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Strand Sequel: Redeveloping the Last Picture House

The art deco facade of the Strand Arts Centre with cinema lettering reading 'Closed for refurbishment. We'll be back"

National Lottery Grants for Heritage – £250,000 to £5million

Dyddiad a ddyfarnwyd
Lleoliad
Connswater
Awdurdod Lleol
Belfast
Ceisydd
Belfast City Council
Rhoddir y wobr
£1023000
Nearly 90 years after first opening during the golden age of cinema, work is now underway to redevelop the Strand Arts Centre, Northern Ireland’s last remaining art deco picture house on east Belfast’s Holywood Road.

The £6.5million redevelopment is directed by Belfast City Council and produced by Strand Arts Centre. Once open in summer 2026, the venue will be a dedicated home for the arts in east Belfast and will include:

  • state-of-the-art cinema facilities
  • new performance spaces
  • a new licensed café
  • creative learning studios
  • an interactive exhibition celebrating Northern Ireland’s iconic picture houses

The Strand has always been a treasure for east Belfast – a symbol of community, creativity and shared memories, spanning 89 years. 

Mimi Turtle, Chief Executive of Strand Arts Centre

Improvements to access mean the venue can cater for a diverse range of audiences with multi-purpose spaces available for community and charity use.

Thanks to National Lottery players, we've awarded the project just over £1m. This has been matched with a further £1m from the UK Government, Belfast City Council and sponsorships driven by the Strand team. The money will help preserve and enhance this cherished cinema and variety venue, which dates back to 1935.

An art deco building located on the apex of two roads. The word Strand is in silver lettering on the top portion of the curved exterior.
Original architectural features including the Strand’s famous façade will be retained.

Mimi Turtle, Chief Executive of Strand Arts Centre, said: “The Strand has always been a treasure for east Belfast – a symbol of community, creativity and shared memories, spanning 89 years. This refurbishment ensures that its legacy endures, blending rich heritage with a bright future that celebrates the arts for generations to come.”

The Strand Arts Centre is currently operating from its temporary home in Connswater Shopping Centre during redevelopment work. 

It continues to offer film screenings, events and community activities, with full details of what’s coming up in 2025 available at strandartscentre.com.

Two people are seated on a blue double cinema seat in Strand Arts Centre screen one. They are facing towards the screen and smiling.
Ronnie and Margaret Rutherford take their seats for ‘the last picture at the last picture house’. In the 1980s, at the height of the Troubles, Ronnie opened Strand Variety as a live performance venue which hosted acts such as Ben E. King and the Drifters. He later turned the single-screen picture house into a four-screen multiplex; their daughter Linda followed in his footsteps, currently working as the cinema’s Venue Manager.

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