Burnham on Crouch has been lucky enough to have a cinema in town since 1920.

The Electric Kinema was opened in 1910 from an old public hall.

This was a brave venture as it was one of the first towns to have a cinema in the county.

The Electric Kinema was sited next to the building that is currently Burnham Constitutional Club.

The arrow on the old  photograph indicates the site for the Kinema

The Electric Kinema, which was owned by the Newman family,  provided basic facilities for about 250 patrons.

In 1930 the Electric Kinema ran into difficulty when the purpose built Princes Cinema opened its doors.

 After a short period the Electric Kinema closed and the building was demolished to make way for shops.

Princes Cinema was twice the size of the Electric Kinema and provided comparative luxury. Princes continued through several owners until the late 1960's when it was renamed the Rio, a name it retains today.

In 1979 the cinema was bought by a leisure group which also owns the Star Inn and has been refurbished to give one large auditorium and a smaller second screen.

The Rio is still open today showing the latest films.