and friendly. The only issue is that, since it is a small cinema, you haven't got a lot of films to choose... read more

I can't express how much the local community should support this cinema. The staff are always respectful and friendly. Good popcorn and sweets, the drinks selection could be a bit better. They generally only advertise and show two films any given week (usually an adult film and children's), but do do specials now and then (old films, classics etc.). The place desperately needs a cash injection though to help it stay open and a possible renovation as the seats and general presentation is a bit aged and battered. But it is all part of the charm. I go once every two - three weeks and will continue to do so. read more

Cottage Road cinema is an anomaly; a relic from a period of Headingley's history few will remember. A time before the Otley Mile had rules printed in every pub along it, before there were approximately 300 fancy dress shops distributed throughout Headingley, and while you could still use fake I.D to enter the Original Oak. This traditional cinema plays two films per week, one running as a matinee, and one evening showing. Not usually box office smashes, but less mainstream and often classic films are shown with healthy audiences filling the auditorium. Perhaps not as niche as the Hyde Park cinema, nor as plushly decorated, but equally charming. The central location creates a unique atmosphere of community and creates its very own personality. Talking of personal, the seating could be described as cosy, unless you splash out on the Pullman Row; slightly larger seats with an unbeatable view (well, as unbeatable a view as you can get in a cinema smaller than most living rooms). One screen is all you need in my opinion, and the same goes for the ticket booth. Sweets and popcorn are standard but always necessary at the cinema. read more