Crowsteps and pantiles conceal a modern auditorium whose Art Deco and Classical language brought inter-war cinema to North Street.
Quick facts
- Date
- Built 1931; alterations 1936 and 1960; major adaptation completed 2025
- Architect / designer
- Gillespie and Scott; later adaptation for T-Squared Social
- Type
- Inter-war cinema combining East Neuk vernacular, Classical and Art Deco forms
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB51110)
- OS grid reference
- NO 50789 16890
Architecture and continuing use
A projecting arched loggia fronts a crowstepped, pantiled façade designed to fit St Andrews’ streetscape. Behind it, a bow-fronted auditorium, foyers and surviving decorative panels express the scale and glamour of early sound cinema.
Its story
Gillespie and Scott designed the cinema in 1931 and made later alterations. It closed as an independent cinema in 2024, was adapted as T-Squared Social, and reopened in 2025 with food, sport and entertainment while retaining film screenings.
Why it is included
The building offers an unusually layered case of architectural accommodation: modern cinema, historic-town design and contested contemporary reuse.
What to notice
- Classical round-arched entrance loggia.
- Crowstepped gable and red pantiles facing North Street.
- The larger auditorium mass rising discreetly behind the street front.
Reading the surroundings
This is a commercial venue. Check current cinema times and opening hours, use only customer areas and respect staff directions and private events.
Timeline
- Built 1931 Gillespie and Scott designed the cinema in 1931 and made later alterations. It closed as an independent cinema in 2024, was adapted as T-Squared Social, and reopened in 2025 with food, sport and entertainment while retaining film screenings.
- Present T-Squared Social sports, dining and entertainment venue retaining an operational cinema.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
Internal arrangements changed substantially during the 2024–2025 adaptation; surviving original decorative features should be described only where visible and authorised.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: New Picture House, LB51110 — Designation status, mapped location, construction phases, fabric, authorship and architectural or historical interest.
- T-Squared Social: New Picture House cinema — Current venue use, retained cinema, address and opening information.
- Cinema St Andrews: the New Picture House opens — Source-linked account of the 1930 opening and contemporary reception.
Location
OS grid reference NO 50789 16890 · Location confidence: High: the statutory designation supplies an official mapped National Grid Reference and the current source confirms the Place relationship or present identity. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
Suggest a marker correction
Suggest a more accurate position
The teal marker is the current published position. The orange marker starts slightly to its right so both remain visible; this is only a visual starting position. Tap the correct place on the map or drag the orange marker. Sending this form creates a private review entry only; it does not move the published marker.
Check this area in Google Maps Choose the Satellite layer there if useful.
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors. You can also enter checked coordinates below.