Ellesmere Super Cinema
267 E. Lancashire Road,
Worsley,
M27 0AA
267 E. Lancashire Road,
Worsley,
M27 0AA
1 person
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: G.B. Snape Group of Assoc. Cinema Companies, Snape & Ward Circuit
Architects: Thomas Milnes Foden, Gordon Hemm
Firms: Foden, Hemm & Williams
Styles: Atmospheric
Nearby Theaters
Located in Worsley close to Swinton, to the northwest of Manchester. The Ellesmere Super Cinema was designed by Manchester based architectural firm Foden, Hemm & Williams. It was opened on September 28, 1936. All seats were on a stadium plan on a single floor, with a raised stepped section at the rear. The ceiling of the auditorium had a sky effect and the main stage curtain was of satin, appliqued to portray a garden scene with a central fountain. The fibrous plaster front of the stage also had the form of a waterfall design. The proscenium was 40ft wide. The stage was 22ft deep and 56ft wide. Dressing rooms were also provided. It was equipped with a Western Electric(WE) sound system. There was a two-storey 100-seat café & restaurant. It was operated by the Snape & Ward circuit, and by 1963 it was operated by the G.B. Snape Group of Assoc. Cinema Companies chain who to operated it for the remainder of its life.
The Ellesmere Super Cinema was closed in the late-1960’s. It was demolished and a Premier Inn was built on the site, now re-named Hello Hotel.
Contributed by
Shaun Green, Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 1 comments)
The Ellesmere was not, actually, in Swinton but in Worsley, on the opposite side of the A580, East Lancashire Road. Built close to the main crossroads where Swinton, Pendlebury, Worsley and Monton (Eccles) meet, it had a large catchment area. Whilst each of those towns had their own cinemas, none were as large and well appointed as ‘The Ellesmere.’
Operated by G.B. Snape, as written above, it was actually part of Snape’s Cinema Circuits, who had their headquarters in a large, converted house in nearby Pendlebury. The Ellesmere was, in fact, their closest ‘house.’
The note, above, ‘The cinema had a cafe.’ is something of an understatement. Whilst the cinema did, indeed, have a cafe, it also had so much more:
G.B. Snape not only owned the Cinema and Bingo chain, he also owned Salford Rugby Club, along with its attached restaurant and nightclub, ‘The Willows,’ which was part of his ‘Stanneylands Restaurants’ chain. A very upmarket brand whose main branch was on Stannylands Road, Wilmslow. Other branches were spread throughout the more select areas of Manchester and Cheshire.
One such, fully licenced, Stannylands Restaurant was built, directly onto the right hand side of The Ellesmere Cinema. It was a large, semi-circular, opulent affair, with panoramic windows, its own entrance and car-park. There was also an entrance directly from within the cinema. Combination tickets could be purchased, which included both the cinema presentation and a table in the restaurant after the show.
It was Snape’s premier house, and it was a sad day when it was demolished to be replaced by a Premier Inn. The restaurant licence continued to be capitalised upon by the motel’s attached, canal themed gastro- pub, The Narrow Boat, later renamed ‘The Ellesmere.’ And, so, the name had returned, albeit temporarily. That building remains, in 2020, but now re-branded as a ‘Hello Hotel’ with ‘Albert’s’ restaurant and bar.