Movie mad dad builds ABC cinema in his back garden and can't wait to show his favourite film

 

Film buff Anderson Jones has built an ABC cinema in his back garden as a lasting tribute to the defunct entertainment company. It took the bus driver four and a half years and his entire £70,000 savings to construct the 34-seat venue from scratch.

     Everything inside – from door handles to exit signs – has been reclaimed from old movie theatres. Dad-of two Ander­­son, 38, said: “My gran was an usherette and I’ve been a cinema fan as long as I can rem­­em­­ber. At school I would tell friends ‘I’m going to build one in my garden’. They didn’t believe me.” The 40ft long, 22ft wide and 20ft high brick building is adorned with an ABC sign and takes up half of the garden of his three bed-semi in Stoke-on-Trent.

   It features a 17ft by 7ft screen, authentic projection box, retro black-and-white toilets and a foyer with a concessions stand offering popcorn and sweets.
"He’s done a fantastic job and I love spending time down there," she said.

“Anderson’s done all the work. Every weekend, any spare time, he’s been down there. I’ve been the tea maker and patient wife. “Any savings from when we’ve moved house have been poured into this so that he could fulfill his dream. “My role is going to be manning the sweet counter and I’ve got a special outfit for when I hand out the ice creams at half time!”

    ABC Cinemas, founded in 1927, had more than 400 theatres in their heyday before multiplexes in the 1980s dealt them a crushing blow.