Surprised my partner with a visit here. Movies are his thing, I just went along for the ride. Was expecting maybe a 30 minute tour, maybe 45 minutes. Was a bit surprised to see a sign on the door saying it would be at least 90 minutes, and up to 2 hours. We got out of there almost 4 hours later. And loved every minute of it. Great stories and hystory, it kept me engrossed to my surprise. And this wonderful place needs help preserving history, as they may lose their building.

The tour was excellent (reservations required)! Museum has lots of cinema antiques and an amazing event venue/cinema with lovely stylish decor on the second floor. The tour stared with a presentation introducing what’s in the museum, with complimentary tea and biscuits, then you have about 20 mins for free browsing and following by a short film watching in the end. It took about 2hr for the tour. Highly recommended to pay a visit!

Lovely museum with loads of information and curiosities about the history of cinemas. Highly recommended.

Really cool experience. Screening of Viktor and Viktoria which was cool, loved that there were some performances in between. There was a bar and some free food too. The museum is also where Charlie Chaplin worked when it was a work house.

I went to what I thought was going to be a 2hr guided tour of the museum and it ended up turning into 4 and I was not disappointed. I've since been back twice to watch old films and it is such a lovely (and inexpensive) experience. I highly recommend doing both. The venue is well kept and interesting and all the fellas who work there are clearly very passionate about cinema, which is infectious. Check their website for what's on!

A marvelous place, run by volunteers, with tons of space and cinema memorabilia. Visit and fall in love 😻 I am a big fan.

I was really impressed firstly by the historical cinematic museum elements - objects, equipment, posters etc. The upstairs bar /seating/book sales area was also beautifully laid out. My one complaint about the bar was that the drinks sold were really small for the price. Vintage cinema seating was a very nice touch. The first movie I saw Fail Safe was excellent. Also a nice touch to have a Guardian critic give an intro on it. Unfortunately the sound quality of the next movie (Juggernaut) was so bad I could only clearly hear 50%. Recommend this venue if you like classic movies.

Can only visit in groups. This place needs to be arranged better to display. Eg into years. 2nd floor 1930s . Very much a miss match but interesting

Eccentric and quirky and packed to the hilt with film memorabilia. Went to a function and it was super relaxed, the bar was well stocked or you could choose tea and biscuits! A lovely place.

Founded and still run by Martin and partner and a host of volunteers. If you love going to the flicks then this is the place for you. A blast from the past and a goldmine of momentos and artifacts from years gone by. This place will eventually be modernised and will lose its charm. Go now! Only open when events are on so book in advance.

Fascinating museum. Plenty to see, plus regular screenings of films and shorts. Friendly and informative staff. Worth the effort to find as it's a bit tucked away.

A delightful way to spend some time,with a wealth of background information from the tour.A reel gem.

This is surely a must for film lovers and people who enjoy off the beat and original places. Fantastic range of memorabilia, books and cinematic artefacts.

Amazing gem. Will now become a regular here. It is absolutely a Must See for tourists who love the silver screen

Says open for pre-booked tours and then on the website pre-booked tours will open in 2022! No date given

Unique place which deserves all the support it can get. Such a refreshing antidote for all the commercials multiplex cinemas everywhere.

Went for a screening of Wizards (1977 classic animated fantasy by Ralph Bakshi) without much thought to the venue. Found it to be an incredible, sprawling Victorian fmr workhouse, which once hosted Charlie Chaplin. Crammed full of film memorabilia (posters, props, equipment & more) and run by friendly and enthusiastic volunteers, I'm defo planning another visit.

The equivalent of a speakeasy for film lovers, complete with tea, snacks, and a simple bar. A unique London experience. But I don't want to say too much and have it lose its feeling of being a secret for the chosen few!

Great nostalgic place to visit if you love days of past at the cinema.

A special, sort of, 'Cinema Paradiso' experience as it also has film nights. It's a very enchanting, delightful, rare gem in London. A must on your bucket list if you are a visitor to London, or just a Londoner. It's also round the corner from the Buddhist centre, which is also worth a visit. Check opening times and events for both.

These experts and fans run black and white films, the silents and even film noir. The atmosphere enhanced by the most amazing range of all things cinematic. It's wonderful.

Saw one of Woman and Cocaine's film series here, fantastic evening and amazing venue!

What an amazing place! Amazing projectors, friendly people, quirky place. LOVE IT!

Had a great 👍 time went with south london cares with gave us a meal, raffle,and entrainment. The place was very impressive

A tremendous place for film buffs both for the services it provides and for the building in its own right.

The place itself is charming with great artefacts, great programme of films from the golden age. Ronald and Martin who run it are lovely friendly dedicated people. However despite their advice for people to wear masks until we are actually post Covid, many attendees ignored this, so sadly for the first time at the Cinema Museum I didn't feel altogether safe. If this is the norm there now, then vulnerable people be warned.

The last of the Victorian London workhouse buildings and a real gem for lovers of the golden age of cinema.

What a tremendous place! All kinds of of vintage cinema equipment that you'll never see anywhere else. A wonderful screening room with lounge and bar and period decor. This place is terrific! If you want to experience the the Old Time world of film as it really was before streaming this is the place to go. I can't recommend it enough!

