Longford Cinema

Last updated

Longford Cinema
LongfordCinema2007640.jpg
Longford Cinema, May 2007
Greater Manchester UK location map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Trafford
Former namesLucky 7, The Top Rank Club, The Essoldo Cinema
Alternative namesRank Bingo
General information
StatusClosed
Architectural styleArt Deco
Address1122A Chester Road, Stretford, Manchester, M32 0HA
Town or cityStretford
CountryGreat Britain
Coordinates 53°26′46.7″N2°18′21.9″W / 53.446306°N 2.306083°W / 53.446306; -2.306083
Elevation29.1 m (95 ft)
Opened12th October 1936;87 years ago (12th October 1936)
Closedc. December 1995
Design and construction
Architect(s)Henry Elder
Architecture firmRoberts, Wood and Elder
DeveloperJackson and Newport
Main contractorNormantons Ltd
Website
longfordcinema.co.uk

Longford Cinema is a former cinema in Stretford, Manchester. It is also known as The Longford Essoldo, The Top Rank Club, and "The Cash Register".

Designed by the architect Henry Elder, it was the height of Art Deco fashion when it was opened by the Mayor of Stretford on 12 October 1936. [1] The unusual "cash register" shaped frontage was intended to symbolise the business aspect of show business. [2] The Longford's debut feature was Tudor Rose starring Nova Pilbeam. [3]

The building incorporated many modern features, such as sound-proofing and under-seat heating, [4] and it was also the first cinema in Britain to make use of concealed neon lighting. It had a seating capacity of 1,400 in the stalls and 600 in the circle, with a further 146 seats in the café area. [2] The foyer featured large murals by Frederick Harry Baines depicting contemporary cinema scenes. [5] [6] When built, the cinema had a short pedestrian approach to the facade, but this was removed when the A56 was widened.

During the Second World War the building was used for concerts, including one given by a young Julie Andrews. [4] It also played host to the Hallé Orchestra after the orchestra's own home, the Free Trade Hall, was bombed and severely damaged during the Manchester Blitz of 1940. The orchestra performed twelve concerts at the cinema in the 1942–3 season and more under Barbirolli the following season. [7]

After a change of ownership in 1950, the cinema was renamed the Stretford Essoldo. It continued to operate as a cinema until 1965, when it was converted into a bingo hall, which it remained until its closure in 1995. [4] The building was purchased by a new owner in January 1997 but has remained unused since then. [8] It was designated a Grade II listed building in 1994. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hayes, Hillingdon</span> Human settlement in England

Hayes is a town in west London. Historically situated within the county of Middlesex, it is now part of the London Borough of Hillingdon. The town's population, including its localities Hayes End, Harlington and Yeading, was recorded in the 2021 census as 93,928. It is situated 13 miles (21 km) west of Charing Cross, or 6.5 miles (10.5 km) east of Slough. Hayes is served by the Great Western Main Line, and Hayes & Harlington railway station is on the Elizabeth line. The Grand Union Canal flows through the town centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Hallé</span> Anglo-German pianist and conductor (1819–1895)

Sir Charles Hallé was an Anglo-German pianist and conductor, and founder of The Hallé orchestra in 1858.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chorlton-cum-Hardy</span> Human settlement in England

Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a suburban area of Manchester, England, three miles (4.8 km) southwest of the city centre. Chorlton ward had a population of 14,138 at the 2011 census, and Chorlton Park 15,147.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheffield City Hall</span> Listed building in Sheffield, England

Sheffield City Hall is a Grade II* listed building in Sheffield, England in Barker's Pool, one of the city's central squares. It was built and is owned by Sheffield City Council but is now managed by the Sheffield City Trust, under a 99-year lease and is operated by Sheffield International Venues as a venue for concerts and other events in its various rooms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free Trade Hall</span> Historic building in Manchester, England

The Free Trade Hall on Peter Street, Manchester, England, was constructed in 1853–56 on St Peter's Fields, the site of the Peterloo Massacre. It is now a Radisson hotel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgewater Hall</span> Concert hall in Manchester

The Bridgewater Hall is a concert venue in Manchester city centre, England. It cost around £42 million to build in the 1990s, and hosts over 250 performances a year. It is home to the 165-year-old Hallé Orchestra as well as to the Hallé Choir and Hallé Youth Orchestra and it serves as the main concert venue for the BBC Philharmonic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stretford</span> Town in Greater Manchester, England

Stretford is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It is situated on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Manchester, 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Salford and 4 miles (6.4 km) north-east of Altrincham. Stretford borders Chorlton-cum-Hardy to the east, Moss Side and Whalley Range to the south-east, Hulme to the north-east, Urmston to the west, Salford to the north, and Sale to the south. The Bridgewater Canal bisects the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longsight</span> Suburb of Manchester

