Final push begins for £7million Paignton cinema project

Agatha Christie was a big fan of the historic picture house

An ambitious project to restore Agatha Christie’s favourite cinema has launched its final fundraising push.

By the time the lights go down and the first film for more than a quarter of a century begins at the historic Paignton Picture House early in 2026, it will have cost at least £7million to bring it back to life.

Now the trust behind the huge restoration project is asking local people to help it get over the line.

“This is an amazingly exciting time,” said project director Josephine Brown. “It’s a pivotal moment for the Paignton Picture House.”

The cinema in Torbay Road was opened in 1914, and is thought to be the oldest surviving purpose-built picture house in Europe.

Its patrons included crime writer Agatha Christie, who had her favourite seat in the circle and regularly came to watch films with family, friends and her chauffeur. The cinema also features a trio of private boxes high up under the projection room windows.

One of them was the regular seat of Paris Singer, the wealthy playboy who lived at Oldway Mansion.

It operated as the Paignton Picture House, and later as the Torbay Cinema, right up until 1999, when it finally closed.

A Grade Two-Star listed building, it is now on the Historic England ‘at risk’ register of important buildings under threat. The Paignton Picture House Trust was formed in 2013 to save it and re-open it as a cinema and arts venue for the community.

By the spring of 2026 the cinema will be fully restored, with a cafe and community spaces. It will be a net-zero building with the latest energy initiatives, while also retaining period features such as its stained glass windows, spectacular mosaic floor and distinctive circular front door.

The cinema’s distinctive seats - including Agatha Christie’s - have been carefully removed and stored so they can be brought back.

Much of Paignton’s town centre is on reclaimed land, meaning a layer of shifting tidal sea mud is not far below the ground, creating particular problems for the restorers.

A total of £5.6million towards the overall cost has already been secured, much of it in the form of grants from various government sources including the Future High Streets fund.

And Torbay Council has pledged to ‘deliver’ the cinema project as part of its commitment to regenerate the centre of Paignton.

Now a public fundraising appeal has been launched, asking local individuals, groups and companies to help find the final million pounds or so to complete the project. The trust has also moved into a ‘pop-up’ shop called The Projection Room opposite the cinema to get the message across to passers-by.

“This is the final push to get the building re-opened,” said Josephine. 

“It has a kind of magic about it. People have really, really special memories of this place, and when they come in, they really get a sense of that magic.

“The building has a personality. Some people say it feels like she gives you a big hug when you walk in.”