The secret attic picturehouse
York has one modern multiplex – and another in the pipeline. But sometimes you want to see a movie in more convivial surroundings than an out-of-town warehouse, and enjoy refreshments more appetising than a bucket of popcorn. That’s where Thirteen Thirty One comes in. Situated on narrow, cobbled Grape Lane, it is primarily a bar and restaurant. With its secret beer garden – a great place to chill on a balmy summer night – and varied eating and drinking spots on different levels, it offers options for both the people-watchers and the tryst-hatchers.
But unlike any other bar in York, it also comes with its own cinema. The man who founded Thirteen Thirty One, Sam Robinson, is a cinephile. He dreamed of making movies since he was a boy – and that dream came true when he co-produced Whoops!, a horror-comedy about a woman who becomes a serial killer by mistake. Named by the head of the Raindance Film Festival as her “favourite British film of the last decade” the York-made movie became a cult hit. And, naturally enough, it has been screened at Thirteen Thirty One.
Info
Address 13 Grape Lane, York YO1 7HU, +44 (0)1904 661130, www.1331-york.co.uk, info13@1331-york.co.uk | Public Transport 7-minute walk from Bootham Row car park; 3-minute walk from York Minster. Closest bus stop: St Leonard’s Place | Hours Bar: 8am–1am; Restaurant: Mon–Fri 5pm–10pm, Sat & Sun 11am–10pm| Tip If you want to eat elsewhere and just come for the drinks and screenings, try York’s top vegan restaurant, El Piano, next door.
Brandy Brown’s Cinema is found in the attic of the bar. Boasting 18 fully reclining leather armchairs, and a number of beanbags at the front for latecomers, it is a place to watch movies in unique comfort. And instead of that tub of popcorn, there is a movie menu including sausages and mash and beer-battered fish goujons.
Thirteen Thirty One is one of the favourite locations of the Aesthetica Short Film Festival, which brings about 300 mini-movies from around the world to various city venues every November. Master filmmakers give talks and workshops, and the festival is now held in such esteem that every movie screened is eligible to enter the BAFTA, British Short Film and Animation Awards.
However, if you want Brandy Brown’s cinema to yourself, you can hire it out, with a free glass of bubbly thrown in for each viewer.
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