Longsight is an inner city area of Manchester, England, 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the city centre, bounded by Ardwick and West Gorton to the north and east; Levenshulme to the south; and Chorlton-on-Medlock, Victoria Park and Fallowfield to the west. Historically in Lancashire, it had a population of 15,429 at the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stretford and Urmston (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1997 onwards

Stretford and Urmston is a constituency in Greater Manchester represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since a 2022 by-election by Andrew Western, a Labour MP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Trafford (area)</span> Area of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England

Old Trafford is an area of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, which borders the cities of Manchester and Salford and is two miles (3.2 km) southwest of Manchester city centre in the historic county of Lancashire. It is roughly delineated by two old toll gates; Brooks's Bar and Trafford Bar, to the east and west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St George's Hall, Bradford</span> Concert hall in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England

St George's Hall is a strategic grade II* listed Victorian building located in the centre of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Originally designed with a seating capacity of 3,500, the hall seats up to 1,335 people and 1,550 for standing concerts. It is one of the oldest concert halls still in use in the United Kingdom. German Jewish wool merchants who had moved to Bradford because of its textile industry, partly financed the building of St George's Hall, and were instrumental in its construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kimpton Clocktower Hotel</span> Historic commercial building in Manchester, England

The Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is a historic commercial building, now a hotel, at the corner of Oxford Street and Whitworth Street in Manchester, England. The building was originally constructed in segments from 1891 to 1932 as the Refuge Assurance Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stockport Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England

Stockport Town Hall is a building in Stockport, England, that houses the government and administrative functions of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. Stockport Town Hall is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Manchester</span> Overview of the culture of Manchester

The Culture of Manchester is notable artistically, architecturally, theatrically and musically. Despite being the 5th largest city in the United Kingdom by population and the second largest conurbation, Manchester has been ranked as the second city of the United Kingdom in numerous polls since the 2000s (decade), with an influential culture scene helping to elevate Manchester's importance in the national psyche. This has helped the city's population grow by 20% in the last decade, and made the universities the most popular choices for undergraduate admission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza Cinema, Stockport</span> Cinema in England

The Plaza is a Grade II* listed art deco single-screen cinema and theatre in Mersey Square, Stockport, England. It opened in 1932, its construction having involved the excavation of the sandstone cliff behind it. After an initial closure in 1966 and a subsequent period in use as a bingo hall by Rank Leiure, it has now been restored as a cinema and theatre, showing films and staging live shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hallé</span> Symphony orchestra based in Manchester, England

The Hallé is an English symphony orchestra based in Manchester, England. Since 1996, the orchestra has been resident at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trafford Town Hall</span> Municipal building in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England

Trafford Town Hall is a neo-classical building in Stretford, Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It is the meeting place of Trafford Council and was originally known as "Stretford Town Hall". The building faces Emirates Old Trafford to the south and is within 500 metres of Manchester United's Football Ground to the north.

Bradford Odeon is the name applied to two different cinemas in central Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. One, in Godwin Street, was built in 1930 and survives; the other, in Manchester Road, was built in 1938 and demolished in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odeon Cinema, Manchester</span> Cinema in Manchester, England

The Odeon Cinema, Manchester was a former Odeon Cinema located on Oxford Street, Manchester, England. It was close to St. Peter's Square, within the Civic Quarter of Manchester city centre. It was demolished in April 2017, and replaced by Landmark, a 14-storey office building, as part of a major transformation of the area.

Stretford is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. The town contains 20 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. All the listed buildings are designated at Grade II, the lowest of the three grades, which is applied to "buildings of national importance and special interest". The town is adjacent to the centre of Manchester, and is partly residential and partly industrial. The Bridgewater Canal and the Manchester Ship Canal run through the town, and there are listed buildings associated with both canals. The other listed buildings include two medieval structures, churches, the entrances to a former botanical garden and to a park, a factory, civic buildings, a former cinema, a hotel, and three war memorials.

References

  1. "Longford (Essoldo) Cinema, Stretford". Chester Cinemas. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  2. 1 2 Rendell, Douglas (1988). Cinemas of Trafford. Jarvis Print Group. p. 55. ISBN   0-9512560-1-7.
  3. "History". Longford and Essoldo Cinema Stretford. 21 March 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 "Longford and Essoldo Cinema Stretford". Longford and Essoldo Cinema Stretford. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  5. Historic England. "THE TOP RANK CLUB (FORMER ESSOLDO CINEMA) (1240376)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  6. "OBITUARY : Harry Baines". The Independent. 14 October 1995. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  7. Kennedy, Michael (1982). The Hallé, 1858-1983: A History of the Orchestra. Manchester University Press. p. 32. ISBN   0719009219.
  8. "History". Longford and Essoldo Cinema Stretford. 21 March 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  9. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1240376)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 27 January 2017.