Kino Cinema

The art deco frontage of Kino Cinema still commands attention on Cranbrook's high street, a proper reminder of when going to the pictures was an event rather than something you did in your pants at home. Inside, it's a working cinema that's managed to hang onto its character while showing current films - no multiplex chrome and plastic here.

What you get is a single screen with actual personality. The seats have seen decades of backsides, the carpets have decades of popcorn ground into them, and there's something rather lovely about that authenticity. It's the sort of place where you notice the architecture around you instead of being swallowed by a warehouse of screens.

Families will appreciate it for a rainy afternoon - kids find the old-fashioned setup more interesting than the usual cinema chains, and parents actually want to be there. History types get a kick out of the building itself. Solo filmgoers will find the smaller crowd means a more relaxed experience.

You'll want to check their website for current films and showtimes before heading over, as independent cinemas shift their programmes regularly. Allow a couple of hours including pre-film browsing.

It sits well within a Cranbrook-based holiday if you're staying at Glassenbury Camping or The Original Hut Company just outside town. Pairs nicely with a wander around Cranbrook's Tudor town centre, then an evening film. Not a destination in itself, but absolutely worth an evening if you're camping nearby and fancy something different.