Rusholme Theatre
Wilmslow Road and Great Western Street,
Manchester,
M14 5TP
Wilmslow Road and Great Western Street,
Manchester,
M14 5TP
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: H.D. Moorhouse Circuit
Previous Names: Rusholme Electric Theatre, Rusholme Repertory Theatre
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Converted into a cinema from a horse-drawn tram shed in 1908, the Rusholme Electric Theatre functioned until 1924. It had a 24ft wide proscenium. It changed use into a live theatre which operated until 1940.
It converted back to a cinema, known as the Rusholme Theatre, it was equipped with a British Talking Pictures(BTP) sound system. In the early-1950’s it was taken over by the H.D. Moorhouse circuit. The Rusholme Theatre was closed on 22nd June 1968 with Don Sullivan in “The Giant Gila Monster” and James Best in “The Killer Shrews”. It was later demolished and a petrol station now stands on the site.
Contributed by
John Holden
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
I am dubious about the photograph.
The photo is how I remember it, the demolition took place in 1986, I used to go past each day on my way to college, during demolition the side walls were visible, with a long sloping floor and panelling similar to many cinemas of this era like the Electric Portobello Rd, the auditorium was set back from Wilmslow Rd and ran parallel to it
The photographs from the Cinema Theatre Association Archive only add to the confusion! Perhaps the ‘original’ photograph is the rear of the building?
As a correction to John’s synopsis, above: The building’s use as a ‘Tramshed’ actually ceased in 1903 but it was retained for other purposes, by the Manchester Carriage & Tramways Company, as a riding school and livery stables. (OMNIBUSES and CARRIAGES of every description, on hire at resonable rates.)In 1924 it became the Rusholme Repertory Theatre. I, too, fail to recognise the above photo. The Rusholme Cinema, or just ‘The Rush,’ to the locals, had the tidiest exterior of the three houses on that stretch of The Curry Mile. Following the demolition of the wrought-iron arcade, shown in the other photos, the building became set-back from the road, with a wide paving in front.