{"id":410164,"date":"2026-04-21T14:50:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T14:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/410164\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T14:50:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T14:50:11","slug":"northern-irelands-last-surviving-1930s-picture-house-yields-secrets-on-90th-anniversary-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/410164\/","title":{"rendered":"Northern Ireland\u2019s last surviving 1930s picture house yields secrets on 90th anniversary \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

The last surviving 1930s picture house in Northern Ireland<\/a> has marked its 90th anniversary with a treasure trove of discoveries from its past.<\/p>\n

The Strand, in east Belfast<\/a>, is currently undergoing a major renovation project.<\/p>\n

This has led to the finding of original seating and a speaker from 1935, as well as a little tin cup, which is thought to be linked with a Harland & Wolff worker at the nearby world-famous shipyard.<\/p>\n

The Strand\u2019s heritage officer Rosie Hickey emphasised that back then cinemas were \u201call about luxury and glamour\u201d, known as picture houses or palaces.<\/p>\n

She said the seats they found were in screen two, which used to be the stalls.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the sides of the seats we found, they were very, very heavy metal, painted in a kind of bronzy gold paint. For me, to find the actual seats and the original speakers, is amazing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"OriginalOriginal chair sides found during the refurbishment of the Strand in Belfast. Photograph: The Strand\/PA Wire<\/p>\n

The work has also seen the peeling back of paint to reveal the previous colour scheme.<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cYou might know the Strand as mostly red in colour, but if you scrape away the paint, you can see that at one point in the 80s the walls were a garish purple colour, and if you keep scraping, you\u2019ll find a bronze\/gold effect colour.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s amazing to peel away the different layers of time; it\u2019s amazing for us that the building is kind of unveiling its secrets during the renovation project.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The renovation work has also yielded soft drinks cans from the 1980s, following the Strand\u2019s rebirth as a multiplex.<\/p>\n

She added one of the most mysterious finds was a little tin cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust a very modest tin cup with a handle, but that\u2019s exactly the type of tin cup that would have been used by Harland & Wolff workers, they would have traditionally had their tin cup with their tea, along with a piece, a sandwich,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe steel frame that is the bones of the Strand would have been riveted and put together by Harland & Wolff workers.<\/p>\n

\"TinTin cup found during the refurbishment of the picture house in Belfast. Photograph: The Strand\/PA Wire<\/p>\n

\u201cSo honestly, we don\u2019t know the exact origin of that little tin cup, but I like to think that it was a builder, or a Harland & Wolff employee back in the 1930s, having his piece, sipping tea, and then he left it.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething quite simple like a tin cup tells its own story, the association with Harland & Wolff and the people who built the building.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hickey has also gathered people\u2019s memories of the venue, compiled a new book based on interviews with scores of people about their memories of the Strand, which was officially launched, along with a short film The Strand at 90 at a special event in the Long Gallery at Stormont on Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n

\"AA speaker found during the refurbishment of the picture house in Belfast. Photograph: The Strand\/PA Wire<\/p>\n

Strands of Our Picture House Past also includes images from museums, archives and family collections.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, The Strand At 90, created by award-winning east Belfast documentary film-maker Ross McClean, is a short film which charts the venue\u2019s history, surviving the bomb blitzes of the second World War and changing entertainment tastes while scores of other picture houses closed.<\/p>\n

Narrated by Northern Irish actor and playwright Marie Jones, the film is told through the memories of the people who have played a part in keeping the Strand alive, featuring interviews with champions and patrons of the venue, including Ronnie Rutherford and Linda Smyth.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the 90th anniversary event, chief executive of the Strand, Mimi Turtle, said it was a proud moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cCelebrating 90 years of the Strand is an incredibly proud moment for everyone connected to this special place,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe book and the film capture not only the building\u2019s rich heritage but also the impact that it continues to have in Belfast, celebrating the stories and memories that have a real personal significance to so many people.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe 1935 proscenium arch during the refurbishment of the picture house in Belfast. Photograph: Danny Meegan\/PA Wire<\/p>\n

\u201cAs our heritage officer Rosie comments in the foreword of Strands of Our Picture House Past, these reflections are far from exhaustive; there are a multitude of additional inserts, photographs and memories that could be included.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cinema is scheduled to reopen in late autumn, following the completion of the \u00a37 million (\u20ac8 million) restoration delivered by Belfast City Council through a mix of funding support from Levelling Up Funding UK, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Belfast City Council and several private funders and donors. \u2013 PA <\/p>\n

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