Brewery buys Grade II-listed cinema to restore

An independent brewery and hospitality operator has bought a Grade II-listed former cinema and plans to restore the building.

True North Brew Co has acquired the Abbeydale Picture House in Sheffield and plans to transform it into a "premier entertainment venue".

The site had faced an uncertain future and closed last year due to a risk of collapse and spiralling renovation costs for its tenants.

Kane Yeardley, owner of True North, which also runs Forum and Riverside Kelham, said: "Sheffield deserves an authentic local brand that understands the significance of this building."

He added: "The last thing Abbeydale Road needs is a non-independent chain serving heavily discounted beer."

True North plans to collaborate with tenants the Creative Arts Development Space (CADS), who have occupied the cinema since 2017, for a two-year restoration project.

The charity had planned to buy the building after winning a £300,000 Community Ownership Fund grant, but ran into a legal dispute with the previous owner.

True North said CADS was "fully supportive" and "pleased that the building will be locally and independently owned", and had shared its building surveys to support the new owners.

Its basement bar Picture House Social will close in March and reopen after refurbishment in May.

The venue's "transformation" will include the balconies, backstage areas and dressing rooms.

Abbeydale Picture House opened in 1920 and was Sheffield's largest cinema at the time, with capacity for 1,560 people.

It was known as the "picture palace" because of its ornate interiors, but closed in 1975, and after 1991 was used as a furniture showroom.

It was restored and reopened in 2008 as an arts venue, and was home to the youth charity Hands Of.

In 2022 the ceiling was found to be unsafe and the auditorium was deemed unusable.

The building was added to the Theatres At Risk register in January 2024 due to the damage to plasterwork despite the ongoing maintenance efforts.

Mr Yeardley said restoring the building was the "biggest and perhaps most challenging" project True North had taken on.

"We're here to ensure this space remains a proud part of Sheffield, by Sheffield, for Sheffield," he added.

"We couldn't be more excited."

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