Cannon Huddersfield
Queensgate,
Huddersfield,
HD1 2RB
Queensgate,
Huddersfield,
HD1 2RB
4 people
favorited this theater
Showing 14 comments
LOL! Great story.
One of my old bosses, the late John McIntosh told me that the building had two fires in its lifetime, the first resulting in the loss of the ‘upper circle’ and the second saw the ‘circle’ removed. The place was then reconstructed as one of Essoldo’s ‘luxury’ venues all on one floor and very comfortable it was with all the technical side being (at the time) ‘top notch’ with Fedi projectors, 70mm, 6 track etc. (same as Newcastle).
I may as well tell the story the ABC staff told me that at the time of the second fire, the Essoldo (as it then was) was showing a James Bond film ( I am guessing ‘You Only Live Twice’ given the year 1967) and enjoying full houses whilst the ABC was playing something that was attracting meagre audiences (probably an ABPC release). The Assistant Manager in charge of the ABC said jokingly to the staff as they were leaving at the end of the show: “Someone throw an oily rag on the Essoldo as they go past!”. Well, that night it went up in smoke! What a coincidence!
For the two years or so that the Essoldo was out of action the ABC picked up the best of the Rank product in addition to its own. The Princess did not apply for temporary first run and the other remaining cinema, the Empire, played its own variety of mainly ‘X’ rated ‘exploitation’ fare.
Two photos uploaded.
My father Philip Bradley managed the cinema for a number of years up to it’s closure and I have some great memories of time spent at the cinema.
Another exterior shot from 2009:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stagedoor/3933714762/
Wow what a blast from the past! I can remember working here as a volunteer in the early to mid 80’s. Then the manager was a great friend Philip Bradley whome I would love to be able to contact if possible. I do have photo’s somewhere of the projection room at the time with Peter Quinn head projectionist who sadly died. Every Thursday i would be the one in all weathers changing posters and letters above the canopy on classic one and number 2 on Zetland street. If anyone from that era remembers me it would be great to here from you, if anyone else would like any info about the cinema at that time please ask, I got to know the place quite well.
indeed the cinema did re open for a while in 1993…..I seem to remember it was open for more than twelve months maybe three years.
It was run by two lads David Hepworth and Colin Platt under a company called Page Media Limited. They also took on the running of the Palace Cinmea Malton and I worked for them at the Palace as Manager / Projectionist. I left in 95 after a falling out but the Palace went on for a further Twelve months until the Tudor Huddersfield closed and the company went into administration.
The Palace Malton reopened five years later run I believe by two university media studies graduates and is still open and just holding its own!
Point taken Ian
If you compare this photograph, taken in 1994 by myself,
View link
with this photograph taken more recently:
View link
it is very clear that the fly-tower has been reduced in height.
Adendum: Ive got it wrong when the cinema briefly reopened in 1993/4 it tokk on the name of TUDOR- not Essoldo as said above.
The Hippodrome Theatre was one of Huddersfields two variety theatres, the other being the Palace (also still standing) which operated in nearby Kirkgate. Even after it reopened as The Tudor, it continued to offer some live shows, the last to my knowledge being a Dusty Springfield concert in the early 1960’s. When Classic cinemas took it over in 1972, a cinema showing ‘adult films’ and called The Tatler- was opened on the former theatre stage area. It did not finally close as a Cannon Cinema, and infact operated as an independant cinema for about a year in 1993/4, when the name of Essoldo was restored albeit for a brief period. The proprietor infact hosted Huddersfield first Lesbian & Gay film festival at the venue, which included a showing of the newly released ‘Pricilla Queen Of The Desert’ as a ‘lighter offering’.As a note, the 1967 fire resulted in the destruction of the auditorium only, to my knowledge the ‘fly tower’ was never reduced in height, and the stage remained undamaged. If one observes the structure from Back Queen Street, it is possible to see the roof line that origionally existed above the hippodromes gallery. Up to about 15 years ago if one observed the building from the heights of the central services tower at the university of Huddersfield it was possible to see the words ‘Hippodrome’ painted in big white letters accross the roof of the flytower
Photo of the Cannon whilst still a cinema here:–
http://flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/331949539/
The Cannon Cinema closed on 23rd February 1995.
The Hippodrome Theatre went over to film use as the Tudor Picture House on 6th October 1930, operated by Northern Cinemas, although there was still some occasional live stage shows.
In 1958 it was taken over by the Essoldo chain and re-named Essoldo. It was during their tenure in 1967 that the fire happened. The cinema was re-built, opening again in July 1969. The Essoldo chain was taken over by Classic Cinemas in 1972 and it was re-named Classic Cinema who added a second screen on the stage area. 10 years later in 1982 it was acquired by the Cannon Cinemas and was re-named for the final time.
After final closure as the Cannon Cinema (date unknown at present), it was converted into the current use as a bar, named the Rat & Parrot in Spring 1999.