Empire Theatre

The first theatre on the site, the Queen's Theatre, opened on 10 September 1888 on the site of an old manufactory, at a cost of £18,000. The exterior was plain, without ornament, and three stories high. The façade in Commerce Street was of red sandstone in free Renaissance style. It was destroyed by fire in 1894.

Matcham's 1896 exterior was not much more demonstrative, but the auditorium was described by Christopher Brereton in 1982 as 'marvellous...one of the best and least-known examples of Frank Matcham's surviving works'. The gallery started behind and above the rear of the upper circle, in effect forming a separate tier. The balconies were built on the cantilever principle.

A projection box was constructed at the rear of the gallery in 1921, and cine-variety was presented. It later became a full-time cinema, and then a bingo hall from 1966 until 1991. On 31 December 1992 the building was destroyed by fire. Part of the front of house remained but in gutted condition, and although reconstruction behind the facade was considered, eventually in Spring 1997 the remains were removed.

The loss of the Longton Empire a 'three-star sleeping beauty' was one of the most tragic of recent years.