Editor: Big picture is revealed when time comes round again

There’s nowt that is truly new is there? Hundreds of young people are now experiencing fun nights out under the roof of a fantastic building which has been thrilling revellers for generations.
11 December  2020.....   Sheffield's Abbeydale Picture House celebrating the 100th birthday of the cinema.   Picture Tony Johnson11 December  2020.....   Sheffield's Abbeydale Picture House celebrating the 100th birthday of the cinema.   Picture Tony Johnson
11 December 2020..... Sheffield's Abbeydale Picture House celebrating the 100th birthday of the cinema. Picture Tony Johnson

Yes the iconic Abbeydale Picture House is hosting evenings of entertainment and opening its doors to Sheffielders who have never done more than look at it from the outside. Now they can go inside and marvel at what a gem it is – while having a night out with their friends. This is new to them but exactly what was intended when the structure was built all those years ago.

I wonder what those first people to cross the threshold into the picture house would have thought about the incredible creations that hit our big screen these days. Not only is there sound and colour, but computer graphics so impressive that it is hard to know what is real and what isn’t. Films have changed and thus so too has the iconic spot where they were once screened.

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Then there are the changes in clothing. We all still look our best when heading out on a Saturday night but how that presents has certainly changed over the decades. Although, those trends also come back round again and again, even when the youngest of the day don’t like to admit that they didn’t come up with everything first.

This is a building that is as extraordinary inside as it is outside. It is beautiful and I utterly adore it but, like most Sheffielders, I wish there was more investment to save such treasures.

I’m sure we have all passed that spot in recent years and wondered who would come along to save it. It has got to be good news that it is in use and that it is back to its original use of entertaining people.

We would all like to see millions pumped into it and have the fixtures – both externally and internally – sparkling as they must have a century ago. But the most important thing is that the love shown for the building has become action and it isn’t rotting away with no attention being paid.

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It is just a simple desire, now it has a team with drive and needs to be backed by a city that has always loved this place with all its hearts. Where there’s a will there’s a way and where there are Sheffielders on a mission there is hope. That’s all, folks.

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