Latest news with #historicalmonument
The Sun
29-06-2025
- General
- The Sun
Famous UK tourist attraction almost had its massive penis COVERED up after complaint that it ‘offended Christian values'
THE Home Office once suggested covering up the Cerne Abbas Giant's manhood with shrubbery. It came after a prudish member of the public complained that the 35ft chalk penis was an 'obscenity that offended Christian values'. The whiner claimed that two bishops and other religious leaders supported his view — and it forced the Home Office to raise the 'serious charge of indecency against a prehistoric monument' with the National Trust. But Cecil Yates, an official at the Home Office, added in a letter in 1932: 'What does the complainant want us to do? 'Plant a small grove of fig trees in a strategic position?' And in an official response to the moaning prude — a man called Walter Long, he said: 'The Secretary of State regrets that he cannot see his way to take any action in the matter.' The 180ft Giant — a bald, naked man with an erection and carrying a club — is etched in chalk on a hillside in Cerne Abbas, Dorset. It was created by the Anglo-Saxons in the 8th century as a tribute to god of health Helith. Mr Long's pre-war complaint was uncovered by writer and local historian Karen Heaney as she carried out research for a new book on the landmark. Karen, 64, of Netherbury, said: 'It made me smile to think the Giant was controversial even back then. "The Home Office official wasn't sure what they were expected to do about it.' In 2023, The Oxford Cheese Company caused upset by branding a vintage cheddar range with the Giant — but covering his appendage.
The Sun
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Inside ‘world's largest cinema' the ‘Big King' with 2,700-seater triple-decker ‘grand hall' and giant 3,000sq ft screen
THE Grand Rex, nestled in the heart of Paris, boasts the title of the world's largest cinema. Its main hall seats over 2,700 people across three tiers - all beneath a dazzling starry ceiling that towers nearly 100 feet high. 7 7 7 The hall also boasts a screen known as 'Le Grand Large' ('The Great Large'), stretching over 81 feet wide and 37 feet tall - making it over 3,000 square feet. Another of the hall's stage screens, used for live performances and concerts, spans nearly 55 feet wide and 23 feet tall. The screens are powered by three projectors. The building complex has seven screening halls, one concert and show venue, a club and a museum. The giant cinema was envisioned in the early 1930s by wealthy French film producer Jacques Haïk. His goal was to build a cinema with a capacity of over 5,000 spectators, spanning more than 21,500 square feet. While he may not have reached that seating capacity, the Grand Rex's hall certainly matches the envisioned size. Haïk's Tunisian roots are said to have inspired the cinema's Mediterranean ambience and baroque style. The building's architects were notably experts in "atmospheric halls", having created more than 400 decors of phantasmatic American cities under cloudy or starry skies. The Grand Rex's decor has earned it the title of the most beautiful cinema in the world by Time Out in February. 7 7 The building's facades, roof, hall and decor have also earned it the distinction of a "Monument historique" ("historical monument"), akin to a French national heritage site. The Grand Rex hall first opened its doors in December 1932. Louis Lumière, the French engineer who played a key role in cinema's development, was among the first guests to take a seat in the hall. During the German occupation of France, the Grand Rex was requisitioned by the German army and transformed into a Soldatenkino - a cinema reserved for soldiers on leave. In September 1942, it even became the target of a bombing by the Détachement Valmy. The cinema reopened in October 1944 after the Liberation of Paris. It is now visited by over one million people each year. Meanwhile, Madrid boasts a huge cinema complex that can seat almost 1,000 viewers and has 25 screens. The Spanish complex is called Kinepolis Madrid Ciudad de la Imagen, meaning Movie City. This multiplex, featuring up to 25 screening rooms, holds the title of the world's largest cinema by total capacity. Ciudad de la Imagen belongs to Kinepolis Group, a Belgian cinema chain formed in 1997. The cinema first opened its doors in 1998. 7