It was just a treasure hub. Such an amazing place! I love the old cinemotograhie on display and vintage photos were so delightful. Plenty of fine and nostalgic artwirks in the walls. The place is fascinating! Love the Cinema Museum, will definitely come back! ❤❤❤❤❤❤

An absolute treasure of a place. Well worth a visit.

Wonderful place. I have been there many times to see all the old films

Loads of historic exhibits. In a listed building with beautiful architecture, a former workhouse where Charlie Chaplin worked when a child. Staff mostly helpful and knowledgeable. Unfortunately as noted by other reviewers, there is one elderly man who is extremely short and rude. Can't be too harsh on them as an unfunded charity though.

great experience, well preserved, you can tell the people running place care about it a lot and have put a lot of love into it. they're very friendly and knowledgeable

Incredible experience! Was brought here by my partner and completely blew me away. The collection is impressive and the staff couldn’t be lovelier. If you’re a film fan, this definitely can’t be missed. A hidden gem in London for film fanatics.

This is a hidden gem in elephant and castle, fantastic venue for old film fans, not open all the time but has special events regularly. Filled with fascinating film memorabilia in what used to be a workhouse!

I can’t recommend this place enough! We went for their movie night as part of their Gothique film society and it’s such a lovely community space. Will definitely recommend for a unique night alone, with friends or a date :)

Definitely go for the guided tour if you can, if you love movies. The founders of the musuem collected the memorabilia and have such an in depth knowledge and passion for the history of cinema that they love to share. Absolutely a passion project worth visiting and supporting.

I almost don’t want to review it because I selfishly don’t want it to get too crowded - but if it does, they deserve. So thrilled places like this still exist in a rapidly moderning city.

Found this place via a group called meetup while doing the Charlie Chaplin walk, interesting place to see.

Misty Moon's home... Bloody Brilliant

Lovely museum

A small museum but has a very interesting history. Fabulous old film footage shown in excellent condition some over 100 years old.

What more could one want in a cinema?

Quirky, nostalgic.

Quirky and charming. Really like the Women and Cocaine series at the moment but generally visit this place regardless - great space (part of the old Lambeth workhouse), great people, good bar and refreshments and nice old stuff to buy. A piece of history not to be missed.

At risk from developers at the moment. Please sign their petition and save this wonderful old place.

Fascinating and atmospheric.

Wow, a magical place. It is one of those secret places that you will want to show to someone special. However, make a reservation in advance, this is a place to visit with a guide and not the - I was on the corner and I want to visit - type of museum.

Amazing

Nice place!

Magical place

An excellent collection of cinema memorabilia together with a cinema auditorium. Tours were available. Tucked away from the main road.

Perfect

The museum tour was very informative, interesting and fun! A little long, so don't make any hard plans for the rest of the day, but it is worth it as you travel back in time to hear all about the history of the building, its occupants, the people who created the museum and the long and varied past of film! A definite must for classic and independent film aficionados and film students. The staff are volunteers and are incredibly passionate about what they do. Support them if you can and sign their petition to save the building!

Such a brilliant, unique, magical place. There is no other one like this in the world.

Excellent place to visit. Run by Martin and team. Very interesting and informative. Brought back lots of memories when going to the cinema when I was a child. Lots of memorabilia. All very familiar. Drinks and biscuits plus fruit where available at no extra cost. We even got to view old movies, silent and talking at the end of the tour and in cinema seats that I remember. Well worth a visit bit out of the way but the building as significance to why. Will be going back again. They even have movie nights of old films. Very easy to find.

Staff were well educated and kind, information given was interesting and relevant. Quite hard to find but if you have Google maps you'll get there just fine

Completely incredible and a real hidden gem. Huge building full of relics of cinema. Great classic cinema showings, too, with a good bar and food.

What a gem! Full of nostalgia of a bygone era

I'd only seen a photo

A fantastic place! Great events happening all the time.

Brilliant place not well known but would like it open more often please.

Lovely place for cinema history! Cinema lovers must visit!

Interesting.

Amazing place

If you're interested in anything to do with the film industry this place is worth a quick look round...I wish this lovely museum had a higher profile & was treasured as it should be...

This is a wonderful place, full of dreams and memories

Amazing place with quirky exhibits and an interesting programme of films. You can watch and drink a beer or wine at the same time! Not that easy to find the first time, but worth making an effort.

Full of interesting things from yesteryear. Would highly recommend a visit.

I'm just here to follow people. I'm tired of reading funny posts second hand. so here we go.

What a great museum and wonderful films showings. A hidden gem.

A great place. Charming and beautiful.

A truly valuable addition to the cultural landscape -- not just if London, by the country too. A beautiful and serious living museum. The largely volunteer staff are wonderful too.

If you have an interest in the history of early cinema this is the museum for you. The museum is based in a Victoria work house, where Charllie Chaplin was sent. The guide who takes you around is very knowledgeable. They have a range of cinema artifacts. Free tea and coffee is included in the price of admission which is £10. You have to book in advance The museum is a ten minute walk from elephant and castle tube station.