Abbeydale Picture House

Significance

Grade II listed Abbeydale Picture House is an impressive building on a prominent corner site in Netheredge, Sheffield. Its exterior is faced with white faience and the prominent corner entrance topped by a round, domed tower with stained glass windows set behind a balustrade. The building originally included a ballroom and billiards hall within the basement, and lounge and café above the entrance foyer. It is a fine example of a 1920s’ cinema which was later converted to cine-variety with the addition of a new stage and dressing rooms.

The 1930s saw the building equipped for talkies. The building remained in cinema use until its closure in 1975. It then became an office furniture store, during which time the seats were removed and the balcony partitioned off.

Internally the original layout of the building remains largely intact, including the main circulatory spaces and access routes. The raked auditorium retains much of its original ornamental detail. This includes the barrel-vaulted coffered ceiling and single balcony which bows out into boxes on either side of the proscenium with decorative frieze depicting Grecian figures. The building also contains its iron safety curtain which is decorated with local advertisements. This dates back to at least the 1950s but may even be the original safety iron.

Why is this theatre at risk?

The theatre was added to the Theatres at Risk Register in 2024.

The furniture company ceased trading in 1991, leaving the building disused for a decade. In the early 2000s the Friends of Abbeydale Picture House restored the auditorium and built a new stage, reopening the theatre in September 2008. Operation ceased in 2012 and the building was sold at auction to a private owner, who had commenced works to restore the building, including initial investment in the roof. Restoration work has continued, with the building most recently leased to Creative Arts Development Space (CADS), a Sheffield-based charity committed to revitalising local buildings for the arts, cultural and creative industries. The basement of the Picture House is leased separately to a bar / nightclub operator.

Sadly, the building fabric has deteriorated greatly over the last few years; missing roof tiles and broken flashings contributing to damage to historic fibrous plasterwork of the barrel vault ceiling within the auditorium. This has resulted in this part of the building being unsafe for use for the last three years. CADS had been operating an event space hosting a programme of live music and entertainment in the flytower. They had also opened a ‘speakeasy’ bar in the front of house area of the building. However, without use of the main auditorium, the operation was not viable, and, in February 2024, both spaces closed. A subsequent dispute with the owner saw the group locked out of the building, leaving an already vulnerable historic venue vacant and likely to deteriorate even more-rapidly.

The building has since been sold to a new owner, True North Brew Co, which has intentions to restore and reopen Abbeydale Picture House as a vibrant entertainment venue, hosting live music, comedy, art events, and food and drink festivals. There is still much work to be done to fulfil this vision and it is therefore considered prudent to maintain the venue on the Theatres at Risk Register at this time.

Theatre potential

Local arts and cultural organisation CADS had been operating the ground and upper levels of Abbeydale Picture House as a live performance venue hosting music, comedy, film, and theatre performance until its closure in February 2024. The building had also proved a popular venue for events such as weddings. A mixed performance / event use model proved both popular and viable and could be reinstated should a solution to the repairing and restoring the building be found.

Current situation

CADS had been seeking to purchase the venue from the landlord; a move that would have allowed access to public funding, help open routes to repair the roof and to secure the building to allow for full restoration in the future. A mortgage had been approved and in April 2024 the group learned that they had been successful in their bid to the Community Ownership Fund for match funding (following two previous unsuccessful bids). Theatres Trust, the Music Venue Trust, and the National Trust all supported the application.

Unfortunately, unresolved disputes between CADS and the owner resulted in a complex situation, stalling any progress towards saving the building.  

In January 2025, Abbeydale Picture House was sold to True North Brew Co which is owned by local entrepreneur Kane Yardley. The company has restored and reopened other venues in Sheffield and is keen to see Abbeydale Picture House revived as a vibrant entertainment venue for the people of Sheffield. The restoration work, which will also support skills development through training opportunities, is to be phased over the next two years.  

The sale of the building includes the basement bar which is to reopen under the operation of True North Brew Co in May 2025.

True North Brew Co is collaborating with CADS, which has shared information about the building and is hoping to collaborate on future events. Professor Vanessa Toulmin, chair of the Morecambe Winter Gardens Preservation Trust, and who is also Director of City, Culture and Public Engagement at the University of Sheffield, will be advising on the heritage aspects of the Grade II listed building.

Theatres Trust looks forward to working with True North Brew Co on the restoration of the Abbeydale Picture House and to see this important building restored, reopened and back in live entertainment use.

Image credits:

Main image Abbeydale Picturehouse auditorium by Matt Williamson
Exterior image by Andy Gallacher