The Campbeltown Picture House is a theatre located in

Campbeltown Campbeltown (; gd, Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain or ) is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Campbeltown became an important centre for Scotch whisky, and a busy fishing ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. Opened in 1913, it was one of the first purpose-built cinemas in Scotland. It is the only remaining example of an Atmospheric theatre in Scotland.

History

The Picture House, known locally as The Wee Pictures, was designed by the architect Albert Gardner, a student of architecture at

Glasgow School of Art The Glasgow School of Art (GSA; gd, Sgoil-ealain Ghlaschu) is a higher education art school based in Glasgow, Scotland, offering undergraduate degrees, post-graduate awards (both taught and research-led), and PhDs in architecture, fine art, and ...

from 1901 to 1905. It opened in May 1913, and aside from a short hiatus in the 1980s, has been used continuously as a cinema since. The building is three storeys high with the projection room on the top floor, the balcony on the middle floor and the entrance on the ground floor. Gardiner was asked to refurbish the cinema in 1935, and did so in the "atmospheric style". This included a blue sky with moving white clouds, and the inclusion of small plasterwork buildings to recall a Mediterranean courtyard. Sound equipment was also installed in the cinema as part of the refurbishment. In August 2017 the Picture House, was voted as one of Scotland's six 'Hidden Gems' as part of Dig It! 2017 campaign. In November 2017, the

National Library of Scotland The National Library of Scotland (NLS) ( gd, Leabharlann Nàiseanta na h-Alba, sco, Naitional Leebrar o Scotland) is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the country's National Collections. As one of the largest libraries in the ...

announced that Campbeltown Community Business Ltd were donating the historical archive relating to the Picture House to the Library's Moving Image Archive. The archive includes newspaper cuttings, architectural drawings, advertisements, financial ledgers, and details of a 1938 plane crash which resulted in the cinema closing the night because the reels for that night's film were on the plane.

Restoration

In 2016, a £2.5 million restoration was undertaken, with work to be completed in 2017. The work was carried out by architects

Burrell Foley Fischer Burrell Foley Fischer is an English architectural practice based in London and the Midlands. The practice is made up of architects, conservation specialists and urban designers. It is known for its Heritage, Learning, Residential, Work and Cultura ...

and Corramore Construction, with funding from various sources including the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

, the Scottish Government and

Highlands and Islands Enterprise Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE; gd, Iomairt na Gàidhealtachd 's nan Eilean) is the development agency for the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. Its role is to "hel ...

.{{Cite news, url=http://www.scottishconstructionnow.com/10657/restoration-work-at-campbeltown-picture-house-underway/, title=Restoration work at Campbeltown Picture House underway - Scottish Construction Now!, date=2016-02-05, work=Scottish Construction Now!, access-date=2017-11-28, language=en-US As a result of the restoration there are now two auditoriums, one of 192 seats, the other with 53 seats. There is a new foyer, café, gallery and education space. The first pictures of the newly refurbished cinema were released in November 2017.

References

Cinemas in Scotland Buildings and structures completed in 1913 Campbeltown Buildings and structures in Argyll and Bute