Picture House future thrown into focus by young folk as Tain Royal Academy students pay a visit to iconic Easter Ross landmark
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Young minds are focusing on what the future might hold for one of Tain’s oldest buildings.
Travel and Tourism students from Tain’s Royal Academy visited the town’s former picture house to get a first-hand view of the iconic building, which served as a cinema until the mid 1960s.
Built by Andrew Maitland and Sons, the Grade B Listed building started life as a town hall following its completion in 1876. It later went on to become the town’s cinema and was renamed Tain Picture House in 1939.
It has remained empty since the last film reel rolled and is now subject of a restoration project to bring it back to life as a community asset.
The students’ visit was hosted by R M MacKenzie Ltd, the contractors who are currently undertaking work to replace old flooring, glazing and damaged stonework, and to ensure the building is structurally secure.
Work was halted during the students’ visit and although access was restricted to the main hall they were able to see the building’s former glory and assess its potential for the future.
Dave Macrae, community liaison officer for the Tain and District Development Trust, which is spearheading the restoration project, said it was important that everyone in the community had the opportunity to give their views and further public consultations were due to take place in the spring.
“The ideas from young people are particularly important which is why we were pleased to arrange the visit for the Royal Academy students.They must have walked past the old picture house hundreds of times without realising its past. We now want their ideas to help shape its future. They will be coming back to us with their plans.”
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