Plaza Theatre

Built in 1932, plans were drawn by architect Thomas Thornley, but the Ambassador Circuit wanted it to be similar to their Regal Super Cinema, Altrincham designed by architectural firm Drury & Gomersall. Thomas Thorney was given the task to amend his designs to match the Drury & Gomersall designs and D & G agreed, so long as their name was not given as architects. The Plaza Super Cinema first opened its doors to the public on Saturday, October 8th, 1932 with a charity show for Stockport Infirmary. The original seating capacity was 1,878, in stalls and circle levels. The films shown were Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in “Jailbirds” and Gene Gerrard and Jessie Matthews in “Out of the Blue”.

Early programmes were a mix of cinema and live performance, or ‘prologues’ as they were known. The Plaza Super Cinema was equipped with a Compton 3Manual/11Rank theatre organ which has an illuminated surround on the console. The opening organist was Cyril Chadwick. It is still played today. There is a café/restaurant located on the circle lounge level.

The Plaza Super Cinema was later taken over by the Read, Snape & Ward Circuit. This was followed by the G.B. Snape Circuit who closed the cinema in 1966, and like so many others, became a bingo hall when it was purchased by Mecca Bingo. After 34 years as a Mecca Bingo hall, the Plaza Theatre was reopened as a cinema and theatre in October 2000.

In early-2009, it was closed for a full renovation and refurbishment, both externally and internally. Costing £3.2 million, false ceilings inserted in the 1960’s have been removed, and original plasterwork revealed again. The café/restaurant has been restored.

The Plaza Theatre reopened on 11th December 2009 with a cine/variety show, similar to its original 1932 opening show. The main film was “Gold Diggers of 1933”, with Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy in “Towed in a Hole” plus soprano Marilyn Hill-Smith leading a tribute to Gracie Fields with the Plaza Orchestra, and Richard Hills playing the Compton organ. Seating is now provided for 614 in the stalls, 318 in the front circle and 254 in the balcony(rear circle). The decorative details in the café/restaurant area have been beautifully restored, after years of being hidden behind false panels.

The Plaza Theatre was upgraded from a Grade II to a Grade II* Listed building in 2000.

Recent comments (view all 19 comments)

abcman on December 18, 2009 at 7:31 am

Great pics.Thanks Ian for putting them on.

AdoraKiaOra on December 18, 2009 at 5:39 pm

Great exciting article from Stockport Express.
View link

Ian on December 19, 2009 at 4:12 am

The great thing with this theatre is that the people working there LOVE the building and are so proud of it – this really is apparent to visitors.

The work just completed is not the end of the restoration – new projects are still in the pipeline to further enhance the Plaza. This one of just a handful of “super-cinemas” remaining in the UK where you can still enjoy a movie with full 1930’s atmosphere.

Ian on December 22, 2009 at 12:58 am

Four more images from the same day as the ones above:-
Paybox:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stagedoor/4205090039/
Organ:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stagedoor/4205089851/
Stage:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stagedoor/4205849396/
View from rear stalls:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stagedoor/4205090209/

Ian on April 18, 2010 at 1:36 am

To contrast with the above pictures, here are two photos of the Plaza as a Mecca Bingo Hall, taken in 1988:–

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stagedoor/4530010271/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stagedoor/4530643246/

NThomson on March 19, 2012 at 12:47 pm

Following a recent visit to the Plaza, I`ve never seen such a beautiful theatre..

DavidRayner1947 on August 26, 2016 at 11:46 am

In a way, the Plaza was the Odeon of Stockport, as it ran the current Rank releases at the same time as the Rank Odeon’s.

Ian on September 28, 2018 at 12:53 am

Some more recent images following further restoration to the circle area – taken August 2018:–

EXTERIOR

ORGAN

STAGE FROM STALLS

AUDITORIUM FROM BALCONY

AUDITORIUM FROM STAGE

HowardBHaas on April 3, 2024 at 3:44 am

Prominently featured, exterior & interior including the balcony/circle and stage in new 3 part TV series “Nolly” In 2011, I had the pleasure of visiting this fantastic, restored Art Deco movie palace, when I visited Manchester for a few days. I saw an awesome, local, live production of “My Fair Lady” The website today has a list of regular films: classic, new, and a film festival, and specifies that people can get discounts via a film membership. The Plaza Stockport is an incredible gem, honoring its heritage and community in every which way!

Stephen Lynch on August 26, 2024 at 3:40 pm

During my recent research into the original owners for a booklet about the Ambassador in Salford, I discovered that the Plaza was the final new-build cinema constructed by the Ambassador Cinema Circuit. Remarkably, it is also the last remaining building from that circuit still in existence today. The very first was the Ambassador Super Cinema, which opened in Salford in 1928.