The Rex is a cinema in the town of Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire and I have the privilege of living a mere 20 minutes away and a frequent visitor.

Designed in the art deco style by David Evelyn Nye in 1936, the cinema opened to the public in 1938. After 50 years of service, the cinema closed in 1988 and became derelict. The building was listed Grade II by English Heritage, and following a campaign to save the Rex by a local entrepreneur, the cinema re-opened to the public in 2004 after being fully restored to its Art Deco brilliance and has never looked back.

The BBC  has dubbed it as “possibly Britain’s most beautiful cinema,” then it may well be the finest independent cinema in the UK

It has 2 fully licensed bars, one upstairs and one downstairs serving hot beverages if you prefer. The simple seating upstairs offers extra leg room and a holder to pop your glass of vino into for comfort, downstairs

in the cinema there are plush velvet red swivel chairs at tablecloth-draped, candlelit tables, making it feel more like an upmarket music venue or jazz club than a cinema.
Today, the cinema is a fully operational independent cinema, screening films 362 days of the year. The programme ranges from vintage classic films to modern blockbusters which often attracts long box office queues, quite frankly I don’t visit the cinema for the film but for the experience!

It is well worth a visit and makes for an excellent viewing experience in style and comfort.