A FASCINATING look-back at local cinemas will take place in Pickering next week.

York-based author Tim Murgatroyd will discuss silent cinema and its accompanying music, which inspired his novel The Electric, at the Church of St Peter and St Paul .

The talk will include film extracts and insight into local historic cinemas, including Central Cinema which was once a popular destination in Pickering.

Tim has extensive knowledge on picture palaces from the early 20th century. As well as introducing his novel, he will discuss the rich history of motion picture cinema. Through images, music and film clips, Tim will explore the ghost cinemas and their legacy, and the live music which meant that silent cinema was not silent at all.

His talk will particularly focus on York and North Yorkshire, including the lost cinemas of Ryedale and nearby seaside resorts, which entertained patrons from the mid-1890s to the advent of the talkies in 1930.

The novel’s setting is loosely based on a real cinema, which later became the Scala and is now the Cosy Club bar in Fossgate.

The Electric combines the magic of the Hollywood era's silent films and the social disarray left in the wake of the First World War to create a contemplative story of a young pilot's efforts to make a new start after being physically and mentally shattered by his experiences as a wartime pilot.

David Young, a gifted concert violinist, drifts into a humble job accompanying silent movies at The Electric where he joins a diverse cast of misfits, each with secrets and tragedies of their own.

“This is a reflective and poignant portrayal of a young man's experience of readjusting to life after World War One,” said Andrew Bundy, who manages Pickering Book Tree along with his wife Stephanie and daughter Cathy. “With an endearing and eccentric cast, The Electric vividly brings to life post-war York and the early cinemas and silver screen glamour which helped to heal war-scarred communities, blending romance, tragedy, offbeat humour, and found family to create something truly special.”

Tim is the author of nine novels. His historical fiction ranges from medieval China, in a series which has been translated into Chinese by the prestigious Shanghai Literature and Arts publishing house, to troubled 1870s California and its early wine industry, to a time-shift novel set between the Second World War and modern-day New York.

His passion for early cinema started when he volunteered with a visitor scheme in his late 20s, and became good friends with William Lea who the volunteer co-ordinator matched him with. William was a professional violinist, and shared stories from his time working as a musician in silent cinemas. Decades later, Tim translated this brewing interest into his novel The Electric, which is an ode to early picture houses and the people who bring them to life.

Tickets, for the event on on Tuesday, September 3,at 7.30pm. are free of charge but need to be booked in advance to guarantee a seat. Additional places will be allocated on a first-come-first served basis for those who haven’t pre-booked. The doors will open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start.

Further information and tickets can be found on Pickering Book Tree’s website: www.pickeringbooktree.co.uk. Tickets can also be booked in person at the shop counter or by email to enquiries@pickeringbooktree.co.uk