Stealing the show: Explore Castleford's abandoned Picture House ahead of its multi-million pound refurbishment

The Castleford landmark, The Picture House, on Station Road, opened as a luxury theatre and ballroom in 1921, seating up to 1,200 people.

The first movie shown was 1920s melodrama “Pollyanna”, starring Mary Pickford.

The cinema was independently operated until 1962, with local man, Stan Fletcher, working as the chief projectionist prior to becoming the manager of the theatre.

The last movie to be shown before its closure was “Follow That Dream”, starring Elvis Presley.

Leeds-based chain Star Cinemas, owned by the Eckhart Brothers, took over the site and converted it into a bingo club, which opened in 1964.

After this, the building changed many times over the years, known at one point or another as The Grosvenor, Jimmy's, Legends, Harley's, Ikon, Bliss, The Orange House, Shout, and even Chinese restaurant, Hou Kong.

Most recently, the site reopened as a pub called The Picture House, a throwback to its original use, as well as the nightclub Mansion on the upper floors.

The building on Station Road was the target of a suspected arson attack five years ago, in 2017, leading to it being neglected and abandoned.

However, a year later, it was purchased at auction in October 2018 by property developer Am Karvani, who had plans to restore it, pledging a £1m investment.

He had hoped to transform the upstairs of the building into a gym, while downstairs his vision included an Italian restaurant and cocktail bar.

However, the building was bought once again, last year, with Wakefield Council granting planning permission to build 25 apartments after it was bought at auction by developers Jordan Buchan and Natalie Hulse.

The £2.2m eco-friendly project began in February and is expected to take 15 months to complete.

Look through these 24 photos of The Picture House taken by popular Yorkshire urban explorer, Lost Places and Forgotten Faces.