Hello there,
As part of its long-term restoration project, CADS is looking to record the experiences of anyone who remembers visiting the Abbeydale Picture House whilst it was open. We’re excited to be working with a History student from the University of Sheffield, whose task is to delve deeper into the history of the cinema as it is remembered by local residents.
As an oral history project, we're looking to record interviews with past visitors to help our own understanding of the history of the Picture House, but also to contribute to wider cultural heritage in Sheffield. The recorded interviews that we collect will be transcribed and eventually deposited in the Sheffield Archive, joining other contributions by local historians. We’re hoping to build on the information that we already have about the Picture House; how it looked and what it was used for, both in the main screening area and in the old Billiard Hall and Ballroom (now the site of the Picture House Social Bar). Any information we receive helps us increase our knowledge of how the cinema operated during the past, and will help with restoration and funding for work in the future.
If you remember spending time at the Abbeydale, we’d love to hear from you. From the 22nd February onwards, we’ll be inviting members of the public to come and look around the cinema and recall their experiences. If you’d like to contribute but are unable to visit, please let us know and an alternative can be arranged!
Please email
[email protected] to find out more, or send me a message on the Sheffield Forum.
