Abbeydale Picture House (later Abbeydale Cinema) is a former

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking * ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham. In N ...

, England. When opened by the

Lord Mayor of Sheffield The Lord Mayor of Sheffield is a ceremonial post held by a member of Sheffield City Council. They are elected annually by the council. The post originated in 1843, with the appointment of William Jeffcock as the first Mayor of Sheffield. Ea ...

on 20 December 1920 the picture house was the largest and most luxurious cinema in Sheffield, often referred to as the "Picture Palace" because of the luxurious cream and gold colour scheme, and dark mahogany seats trimmed with green velvet. The picture house also boasted many intricate decorations and carvings, a mosaic floor in the foyer and a glass canopy with a marble pillar to the outside of the building. The Abbeydale Picturehouse Bar reopened on 1 December 2022.

History

The first film to be shown was ''

The Call of the Road ''The Call of the Road'' is a 1920 British silent historical adventure film directed by A. E. Coleby and starring Victor McLaglen, Phyllis Shannaw and Warwick Ward.Low p.344 Cast * Victor McLaglen as Alf Truscott * Phyllis Shannaw as Lady ...

''
IMDB entry
. The cinema had seating for 1,560 people and also included a ballroom and a billiard hall. Cine-variety played a major role at the Abbeydale until 1930 and the arrival of the "talkies" talking films; from this time the stage was used purely to house the sound equipment. In the mid-1950s the cinema was purchased by the Star Cinema Group which decorated the entire building and installed new projection and sound equipment, including a wide screen. The cinema closed on 5 July 1975 and was subsequently used as an office furniture showroom until 1991. In 1989 the building was given a Grade II listing by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

being a good example of an early 1920s mid-sized suburban cinema with both cinema and theatre facilities. In 1991 the sprung floor in the ballroom was removed, and local businesses "Abbey Snooker" and "Bar Abbey" occupied the site. In 2003 the Friends of Abbeydale Picture House—boasting patrons including

Michael Palin Sir Michael Edward Palin (; born 5 May 1943) is an English actor, comedian, writer, television presenter, and public speaker. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. Since 1980, he has made a number of travel documentaries. Palin w ...

Peter Stringfellow Peter James Stringfellow (17 October 1940 – 7 June 2018) was an English businessman who owned several nightclubs. Early life Stringfellow was born in the City General Hospital, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, on 17 October 1940, to Elsie Bowers a ...

and the

John Lewis Partnership The John Lewis Partnership plc (JLP) is a British company which operates John Lewis & Partners department stores, Waitrose & Partners supermarkets, its banking and financial services, and other retail-related activities. The privately-held publ ...

—was formed to "restore and manage the 'Picture Palace' as a community centre for the performing arts and visual media." The group took ownership of the building on 21 December 2005 and re-opened it in September 2008 following a restoration of the auditorium and installation of a new stage. The Abbeydale Picture House hosted regular performances and fundraisers to raise money towards the ongoing restoration of the building. In June 2012 a stage adaptation of

Hi-de-Hi! ''Hi-de-Hi!'' is a BBC television sitcom shown on BBC1 from 1 January 1980 to 30 January 1988. Set in 1959 and 1960 in Maplins, a fictional holiday camp, the show was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, who also wrote ''Dad's Army'' and ...

was produced by the picture house in conjunction with the family of the late David Croft. The building is open for guided tours as part of the Heritage Open Days program. The Friends of Abbeydale Picture House eventually went into

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...

and the building went into

receivership In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver—a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights"—especially in ca ...

On 30 October 2012 the picture house was sold at auction to Phil Robins, for £150,000 with the intention to renovate the building and bring it back into public use as a climbing and sports centre. During this period further renovations were undertaken by Phil Robins, assisted during 2015-16 by Hand Of. In January 2017 Abbeydale Picture House was leased to CADS Trust, a Sheffield-based arts charity, who are continuing the restoration project. The building is now regularly open to the public as a mixed use community arts venue as work progresses.

References

* * * {{SheffieldStructures Houses completed in 1920 Cinemas in Yorkshire Grade II listed buildings in Sheffield Former cinemas in England