Majestic Cinema
95 Mill Street,
Macclesfield,
SK11 6NH;
95 Mill Street,
Macclesfield,
SK11 6NH;
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: J.F. Emery Circuit
Functions: Bar
Styles: Art Nouveau
Nearby Theaters
A handsome 1,022 seat cinema with a distinctive tower faced in white faiance tiles, opened in Mill Street Macclesfield on 21st December 1922 with Harold Lloyd in “A Sailor Made Man”. It was built for Macclesfield Majestic Picturehouse Ltd. and had a small stage which was used throughout the life of the Majestic for variety and local amateur productions. There was also a cafe in the building. In 1932 and 1933 it was booked by the J.F. Emery Circuit. By 1964 the capacity had fallen to 962, and was further reduced to around 700 by the 1990’s.
The Majestic Cinema outlasted all the other cinemas in the town and finally closed on 2nd April 1998 with “The Man in the Iron Mask”. There was considerable outcry at the loss of the Majestic and the Council considered buying the cinema for continued cinema and theatre use, but in the end concluded at facilities elsewhere would be preferable. It was even put forward for Listed Building status, but was turned down by English Heritage.
A council report on the sale of the cinema in April 1997 stated:- ‘The cinema was the last one to survive in Macclesfield and the seating capacity of approximately 700 had also made it the largest venue for theatrical promotions in the town, although the backstage facilities were not ideal for such productions. The majority use of the building in recent times had been as a cinema, supplemented by two productions a year by the Majestic Theatre Group of one week each, and the occasional one night show’.
Much of the auditorium was demolished in summer 2000 to form a complex of bars and accommodation, but the landmark tower survives as the entrance to one of the bars.
Contributed by
Ian Grundy
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
Photo of the former Majestic (June 2008) here:–
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in 2010, the new building to the right is where the auditorium was demolished
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/5068894837/
shaunyt. This photo was taken by me when the Majestic was still operating as a cinema.
My brother Derrick Thorley was manager here till it closed in 2000
Both the staff at Cinemac and a waiter at Revolution tell me the balcony survives above the restaurant/bar and is locked off.
The cinema’s café survived until 1970 and was replaced by the Mezzanine Bar
All is not lost, in a spectacular (but fortunate) failure of imagination the developers only used the auditorium as flat ground. They took out the shop and foyer between the street and the auditorium, took out the slope of the stalls and built the kitchens and toilets there, leaving the auditorium space above (as mentioned by Buffer). The pub was built up in the space cleared by demolition, and fortunately of course they kept the tower. In the picture you can see the surviving auditorium and windows into the projection room. As a result, if someone was minded to, it could be the basis of a more viable cinema/theatre/catering venue than the original cinema itself. Just wish I could do it!