The Victoria Pavillion as it was then known, opened its doors to the public on 17 July 1897 designed to be both a grand variety theatre and a concert hall. Built at a cost of nearly £100,000, it was designed by Mangnall & Littlewood from Manchester with interiors by Dean and Co, including tiling covering the walls and ceiling of the lavish foyer by Burmantoft of Leeds. Marble steps led the public upstairs to the lavish Grand Circle with the third tier known locally as the Gods, with bench seating
Image Copyright Historic England Archive
From classical to pop music, extraordinary magical acts such as Koringa and Chung Ling Soo, the theatre was truly the People’s Palace, with two shows daily in the summer season and pantomime in the festive season. Now we are open for private events, ghost tours and Saturday and Sunday during the summer months for guided tours, afternoon tea and music from our resident organist. The building is completely run by volunteers and every penny spent goes back towards the running costs and restoration of this Grade II* marvel.
The magnificent auditorium with its roof span of 118 feet and height of 65 feet is still one of the largest in the country. A masterpiece of Victorian engineering, the fibrous plaster ornamental ceiling is hung from a skeleton of girders originally supplied by the Widnes Foundry and fabricated by Andrew Handyside & Co, Britannia Works, Derby. Feel free to visit us during the summer months and take in its magnificent history
Image Copyright Historic England Archive
Reserved for the highest price tickets, the Grand Circle is currently undergoing restoration and our Take Your Seat campaign is fundraising to restore the original seating back within our building. With a grant from Historic England, the fibrous plaster ceiling under which the Circle is situated will be restored later this year and viewing is only by guided tours from our experienced volunteers.
A member of the Theater Historical Society of America (THS)
Known locally as the Gods, the upper circle was reserved for the cheap seats with the bench seating only being replaced by the current chairs in 1953. Our weekly tours takes you behind the scenes and enables you under close supervision to experience the giddy heights of our impressive building.
A member of the Theater Historical Society of America (THS)
The Theatre is filled to the brim with lavish decorations
