Nostalgia for The Point: The Milton Keynes landmark that lit the way home

BBC News

13-07-2025

People jokingly asked "What's the point?" and for some, the UK's first multiplex cinema served simply as a landmark to light up the sky as they drove home at night.Now, local cinema-goers have been remembering it affectionately, after news that it will be demolished.Opened in Milton Keynes in 1985, The Point also housed a nightclub and brasserie before closing in 2015.It will be turned into flats after a planning inspector upheld an appeal.Some say it has become an eyesore, many hold fond memories of its heyday and say they will fight to keep it.
'We did so much'
Jason Lawrence said he had "a strong fondness for the building" where he spent hours working and hanging out with friends."Many moons ago, I watched Rocky III at the cinema. It was a great experience - the first time I went to a multiplex."He started working at the cinema but was then promoted to bouncer after stopping a fight."It broke out in the top part of The Point and came down to the cinema area. I jumped over the barrier and helped break it up."
"Apart from working there, we used to meet - all of our friends, this was the main point of attraction. We'd come for a drink, put on parties and events."We've done so many things in The Point - as youth and in our adulthood."It doesn't matter where you're from, Newport Pagnell, Bletchley, Wolverton, the far ends of MK - everyone recognised The Point."He thinks the decision to take it down is "diabolical"."Milton Keynes doesn't have much heritage and this is a heritage site. Milton Keynes needs something as its logo, its icon. The Point used to be that," added Mr Lawrence.
'I can't imagine MK without it'
It is 1993, and a film about life-sized cloned dinosaurs is taking the box office by storm.Like many young people living in Milton Keynes in the 1980s and 90s, Ryan Gillies had his first cinema experience at The Point."I watched Jurassic Park - it scared me! - then I came to see many more films here."I went out here, met friends here - I came to the bars in my older years."So much of my time as a young adult was spent visiting the shopping centre then coming here to the foyer, grabbing a cheeky popcorn."It's been there throughout my life and I can't imagine MK without it."
Mr Gillies has campaigned to save The Point and said the news was "genuinely heartbreaking"."It's quite a gut punch. It's part of how we identify with the place we grew up in," he said."It's intertwined with so much of what it means to be an MK resident."One of the most oft-quoted memories people share, is when you're driving home as a child at night and you see that red glow on the horizon, you knew you were nearly home. "It was a beacon."
'Iconic architecture'
Younger generations also value the complex, and Izzy Norwood, 24, said she felt "very sad about it being knocked down"."It's very connected to what Milton Keynes looked like, if it's knocked down we'll lose part of that iconic MK architecture."The university student recalls going to the cinema to see Frozen with her family."I used to come here a lot when I was younger to go to see the cinema. It's an iconic building in Milton Keynes, and it's quite recognisable."I have a lot of childhood memories: going to the Odeon [which operated at the building], birthday parties, going out for meals with my parents."She said she could understand why there was also a push for new housing in the city centre."I'm quite excited that new housing is being built: at the moment owning a home feels quite unachievable."A lot of young people don't feel they have a place in Milton Keynes."
'Part of my life'
"I spent hours in this place and it was a part of my life growing up in Milton Keynes," says Dev Kumar."Back in the 90s when I was a child, we had plenty of fun watching movies in the UCI Cinema, as it was called then."I watched the first two Home Alone Movies, Prince of Egypt and the Lion King."Sneaking in snacks was the norm". He also recalls "hanging out in the arcade with my school friends, challenging each other for the highest score whilst our parents played Bingo, or chilling out at the bar"."It wasn't just a place of fun, it was also a good meeting place before going on adventures."He believes The Point should become a listed building and restored to its original condition as a museum."It is the only original entertainment complex left in Milton Keynes, as the original leisure centre in Bletchley, Rollers, and Wolverton Agora have disappeared into history with no traces left," he said.
In a statement, Galliard Homes said it was delighted with the appeal decision."Our plans will transform this prominent site," a spokesperson said."At the heart of the proposals is a commitment to celebrating the legacy of The Point."
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