Empire Music Hall

The date of opening would appear to be 1904. If this is correct, the façade of the building was designed to reflect the Gothic architectural style of the Town Hall (1864, by W H Crossland of Leeds). The Empire stands in Town Hall Square and a curiosity is a speakers’ balcony above the entrance, at balcony level, with access from an arched opening with French windows. Five bays, the outer ones with a pinnacle roof, the central bay, the highest, with a pediment carrying the legend EMPIRE HALL.

The present auditorium dates from c.1904; it has a barrel-vault ceiling, banded with geometrical plaster ornamentation. The original horseshoe shaped balcony was removed in 1930, and a curved balcony, more suitable for cinema, installed. The proscenium was also taken back and enlarged. Some stained glass windows were inserted at this time. Stairs to balcony and foyer areas have a wooded dado, probably the original.

After years as a cinema, the Empire was converted to bingo in the 1950s. The building is now a cafe-bar, utilising only the stalls and stage areas. The balcony is divided off, out of public use, by a drop wall from the ceiling to the balcony front edge. Boxes, two each side, may have been added recently to enhance the theatrical theme, and providing platforms for lighting etc.