The Picture House Project Cinema heritage, restored frame by frame

The Picture House Project

Cinema heritage, restored frame by frame

Latest Articles

The Light at the Back of the Room: Why a Restored Cinema Is Only Half Finished Without a Working Booth
Preservation Stories

The Light at the Back of the Room: Why a Restored Cinema Is Only Half Finished Without a Working Booth

Plasterwork gets the fundraising poster and the ribbon-cutting photo, but the real test of a restored picturehouse happens forty feet above the audience. We look at the volunteers, engineers and changeover desks keeping Britain's booths alive — and why a sealed-off projection room is a museum cupboard with a nice view.
Rows of Evidence: What Britain's Old Cinema Seats Still Tell Us About How We Watched
Restoration Debates

Rows of Evidence: What Britain's Old Cinema Seats Still Tell Us About How We Watched

Every refurbishment eventually reaches the seats, and that is where the arguments start. Upholstery, tip-up mechanisms, sightlines, fire regulations and step-free access all collide in a single row — and the way a picturehouse answers says a lot about what kind of cinema it wants to be.
Cream, Crimson and the Courage of Colour: Why Britain’s Picturehouses Shouldn’t Be Beige
Restoration Debates

Cream, Crimson and the Courage of Colour: Why Britain’s Picturehouses Shouldn’t Be Beige

Paint analysis can reveal the exact cream, crimson or peppermint a cinema once wore on opening night. So why do so many restorations reach for the grey? A case for letting British picturehouses be bold again.
Behind the Tab: The Quiet Craft of Restoring Britain’s Picturehouse Curtains
Preservation Stories

Behind the Tab: The Quiet Craft of Restoring Britain’s Picturehouse Curtains

Stage tabs, teasers and house curtains were once part of the drama itself — a promise that something was about to happen. We meet the conservators and riggers bringing Britain’s picturehouse curtains back to life, one weighted hem at a time.
The Scars That Stay: What a Century of Running Repairs Tells Us About Restoring Britain's Picture Houses
Preservation Stories

The Scars That Stay: What a Century of Running Repairs Tells Us About Restoring Britain's Picture Houses

Behind every grand cinema restoration is a paper trail of bodges, patches and 'that'll do for now' fixes. We look at the masking tape, mismatched moquette and pencil notes that record how Britain's picture houses actually stayed open — and why conservators increasingly argue that not every scar should be erased.
Ninety Years Late, the Pit Band Is Back: Live Scores Are Filling Britain's Restored Cinemas
Heritage Trails

Ninety Years Late, the Pit Band Is Back: Live Scores Are Filling Britain's Restored Cinemas

Across the UK this year, restored picture houses are commissioning new live scores for silent films — from brass bands and folk fiddlers to synth duos and church organists. Here's why a room full of musicians changes how an audience reads both the print and the building, plus practical notes for venues and ticketholders.
The Usherette's Tale: Why Oral Histories Should Be Part of Every Cinema Restoration
Preservation Stories

The Usherette's Tale: Why Oral Histories Should Be Part of Every Cinema Restoration

Plans show where the stalls ended and the circle began. They do not show the queue round the block, the ice cream tray in the interval or the fog of cigarette smoke on the balcony. If we want to restore picturehouses properly, we need to record the people who remember them.
The Pipes Are Still Warm: Hearing Restored Cinema Organs Live Across Britain in 2026
Heritage Trails

The Pipes Are Still Warm: Hearing Restored Cinema Organs Live Across Britain in 2026

From Compton consoles to Wurlitzer thunder, a handful of British picturehouses still put their theatre organs in front of live audiences. Here is why they mattered, what restoration takes, and where to hear one in 2026.
Terrazzo, Ticket Hatches and Time Travel: Twelve British Cinema Foyers Worth the Journey in 2026
Heritage Trails

Terrazzo, Ticket Hatches and Time Travel: Twelve British Cinema Foyers Worth the Journey in 2026

The best room in a picturehouse is often the one before the screen. From a 1930s newsreel kiosk in Newcastle to a Glasgow School doorway in Kintyre, here are twelve surviving foyers where the walk in is half the night out. All are working venues, so check listings before you travel.
Look Up, Look Again: The Former Picturehouses Hiding in Plain Sight on Britain's High Streets
Preservation Stories

Look Up, Look Again: The Former Picturehouses Hiding in Plain Sight on Britain's High Streets

Half the cinemas Britain ever built are now bingo halls, supermarkets, churches or furniture showrooms — and the buildings are still talking if you know what to look for. A delve into the afterlives of our closed picture palaces, the people who remember them in their picture-going pomp, and the campaigns trying to hand some of them back to their communities.