Storyhouse

Housed within the restored shell of a 1930s Odeon cinema, Storyhouse has transformed one of Chester’s best-known landmarks into a lively public building for theatre, cinema, and reading. Open twelve hours a day, it brings together spaces for performance, film and learning under one roof, reimagining how a city library can be used and experienced.

At its core, the project celebrates storytelling in all its forms. A 500-seat main theatre with flytower, a flexible studio, and a single-screen cinema are interwoven with a city library that threads more than 700 metres of bookshelves through every level. This fusion of uses has re-established Chester’s cultural life after a decade without a theatre or cinema.

Stripping back the subdivided interior revealed the full volume of the original auditorium and its distinctive art deco plasterwork, now restored as a defining feature of the new building. The new 100-seat cinema occupies a mezzanine above the café and bar, allowing the ground floor to act as a welcoming social hub.

By adapting rather than replacing, the project preserves the Odeon’s architectural character while creating a vibrant contemporary venue that reconnects culture, community and place at the heart of the city.