Empire Theatre
205 Nottingham Road,
Somercotes,
DE55 4JG
205 Nottingham Road,
Somercotes,
DE55 4JG
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Located in Somercoats, Derbyshire. The Empire Theatre was opened as early as 1912. It is listed in Kelly’s Trade Directory for that year as “The Empire Palace” operated by S. Jaques & Company. Mr. D. Jaques was the General Manager, Mr. Augustus F. Manges the Stage manager and Mr A Vardy the Musical Director. In the early years, the Empire Theatre seems to have been a venue for many live acts and shows, being more of a variety theatre than a cinema. The original location of the Empire Theatre was off Somercotes Hill, standing back from the road.
The Empire Theatre moved to Nottingham Road, almost across from the Premier Cinema. It is not certain exactly when the business moved from Somercotes Hill to its new home. The proscenium was 21ft wide and the stage 20ft deep. There were three dressing rooms.
The first talking picture was Al Jolson in “The Jazz Singer” released in October 1927. The Empire Theatre had Morrison sound equipment installed in 1930, and the inaugural screening was reported in the Ripley & Heanor News on 4th July that year: “SOMERCOTES. The latest is the installation of talkies at the Empire Theatre, the first performance being on Monday last, after being closed for a week. There were two crowded houses and at each performance on Tuesday and Wednesday there was no falling off of patrons. It is evident that the talkies have come to stay, for there is a dual feature now—you have not only to see the pictures, but you have to listen. This is the verdict of one who was present. The Harlie Co., of London, apparatus has been installed, and it produced “The Broadway Melody” in fine style. The installation work has been carried out by Mr. Frank Jowitt, of Ripley”.
During the 1930’s and early-1940’s variety acts still appeared at the Empire Theatre, although they became fewer in number. The building had a seating capacity of 500, and prices, in 1938, raged from 6d to 1s 3d. By 1944 a British Thompson-Houston(BTH) sound system had been installed.
Around the early-1950’s the Ollerton Picture Company also became the proprietors of the Premier Cinema at Somercotes, from then on owning both cinemas. During this period the Empire Theatre continued to stage live performances as well as film and the proximity of the two theatres did not seem to affect either business. By the end of the 1950’s though, the medium of television was becoming more popular and evermore affordable. In the following years, many small village cinemas were closing as audience numbers fell, and the Empire Theatre, Somercotes finally closed its doors as a cinema in the mid-1960’s.
Since its closure the building was refurbished and opened as many different businesses, its first transformation being a short lived indoor roller skating rink.
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grimbling
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On the 1938 OS Map, the original Empire Theatre is shown as ‘Billiards Hall’. In 2017 the building appears to be in use by Titan Trade Windows. The second Empire Theatre had a number of uses, including roller skating and a dance hall. The building has been re-roofed and given a new frontage and now has a retail use.