ABC Eccles
52 Church Street,
Eccles,
M30 0DF
52 Church Street,
Eccles,
M30 0DF
5 people
favorited this theater
Showing 51 - 66 of 66 comments
No, Alan Thirlaway was Manager when I first went to Huddersfield, then when he retired, Roger Newcombe took over.
No. My ABC career was Wakefield (porjectionist), Huddersfield (Trainee Manager), Eccles (Assistant manager) Manchester District (relief manager).
Was Fred vere still at Huddersfield when you were there?
Don – Did you ever work at the new ABC in Doncaster.
I often wonder what became of Derek. He was at the studios on Oxford Road manchester in 1979 but I lost track of him after that. Strange you sghould have come from the ABC Huddersfield, that’s where I was before i moved to Eccles.
Yes, it was Derek Warner that I relieved for his days off.
(abcman)
Did a two day relief at the ABC Eccles in 1972 when I was Assistant Manager at the ABC Huddersfield.
Richard Roper
(abcman)
Hello Don
I am researching my family tree and I wondered if you knew of my grandmother Phyllis Storey and her sister Elenor Owen who I beleive worked at this cinema in Eccles in the late sixties early seventies. I think they worked as usherettes and on the kisk. If you rember anything about them please could you email me at
Many thanks
Deborah Bhatti
Don, I’m very glad you enjoyed the photo & posted your recollection. That’s why I linked the vintage photo.
Hi Howard
That picture brought back memories, unfortunately by the timne I arrived, the Art Deco chandeliers, the curtains, and , unfortunately, the Organ had been removed. The chandeliers had been relaced by standard ABC ‘starburst’ type chandeliers, and the curtains by a Gold coloured Festoon, with a set of Tabs behind them for stage shows. But apart from being repainted, the auditorium itself was still pretty much the same.
scroll to page 15 for vintage photo of auditorium of this theater. I especially like seeing the Art Deco chandelier!
View link
LOL,
Thats’s what you get for getting involved a cinema/theatre buffs. I am a founder member of the CTA from way back in 1968.
I knew most of the ABC Manchester circuit (misnamed as it covered an area from Liverpool to Hull and from Carlisle to Chester, as I was the manchester Area relief manager, as well as nominal assistant at Eccles. I’ve just been looking at the CTA site, and was amused by the concept of being knighted using a Carbon (wass it positive or negative) to the tune of the ABC minors song.
Don;
I was with ABC’s rival circuit The Rank Organisation in the mid to late 1960’s. After doing relief manager work mainly in the Midlands; Birmingham area I get to be Manager at the Royal Hippodrome Theatre, Liverpool, built as a variety theatre in 1896, bcame a cinema in 1929 and seated 3,000. It is now demolished.
I have lived in London for 36 years! I did get to know managers and assistant managers from other circuits when travelling around, but as time goes by you loose contact. I didn’t know Kevin or Derek, just have references to them in a book I have on Eccles cinemas and thought it might stir a memory for you!
That’s right I started as kevin’s Assistant, then he left to join the Insurance Industry, and derek, a local lad who had gone down to manage the ABC Banbury came up and took over. Last I heard of derek, he was managing the Unit 4 at Hyde.
The Broadway Theatre opened on 30th July 1932 and the opening film was Sydney Howard starring in “Up for the Cup”. The theatre was equipped with a Christie 3Manual theater pipe organ which was opened by Thomas Dando.
Don;
I have a note here that the last manager of the Broadway (from 1968 until it closed in March 1974) was Derek Warner who had taken over from Kevin Uttley.
I was assistant manager of this cinema in the late 60s, it was a magnificent building and a wonderful cinema.