New hall puts trendy food in the picture

THE wait is finally over as Macclesfield’s old Picturedrome cinema reopened as a trendy food and drink hall this week.

Doors opened at the converted building, on Chestergate, at midday on Tuesday, October 29, with visitors eager to see what was inside.

The answer is a bustling canteen with nine kitchens and stalls and two bars surrounding a communal seating area.

Among them are steak specialists Tender Cow, fish bar Fin and sourdough pizzeria Honest Crust as well as a bar from Reserve Wines and a chocolate shop from Sam Joseph.

Picturedrome Macclesfield is run by Market Operations, led by Nick Johnson, which is behind Mackie Mayor in Manchester centre and the food hall at Altrincham Market.

A chalkboard sign outside says: “Picturedrome is the third spiritual sister in the Market Operations family.

“Home to over seven outstanding kitchens, a coffee shop, chocolatier, craft beer bar, and wine bar and merchant, Picturedrome is an attempt to enrich lives by providing high-quality, everyday food in a social setting – where families, friends, and strangers get together around shared tables and ‘break bread’.

“If we can win our way into Macclesfield hearts we hope we can return the favour and become the beating heart of this great and ‘proper’ town and find out part into its noble history.”

The Picturedrome was built in 1911 and originally used as a cinema and became a bingo hall in the 1970s, before being offices.

Market Operations directors Nick Johnson and Jenny Thompson secured planning permission last year to turn the building into a food hall modelled on their successful Manchester and Altrincham sites.

The new hall is seen as an important part of the regeneration of Macclesfield town centre.

Among those to welcome the new venture on its Facebook page was Christine Colbert, who said: “This will be something special for Macclesfield and I’ll definitely be a regular.” converted to