Imperial Picture House

The Imperial Picture House was a back-street cinema in a terraced area north west of Burnley, Lancashire town centre. The annual editions of Kinematograph Year Book all record its address as Redruth Street, but it appears to have been on Shale Street at the junction with Redruth Street.

Gannow Pictures Ltd. appear to have been the original owners (Kinematograph Year Boook’s 1928, 1931 and 1935); and this was their only cinema. The Imperial Cinema was opened on 28th January 1921 with “Empire Mission” and “The Prince of Wales Tour of the Empire”. Seating was provided for 746 in the stalls and 366 in the circle. There was a balcony on each side of the proscenium, which in the early days the left-hand side balcony was used by musicians to accompany the silent films. Films were booked at the hall for one show nightly, Mon to Fri, and two on Saturday; with two programmes each week.

It was re-named Imperial Picture House around 1930/1931. Whilst prices were 4d to 1/- in KYB 1928, they rose to 6d to 1/- in KYB 1931, slumping back to 5d to 9d in KYB 1935. The latter has the first mention of capacity: 950 seats. KYB 1931 indicates British Talking Picture (BTP) sound had been installed, which remained the case certainly as far as KYB 1954.

KYB 1937 reports that ownership had passed to New Empire (Burnley) Ltd, with offices at the Empire Burnley, who operated a further eight cinemas in Burnley, plus two in nearby Padiham and a further two in Radcliffe 23 miles south. By KYB 1942 the company had added the Heaton Park cinema in Prestwich, north Manchester, and had moved offices to Rochdale. Prices for the 950 seats at the Imperial Picture House were still 5d to 9d in KYB 1942. KYB 1947 makes no mention of seat prices, though the seat number had risen to 1,072. KYB 1950 adds nothing new.

In KYB 1954 ownership had changed again, to Northern Operators of Pentridge Buildings, Holmes Street, Burnley. Theirs was not a wholesale acquisition of New Empire (Burnley) Ltd, as that company traded on with three cinemas in the town, Northern Operators having seven.

The Imperial Cinema closed on 29th October 1960 with “Carry On Constable” and became a bingo hall. This closed in the early-1990’s and then stood empty. It was set on fire by vandals in the summer of 1995 and was still standing in 1997. It was demolished in August 2006. A development of 24 apartments named Imperial Court now stands on the site.

RJD Associates (North West) Ltd. were responsible for design and project management of the redevelopment of the site. Their website has the following: “There was a large red brick clad building on the site which was the former Imperial Cinema, and this structure had to be demolished prior to work commencing on-site. The existing cinema building was constructed in the early-1920’s and was classified as a building of historical interest, meaning that an archaeological recording had to be taken. There were also asbestos containing materials present within the existing structure, which had to be safely removed prior to demolition work commencing".

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