Shropshire’s newest cinema sparkled into life for the first time last night with a dose of vintage Hollywood nostalgia.

Oakengates Picture House in Telford was declared officially open, prior to invited guests enjoying a screening of the Humphrey Bogart classic Casablanca. It is the brainchild of local businessman Dave Goldingay, who has transformed the function room above the Old Fighting Cocks pub in Market Street into a 32-seat cinema.

He sourced authentic 1960s-style cinema seats on eBay, and has installed the latest Dolby surround sound system and a 16ft wide movie screen.

It is the first time Oakengates has had a permanent cinema since the town’s old Grosvenor closed in 1967.

The first public screening will be sci-fi thriller Inception, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, on Saturday. Other films lined up include Angelina Jolie in Salt, the Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy The Switch, and Hammer Horror thriller Let Me In.

Mr Goldingay, who also founded the Ironbridge Brewery, explained: “I started planning this back in June last year. The pub has a disused function room and we were looking for something to do with it.

“I thought it would be a good idea to offer something different to the sterile environment at the big multi-screen places, with a nice friendly atmosphere.”

He said he was happy for moviegoers to bring their own food to enjoy either before or after a screening.

“We have got a dining room at the back of the pub, and people are welcome to bring in their own takeaways. We’ll provide the cutlery and the plates . . . and we’ll do the washing up.”

He added: “We’re starting off with a film every Saturday night, and hope to extend this to Friday nights, too.

“The first Thursday of each month will be World Cinema Night, starting in March, and the Telford Film Society will soon be meeting at The Oakengates Picture House on Wednesday nights.”

Last night’s opening was declared a big success by the audience, who gave the debut screening a warm round of applause.

• The Shropshire Star will be carrying details of Oakengates Picture House screenings on its At The Movies page each Friday. For more on the cinema, log on to www.oakengatespicture house.com

By Carl Jones