Sunderland Empire

Built as a large variety theatre and in excellent condition inside and out. The style of the auditorium is typical of the Milburns’ earlier work, and an important comparison can be made between this theatre and their West Hartlepool Empire Theatre (dem) built two years later in 1909. Here the auditorium layout was highly reminiscent of Sunderland, which now seems to be the only example of this phase of their work. Wide auditorium with two deep, slightly curved balconies, two very big, almost overbearing boxes with elaborately tiered cupolas facing the audience at upper balcony levels, and dress circle slips which rake steeply down the side of the auditorium wall. At each side of the first balcony is a little six-bay arcade with four of the bays made into boxes. Rectangular proscenium with a large, flat tablet above the centre. The ceiling has very high coves over the proscenium and at the sides, divided into panels by strips of moulding. Heavily modelled and sparsely applied Baroque plasterwork. The exterior is mostly hidden behind the frontages of the main street, but above the corner entrance is a big, circular, domed tower with a boldly projecting cornice and oeil-de-boeuf dormers. The tower was surmounted with a revolving sphere which bore the figure of Terpsichore the Greek Goddess of dance. The original was removed during WWII and a replica had to be taken down in early January 2015 after it was dislodged by high winds. Beyond the tower, along the side, is an unexpectedly charming series of Arts and Crafts bow windows in the upper floor. The Empire was purchased by the Sunderland Corporation in 1960 - one of the first local authorities to take the initiative of giving a new lease of life to an ailing commercial touring theatre. Since then it has undergone a number of refurbishments. In 2004, the installation of a larger flat stage, an increase in the height of the fly tower and enhanced technical facilities resulted in the Sunderland Empire being capable of staging large-scale touring productions. Further renovations in 2017 saw improvements to bar and restaurant areas, repairs to the facade and the return of the restored statue of Terpsichore to her original place at the top of the 27 metre tower. For the Milburns’ quite different later work, see the Empires in Edinburgh (now the Festival Theatre), Southampton (now the Mayflower), Liverpool and, in London, the Dominion.