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Bright rows of seats in a screen at the Montrose Playhouse.
Angus

Montrose Playhouse

A community cinema in Montrose's old swimming baths of 1932, reopened by local volunteers in 2021 with three screens and a cafe bar.

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Welcome

On the Mall in Montrose stands a building of 1932 that was, for most of its life, the town's swimming baths.

When a new pool opened elsewhere in 2012 it stood empty, until a Montrose-born designer, David Paton, posted a drawing online of how it might become a cinema, and the town took up the idea.

Volunteers raised the money, the council sold them the building for a pound, and after years of work the Playhouse opened on 8 October 2021 with the Bond film No Time to Die. Inside, where the pool once was, there are now three screens with bright, comfortable seats, a cafe bar lit in neon, and spaces for exhibitions and learning.

It is run as a community cinema, showing new films and old favourites every day, and in its first six months it welcomed tens of thousands of visitors.

Close byThe Funky Wee TeapotA fully gluten-free cafe and pottery painting studio in Montrose, run by Donna and Graeme Taylor, with classes, family sessions and cake.2 min by roadSee itThe painted front of the Funky Wee Teapot ceramic painting studio in Montrose.
Before you go

Films every day; the programme and tickets are on the Playhouse's site.

Where
The Mall, Montrose DD10 8NN.
Screens
Three, with a cafe bar.
Where it is

On the Mall in Montrose.

Close byMontrose.
  1. Tables and shelves of books in Ink & Quill, Montrose.Ink & Quill BookshopUnder a mile2 min by road
  2. The shopfront of Lilybank Bakehouse on Montrose High Street.Lilybank BakehouseA sourdough bakery on Montrose High Street, grown from a home micro-bakery, baking bread, buns and pastries with local organic flour.Under a mile3 min by road
  3. RAF Tornado ZD744 stored in a hangar with squadron crests on the wallMontrose Air Station MuseumBritain's first operational military airfield, 1913.Under a mile3 min by road
  4. Rusted boat rests beneath the brick arches of a river viaductMontrose BasinA tidal basin of pink-footed geese.2 miles5 min by road
  5. Wet sand stretches towards a distant lighthouse on the headlandScurdie Ness LighthouseThe lighthouse of 1870 at the river mouth.3 miles11 min by road
Directions
The painted front of the Funky Wee Teapot ceramic painting studio in Montrose.CafeThe Funky Wee Teapot0.4 miles
Restaurant tables laid with cutlery beneath hanging plants, overlooking coastal dunes at duskRestaurantsRoo's Leap0.6 miles
The window of Tomorrow Is Another Day on George Street, Montrose.CafeTomorrow Is Another Day0.6 miles
Two golfers on a coastal tee, one mid-swing overlooking a sandy bayAttractionsMontrose Golf Links0.6 miles
Black Labrador carrying a stick across a bowling green near a pavilionShoppingThe Flower Pavilion1.3 miles
Dunninald Castle, its turrets and pinnacles above a green lawn.AttractionsDunninald Castle and Gardens3.2 miles
Sandstone mansion with columned entrance, chimneys and flag against a cloudy skyAttractionsHouse of Dun3.8 miles
Stone arched bridge spanning a wide river beneath a cloudy blue skyAttractionsBridge of Dun4.3 miles
Whisky casks marked "Arbikie Highland Estate 2022" stacked in rows inside a warehouseAttractionsArbikie Distillery5.3 miles
Stay nearby

Places to stay near the cinema, and when each is next free.

Timber cabin with metal roof and decking surrounded by woodland treesNorth Lodge and River Cabin
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Banchory
  • 18 miles from the Playhouse
Free 11–13 NovA stone farmhouse covered in climbing ivy stands behind a gravel drive, seen through overhanging pine branches.Cuttieshillock
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Strachan
  • 18 miles from the Playhouse
Free 16–18 OctA stone cottage with dormer windows sits behind a low blue gate, a rose-covered archway framing the front door.Gamekeeper’s Cottage
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Strachan
  • 18 miles from the Playhouse
Free 2–4 NovA stone steading with a slated pyramid roof and a chimney stands behind a green nameplate sign, a chair visible through the window.No 2 Steading Cottage at Glendye
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Strachan
  • 18 miles from the Playhouse
Free 18–20 OctPlaces to stayEvery stay in AngusAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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