Pocklington Arts Centre occupies 22-24 Market Place in Pocklington, in a building that began in 1690 as a doctor's house before becoming the Oak House Cinema in 1938, renamed the Ritz Cinema in the 1960s, and then the Penny Arcadia coin-operated games museum from 1981 to 1994. Pocklington Town Council and a group of volunteers restored the building and reopened it as an arts centre on 30 April 2000, refurbishing again in 2016. The centre now runs as a not-for-profit venue with a 200-seat auditorium staging music, comedy, theatre and film, plus a gallery space showing paintings and photography. More than 50 volunteers keep the centre running alongside a small paid staff, supported by Pocklington Town Council, Arts Council England and East Riding of Yorkshire Council. A free community café runs on Tuesday mornings.
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