Picture palace fit for a film fan

Film fanatic David Garrett is so smitten with the silver screen that he built a 20-seat cinema in his own home.

Mr Garrett had been an avid movie-goer for three decades when he took the impulse decision to rescue 20 seats from the now demolished Royal Cinema in High Street, Cradley Heath.

The 59-year-old designer had long dreamed of creating his own in-house picture palace and set about picking up all the equipment necessary for the full cinema experience at his home near Stourbridge.

But despite having laboured over the project for two years, Mr Garrett is now preparing to let the unusual feature go - he has put his home, Bouley House, in Pedmore Hall Lane, Pedmore, on the market for £785,000.

"I had wanted to do it for years but then someone gave me a call on the day to say they were having a clearance sale at the old Royal in Cradley Heath," he said.

Mr Garrett said it wouldn't be easy saying goodbye to his home and beloved cinema, which he and wife Ann have decided to leave now their two sons have grown up and moved out.

"It will be a wrench because it has sentimental value, but assuming the new owners want to keep this one here, I will build another cinema in the new house."

He said the rest of the gear, including giant screen, amplifier and surround sound system, had come from high street stores, but that he had managed to salvage one other piece of local cinematic history.

"The doors to the cinema are the old ones from the cinema in Quinton, from the 1950s, when it was called the Danilo.

"I remember walking through those doors as a little lad and never thought I'd have them in my home one day, but it's funny how the world goes round.

"The wife and I love the classic films - the ones you still remember 10 years later. We do still get DVDs but we don't remember most of them 10 minutes later."

By Richard Williams