BEVERLEY PICTURE PLAYHOUSE

Welcome to the Beverley Playhouse site, this website and forum was originally provided free of charge, to help local people have their say on the future of this historic building. The Picture Playhouse had struggled on for many years as a publicly owned cinema and community venue but with very little public funding. Consequently it was starting to look tired and shabby. The East Riding of Yorkshire Council decided to sell the building for retail use, declaring it “surplus to requirements” instead of funding a refurbishment for improved community use. This resulted in much local opposition and protests. See the original Playhouse Action Group pages here.

The ERYC had their way when their own planners gave permission for a change to retail use, they then sold the Playhouse lease and the building is now “Brown’s Department Store” ( despite protestor’s fears the conversion to a shop was tastefully done by a local developer. )

Beverley Picture Playhouse about 1966Beverley Picture Playhouse Cinema c.1966 (courtesy Chris Morgan)

Go to the History / Events page – see how this Grand Old Lady of a building has helped and supported the People, Hospital, Charities and Town of Beverley for many many years.

former Picture Playhouse, now Brown's department store, Saturday Market Square, May 2016.
Former Playhouse now Brown’s Department Store – May 2016

Notice in the above pictures how the buildings in Beverley have improved over the last fifty years. Except car parking! The whole of the market square is still taken over by parked cars in 2016. Six days a week Saturday Market square is a car park but on market day it is filled with stalls.
See here how the council dealt with this parking problem and created a people friendly Piazza with seating and flower tubs.

photo: (former Playhouse) Browns Store, Saturday Market Square pedestrianised Piazza - May 2021
Browns Store 2021 (formerly Corn Exchange & Picture Playhouse)

Gradually, rather than just acting as a repository for old information on the Picture Playhouse Cinema this website now includes many other aspects of the history of Beverley, plus modern life in this thriving market town.
For instance, Beverley may not have a Park, but just look at these fantastic Public Gardens.