A free walk & talk with film historian Frank Gray that explores the Smiths’ lives at St Ann’s Well Gardens and visits the location of their film studio. 

Tours last approximately 45 minutes. Meet at the café in the gardens. 

Free, but please book by registering at: PIPPA@FOSAWG.ORG 

St Ann’s Well Gardens in Hove has a very special place at the birth of British cinema as it was here that the pioneering filmmakers George Albert Smith and Laura Bayley lived and worked from 1893 to 1903. From playful one-shot scenes to ground-breaking experiments in combining shots, they were self-taught innovators whose work led to one of the most important milestones in early film history: the invention of film editing.

THE FILM FACTORY – in photographs 

St Ann’s Well Gardens Café, 21-30 Nov, open every day 

A free display of photographs that introduce the films made by the Smiths with film stills from some of their best-known work.  

The Film Factory is presented by the Friends of St Ann’s Well Gardens in association with Screen Archive South East and CINECITY.