CINEMA will step back in time when an historic fairground style film show rolls into town.

The final touches are being made to a bioscope, which will provide open-air film showings in a style not seen in the town for more than 110 years.

The Electric Palace in Harwich, one of the country's oldest surviving purpose-built cinemas, is closing for a major refurbishment project.

But to take it's place for 10 days will be the newly built bioscope - the type of travelling fairground cinema that came to the town before the Electric Palace was built in 1911.

Kicking off the unique event will be an Edwardian Bioscope show, presented by David Cleveland and live piano accompaniment by Nigel Lister.

Real motion picture film prints will be hand cranked through an original 1912 projector - similar to one installed in the Electric Palace at the time it opened.

Films being shown will include typical comedies of the time, an animated film, and a drama of airships over England intertwined with a love story.

Chris Strachan, of the Electric Palace Trust, said: "I don't think this has been done anywhere before.

"David Looser, trust chairman, came up with the idea because we were having to close and I thought it was brilliant.

"Adam Threadgall is making the frontage and sign writer Brian Rowland is painting the front.

"We hope it will be really popular."

The outside cinema will be called the Charles Thurston Bioscope.

Mr Thurston was a pioneer in bioscopes, bringing his popular travelling cinema show to Harwich before building the Electric Palace in the town.

The bioscope will be open from next Thursday to Sunday, July 1.

Shows include screenings from modern day titles such as Paddington 2, to the 1935 film Captain Blood, black and white film Brief Encounter, ET, films on Harwich and Dovercourt and 1925 silent Russian classic Battleship Potemkin.