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02
May 2022
The poster boy putting Pateley Bridge on the map
He has hung out with Hockney, was behind Mia Farrow's famous pixie haircut and organised the first gigs for the Sex Pistols and The Jam.
Eric Broadbelt has certainly lived a life.
But it is a lifelong obsession with collecting film posters that has led to a conversation with me on a cloudy April day in Pateley Bridge.
Eric, who is also known as Owen, is one of those people who just gives you joy. Within minutes of meeting him, he had me in stitches and I wanted to be his bestie.
It comes as no surprise that he has rubbed shoulders with some of the world's biggest stars, working as a celebrity hairdresser, photographer and gig promoter in London.
Private collection
Being so well-connected has helped him build up one of the country's biggest private collections of film posters, which is believed to add up to around 7,000.
He is now displaying and selling his prized posters, which span a century of film, at The Tordoff Gallery, on Pateley Bridge High Street. He runs the impressive venue, which is somewhat of a hidden gem, with his business partner and fellow film enthusiast, Gloria Tordoff.
He said:
Some of Eric's film posters, including War of the Worlds and Nosferatu.
A growing collection
Eric slowly started building up his collection and every time he bought one it would become his favourite.
He said:
The posters, which are in immaculate condition, have been displayed or stored away at Eric's London home for decades.
So when Keith and Gloria Tordoff, former owners of The Oldest Sweetshop in Pateley Bridge, offered him the opportunity to display his collection in an old bank, he jumped at the chance.
He said:
Talking to Eric, you can see how much he adores his collection. His eyes light up and he becomes increasingly animated when he talks about each poster.
He stressed it wasn't about the money, but rather them going to a good home. Buyers have to be vetted before the posters go.
Star Wars posters, including a rare £20,000 British premier concept version (top left).
'I just love looking at them'
He said:
Everywhere you turn in the gallery, it is pure nostalgia. It is a movie treasure trove and there is something from every era, including the modern day.
Eric, who said he would sometimes buy up to 200 posters a day, said:
Unique posters
Rare posters include a one-of-a-kind Disney's Snow White poster, There's No Business Like Showbusiness, of which there are only six in existence, and the Andy Warhol movie Querelle, of which there are believed to be only two in the world.
The rare 1942 Snow White poster.
Eric, who is a self-confessed Disney fanatic, said:
Spiderman
Eric also showed me a rare 2002 Spiderman poster, which was withdrawn following 9/11 as the Twin Towers can be seen reflected in the superhero's eye.
The rare 2002 Spiderman poster, with the reflection of the Twin Towers in the superhero's eye.
There is also a Pulp Fiction poster that features Uma Thurman smoking Lucky Strike cigarettes, which was withdrawn after the film company was sued by Lucky Strike.
Eric said:
Star Wars
When it comes to posters with the most value, there is a £20,000 Star Wars poster on display that was only ever used for the British premier.
Eric said:
A collection of James Bond posters, including a rare £20,000 Thunderball poster.
'The best poster ever made'
Eric then showed me Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, which he said was considered the "best poster ever made".
He said:
Hairdresser to the stars
When you delve into Eric's amazing history, you learn that he actually knew many of the stars named in the poster billings.
He worked at the iconic Vidal Sassoon hairdressers on Bond Street, London, from 1966.
He said:
Rock gigs
It was at this point that Eric casually threw in that he used to run rock gigs at London's iconic venues, the Red Cow and the Nashville.
He said:
When his parents became ill 20 years ago, he returned to North Yorkshire, where he now resides in a house in Thornthwaite.
Eric, who still has a house in London, said:
It was thanks to his work at Vidal Sassoon that he managed to get hold of some of his posters - many of which he got signed by the stars.
Signed posters
Eric said:
However, he has yet to have any celebrity clients visit the gallery, which he puts down to not advertising the venue. Eric said he wanted people to organically find it. He didn't even want an online presence, but eventually caved due to frequent requests from customers.
Eric said:
Andy Warhol
When asked to pick a favourite, he pointed out an Italian version of Andy Warhol's Heat.
He said:
The Italian version of Andy Warhol's Heat.
David Hockney
He also showed me a rare 50-year-old film poster of A Bigger Splash, featuring one of David Hockney's famous LA pool paintings, before casually dropping in that he used to hang around with the artist.
He laughed:
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