The Queen's Picture House

The Queen's Picture House is a J D Wetherspoon pub located at 47–49 South Road in Waterloo, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is one of the many individually named pubs in the Wetherspoon estate, and its name preserves the history of the building: the premises were purpose-built in 1913 as The Queen's Picture House cinema, which opened on 17 March 1913 with the silent film His Western Way. The cinema was converted to show 'talkies' in 1930 and continued to operate until 22 August 1959. The building was subsequently occupied by Waterloo Furnishing Stores Ltd, the successor to Pearsons department store, which opened there in 1960. The premises remained empty from 2009 until Wetherspoon converted them into a pub. As a Wetherspoon pub, The Queen's Picture House offers the chain's standard proposition: a wide menu of food and drinks served throughout the day, a focus on value pricing, real-ale festivals, and a large, often historic or architecturally distinctive interior. The pub opens at 8:00am daily and closes at 11:30pm, and provides facilities including Wi-Fi, TV screens, a licensed outside area, baby-changing facilities and step-free access. Customers can order via the Wetherspoon app. The pub is part of J D Wetherspoon plc, the UK pub company founded by Tim Martin in 1979 and floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1992. Wetherspoon is known for converting large, often landmark buildings — former cinemas, banks, theatres and department stores — into pubs, and The Queen's Picture House is a typical example of that strategy. The pub's interior displays prints and text about local history, including material on Captain Edward John Smith and Joseph Bruce Ismay, both connected to the Waterloo area and the RMS Titanic. The Queen's Picture House serves the local community in Waterloo and the wider Sefton area of Merseyside, and it participates in Wetherspoon's twice-yearly real-ale festivals and seasonal menus, such as the autumn beer festival and the Christmas menu.

The building at 47–49 South Road, Waterloo, Liverpool, was purpose-built in 1913 as The Queen's Picture House cinema. It opened on 17 March 1913 with the silent black-and-white film His Western Way, directed by Romaine Fielding. In 1930 the cinema was converted to show 'talkies', and it continued to operate as the Queens cinema until 22 August 1959. After the cinema closed, the premises were occupied by Waterloo Furnishing Stores Ltd, the successor to Pearsons department store, which opened there in 1960. The building later became vacant and remained empty from 2009. The site was subsequently acquired and converted into a pub by J D Wetherspoon plc, which named it The Queen's Picture House in reference to the building's original use. Wetherspoon, founded by Tim Martin in 1979 and floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1992, has a long history of converting large, often historic buildings into pubs, and The Queen's Picture House follows that pattern. The pub's interior includes prints and text about local history, notably about Captain Edward John Smith, commander of the RMS Titanic, who lived in the sea captains' villas in Marine Crescent in Waterloo, and Joseph Bruce Ismay. As part of the Wetherspoon estate, the pub participates in the company's twice-yearly real-ale festivals, seasonal menus such as the Christmas menu, and the Wetherspoon app ordering system. It serves the Waterloo and Sefton area of Merseyside.

• 2009

  The premises become empty and remain vacant.

• 1960

  Waterloo Furnishing Stores Ltd, successor to Pearsons department store, opens at the premises.

• 1959

  The Queens cinema closes on 22 August.

• 1930

  The cinema is converted to show 'talkies'.

• 1913

  The Queen's Picture House cinema opens on 17 March with the silent film His Western Way.

• J D Wetherspoon converts the building into a pub named The Queen's Picture House.

Value-focused community pub within the J D Wetherspoon chain, housed in a historic former cinema building.

• Real ale

• Craft beer

• Pub food

• Breakfast

• Burgers

• Spritz cocktails

• Christmas menu

1. 1The Queen's Picture House - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
2. 2History - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
3. 3The Queen's Picture House - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
4. 4About us - J D Wetherspoonjdwetherspoon.com
5. 5The Queen's Picture Housewikidata.org