Picturehouse Theatre

Located on Sunninghill High Street, the theatre is a hugely underutilised asset. Until recently, it was leased out by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and is now lying empty. In 2025 it was purchased by the Sunninghill Trust which is now working with the Cordes Hall Trustees and Save the Novello Picturehouse campaign group to restore the theatre.

Our Proposal

With the theatre now safe from demolition, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to combine with the Cordes Hall and operate both buildings as one entity. This will create a vibrant Arts & Community Hub, relieving pressure on the over-subscribed Cordes Hall and increasing access to performing arts through an accessible and diverse programme that inspires creativity, encourages participation, and builds connections among local residents.

Background

The Picturehouse was originally built for the community in 1923 by Ranee Margaret of Sarawack, a lady who loved cinema and used to play the piano there during the silent movies! The cinema thrived for many years and is still remembered with great affection by many locals. Unfortunately, in the late 80s the cinema was no longer a viable business and we believe that’s when the building was taken on by RBWM.

The Cordes Hall, built in the early 1900s, is situated next to the theatre. The hall is held in Trust by the Vicar of St Michael and All Angels, Sunninghill and run by a management committee made up of representatives from the local community. Over the past few years we have been working on a programme to update and improve the facilities at the hall, making it a great venue for the community to enjoy.

Looking ahead, by operating alongside the refurbished Picturehouse Theatre, we will significantly increase the number of spaces available to hire, enabling a larger and more varied range of activities and events to take place in the village.

What would the new Sunninghill Arts & Community Hub offer?

● A vibrant meeting, performing, socialising and entertainment point

● Professional standard theatre, embedded in the local community

● Fully-functional and accessible entertainment venue with versatile hiring spaces and licensed bars

● A home for our thriving local performance groups as well as professional entertainers

● Updated Cordes Hall with more hiring capacity, offering better variety of community activities

● Support and dedicated activities for local young people, the elderly and disadvantaged groups

What type of entertainment can we expect?

● Regular Cinema - building on the success of the Cordes Hall Pop Up - and adapted screenings for special needs audiences

● Amateur and professional live performance

● Comedy nights, concerts, arts festivals, live music and other events

● Local school productions

More diverse programme of fitness and wellbeing activities, capitalising on the increased capacity at the Cordes Hall

How will this support the local community?

● Linking up with local business

● Educational workshops and classes

● Volunteering & work experience opportunities

●Direct & indirect employment opportunities

● Cultural & social enrichment

Funding the project

The funding for the initial phase of the project – the purchase and refurbishment of the theatre – will come from the Sunninghill Trust and ensure the building itself is brought up to modern standards.

Fundraising generated from this campaign group will be used to cover the costs of the internal fit-out of the theatre and ensuring the necessary refurbishments are made to the Cordes Hall to enable both venues to operate as one hub.

Support for the project

A number of groups have expressed enthusiasm around supporting the project including:

• Cordes Hall Trustees and Management Committee

• Local businesses

• Local schools

• Local performance groups

• Local residents

• St Michael and All Angels Church

• Our local Parish and Borough Councillors