Hippodrome Theatre
Corporation Street,
Middleton,
M24
Corporation Street,
Middleton,
M24
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: H.D. Moorhouse Circuit
Previous Names: Empire Theatre
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I have very little information on the Hippodrome Middleton. It opened as the Empire Theatre in 1916, seating 915, in stalls and either one or two balconies. It had a large stage with full fly tower.
By 1937 it was operated as a cinema by Victory Pictures (Manchester) Ltd. who were a subsidiary of the H.D. Moorhouse Circuit.
It later became a bingo hall and finally a nightclub which closed in 1997. It stood empty and unused until 2007 when it was demolished. It is believed that much of the interior was stripped/altered for its final use. It was situated on Corporation Street, outside the town centre.
Contributed by
Ian Grundy
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Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
The Theatres Trust ‘Guide to British Theatres’ 1750-1950 lists an Empire Theatre aka Pardoes Theatre Royal operating on Corporation Street, Middleton, Lancashire pre-1910, but states it was demolished after 1912. I believe this did not happen, and it may have just been closed.
In 1919 a new company Empire Theatre & Palace of Varieties was registered and Kinematograph Yearbooks show the Empire Theatre open as a cinema from at least 1924 and operated by Victory Pictures (Manchester) Ltd who were part of the H.D. Moorhouse circuit. It closed as a cinema in 1963 as the Empire Theatre (I can’t find any reference to it being called the Hippodrome Theatre, although it was called Hippo’s Disco when it was a nightclub that closed in 1993)
The Empire / Hippodrome was demolished in 2007.
The history of the Hippodrome is a little confusing but I think I have a brief outline as follows (this may not be 100% accurate):
Firstly a theatre was built on the site of the old Middleton Hall (demolished 1845/46). According to the Manchester Evening News this was called Matthews Pavilion theatre.
Pavilion Theatre (1860-1877) Victoria Theatre (1877-1897) Theatre Royal (1897-1902) Pardoe’s Theatre (1902-1911)
1911 Rebuilt as cinema and theatre
New Empire Theatre (1911-1912) Empire Theatre (1912-1919) Empire Theatre and Palace of Varieties (1919-1927) Empire Theatre (1927-1963)
1963 Empire Theatre closes
Empire Star Bingo and Social Club (1964-?) The Hippodrome nightclub (1988-1997)
The Hippodrome nighclub closed in 1997 and remained derelict until demolition in 2007.