Empire

The Empire Theatre, Loftus, of uncertain date (probably about World War I), is situated on a back street corner on the edge of this small mining town. It is built on a steeply sloping site giving the auditorium far greater height than appears from the street. There is a small stage area with a very slightly raised tower. It ceased to be used as a cinema in 1964, became a bingo house and is now used for storage. Extremely plain design externally with a corrugated asbestos roof and brick walls. Rectangular auditorium with triangular foyer tapering away at stage end. Seating was in two areas, the raked front stalls and a steeply stepped rear stalls (the better seats) - a fairly basic stadium plan separated by a barrier and aisle. The better positioned 818-seat Regal Cinema in Loftus also had a stage but the auditorium was demolished many years ago and the long derelict foyer was finally cleared in 1996.