Lorneleigh Pictures and Guest House at Woody Point.

The Lorneleigh is a guest house located at St Leonards St (Now Alfred St) at Woody Point and was built by W.S. Martin in 1890.

Travelling picture shows had been around in Redcliffe since 1906, and had been shown in local guest houses in the summer holiday season.

In 1912, Redcliffe was a small township with a population of 1150, no sealed roads and no picture theatres. In 1912 C.W Watts being the first to ask permission from the Shore Council to show moving pictures over the Easter long weekend at local Redcliffe boarding houses. The Shire Council took a conservative approach banning pictures shows on Sundays in all parts of the shire.

In 1915 with Australia still in the Great War, the Lorneleigh Guest House hired its projectionist Henry Jeff to entertain house guests with a travelling picture show. In 1916 with Redcliffe's population at 1500, he began showing pictures in Bob Morgan's tin shed next door at 18 St Leonards St (Alfred St) This was Redcliffe's first public picture theatre, and had corrugated iron walls and a dirt floor.

During its life from 1916 to 1931 it had six owners:

1916 - Mr Henry Jeff

1917 - Mr E.T. Mickelwright

1918 - Mr B. Edwards

1919 - Mr and Miss Walker

1923 - Mr Cahill

1927 Mrs Brockway.

The pictures were silent, black and white films and many famous films were shown including The Tramp with Charlie Chaplin (released in 1915) The Birth of a Nation (1915) Sherlock Holmes (1916) Ben Hur (1925)

Woody Point/Lorneleigh Pictures ran for 15 years closing in 1931 and the building was demolished in the late 1930's. The concrete projector stand still remains at 18 Alfred St.

Lornleigh has been renovated into flats and lives on at 22 Alfred St Woody Point.

A wonderful relic of our romantic past.

Photos from our Pictorial History of Redcliffe Book 1824-1949 - available to purchase at the following link: https://www.redcliffebook.com/product-page/the-pictorial-history-of-redcliffe

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Early Picture Shows Of Humpybong

72 page softcover book, detailing biographies of the earliest Picture Pavilions and theatres in Humpybong (Redcliffe) With original movie posters and movie details from advertisements and historical newspaper articles, including :

Lorneleigh Pictures Woody Point 1915 -1931

Redcliffe Picture Palace 1918 - 1928

Woody Point Memorial School of Arts Pictures 1928 -1937

Scarborough Picture Pavilion 1928 - 1935

Pier Picture Theatre Redcliffe 1928 - 1969

Margate Renown Theatre 1940 - 1962

The Bay Theatre Scarborough 1954 - 1976

Redcliffe Drive-In Theatre, Kippa Ring 1965 - 86

The book can be ordered at the following LINK

(With free store pickup and free delivery in the Moreton Bay region)

The book is also available as a downloadable pdf book at the following LINK