Picture House Rhuthun/Ruthin

18 months of hard graft have paid off for the proprietors of Rhuthun’s new Picture House Restaurant, Well Street, which opened on Thursday.

Without being gaudy, the interior’s been restored and redecorated to a very high standard, echoing the former picture house dating from the mid-1920s. Retained is the cinema barrel roof, a feature of picture houses of that era. The wall coverings all say 1930s and the black & silver chez longe in the foyer hints at Hollywood elegance.

The project has been a long one. There was much more work to complete than first imagined, including foundation work, damp proofing, and the building of a first floor with office and toilets towards the Well Sreet side.

A central walkway slopes gently from the front to the bar area (where the screen once was), allowing movement without interrupting diners on raised areas to either side. There’s a clear view southward from an open aspect at the rear, across fields and with the line of the former Denbigh, Ruthin & Corwen railway to its left. It's a reminder that behind Well Street we are blessed with fields.

The food’s good, too, as you might expect from the people who had the original idea for Off the Square, before Stephanie Booth bought the Castle Hotel. The owners endeavour to use local produce and state that they can guarantee traceability of their meat, poultry, fish and fresh products.

The Picture House Restaurant complements rather than competes with the array of eating places in the town. Indeed, its atmosphere offers something different.