Gaumont Oldham
53 King Street,
Oldham,
OL8 1EU
53 King Street,
Oldham,
OL8 1EU
2 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Gaumont-British Picture Corp., Ltd., Hyams & Gale, Rank Organisation
Architects: Ernest Simister, Thomas Taylor
Previous Names: Grand Theatre & Opera House, Grand Theatre, Astoria Theatre
Nearby Theaters
A large live theatre located on the corner of King Street and Union Street, the Grand Theatre and Opera House was designed by London based architects Thomas Taylor & Ernest Simister. The exterior was built in terra-cota & brick. Seating was provided in orchestra stalls, dress circle and gallery levels. The proscenium was 32 feet wide.
It was almost totally rebuilt in 1937 by Gaumont Super Cinemas (formerly Hyams & Gale), headed by the Hyams brothers of London. Only the outer walls survived untouched, with the corner entrance given a modern look - the multi-leveled interior with boxes were transformed into a 1930’s stalls and balcony cinema seating 1,842. It was equipped with a Wurlitzer 3 manual 8 Ranks organ.
It was taken over fully by Gaumont British Theatres in 1944 and closed as a cinema by the Rank Organisation in 1961. It was briefly re-named Astoria Theatre, and The Beatles appeared here several times. In 1962 it was converted into a a bowling alley and then a nightclub in 1973, with a snooker club operating in the former foyer space. Closed for several years, in 2011 the building was converted into a roller derby centre known as the Thunderdome, who moved out in 2020.
It was announced in April 2023 that the building was proposed for demolition.
Contributed by
Ian Grundy
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Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
The architect of the Grand Theatre and Opera House was local architect Thomas Taylor with ‘a leading London architect’? It was built and opened in 1908.
The nightclub has closed and the former Gaumont is due to be demolished.
Exterior photo here:–
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Another exterior here:–
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A vintage view of the Grand Theatre in 1911:
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The Wurlitzer organ from the Gaumont Oldham is now installed in the Victoria Hall,Saltaire,West Yorkshire, the organ is owned by the Cinema Organ Society and concerts are presented by the Northern District every 2nd Sunday of each month, for further information please visit www.cosnorth.co.uk
This building is not unused! It has been home of a roller derby team since 2011 called the Rainy City Roller Girls who compete across the UK and Europe. Two of our skaters are also on Team England so the Gaumont lives again, but now it’s called The Thunderdome!
Our next home game is on August 16th, so you’re welcome to come and pay a visit to see how it’s changed!
www.rcrg.co.uk for more details
Apparently the old Osborne cinema on Oldham road and Birt street was also ThunderDome so did they move from the Osborne in 2010 when it was demolished?
Well it finally looks set to be demolished this article is from the Oldham chronicle dated 26th April 2023 https://www.theoldhamtimes.co.uk/news/23480511.historic-oldham-building-demolished-new-plans/?fbclid=IwAR2M2DCMF9NLD12Z_GmuWSYtGDkCVDTeNFyMk0xxZn8ZeATTITeI85IWKrc