An avid film fan from childhood, Barnes accumulated a treasure trove of films and ephemera from the earliest days of cinema, putting it on display at the Barnes Museum of Cinematography in St Ives, Cornwall. He also wrote the five volume series The Beginnings of the Cinema in England, 1894-1901.
- Read John Barnes' Guardian Obituary
- Read John Barnes' Independent Obituary
- Read John Barnes' Times Obituary