Shipman and King Cinemas: a celebration of Jewish enterprise and family

In this illustrated talk, Jenny King tells the remarkable story of her grandfather Sam King and his journey from an impoverished Jewish immigrant family to a cinema and property mogul. Together with his friend Alf Shipman, they fulfilled their dream of building a chain of magnificent Art Deco cinemas, starting in the First World War with a tiny cinema in the back of a Sussex pub. Through their foresight and dedication to the world of entertainment, Shipman and King Cinemas grew to be one of Britain’s finest independent cinema circuits, bringing entertainment to thousands of people through two World Wars, the Great Depression, and the challenge of television. Alongside the success of Shipman and King is a human story of business triumph, family bonds and personal sadness.

Cinema King: A Granddaughter’s memoir, is available through www.thegreatbritishbookshop.co.uk and all profits will go to the Hailsham Old Pavilion Society charity that maintains Shipman and King’s first cinema which opened in 1921.

Jennifer King is a business psychologist who co-founded a management consultancy where she specialised in working with the medical profession. She is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. She now works as a Leadership Coach. She lives in Bristol with her husband David Pendleton. They have two daughters and four grandchildren. ‘Cinema King’ is her first memoir.