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Report - - Crown Theatre, Eccles, Feb18 | Theatres and Cinemas | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Crown Theatre, Eccles, Feb18

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albino-jay

g00n Buster
Staff member
Moderator
So what do you do when you have a shagged knee that is keeping you out of action. Yeah I know you go to the derpiest deathtrap derp around. Ideal.

So after kind of getting cabin fever being stuck in the house of an evening and even opting to do all of the house work in the morning I knew something wasn’t right and I needed to get out of the house.

A quite local one, that’s been on my list since I saw Speeds report on the place nearly 10 years ago. I thought yeah I should probably go and check it out seeing as it was fucked back then.

Anyway knowing it was a bit dodgy and me having a gammy leg I thought I best take a mate along just incase I got cocky and fucked up. So I picked my mate up and we headed off to the theatre. Access was rather easy not as easy as I’d imagined having seen previous reports on the place, but easy nether the less.

It’s totally fucked, the stage (well the hole where the stage used to be) has been blocked up. The roof is non existent, any bit of timber in the place is soggy and as rotten as a pear. If it isn’t damp it’s full of fry rot and the floor just disintegrates beneath your feet. So Sticking to the brick and stone staircases was the name of the day.

As fucked as it is, it’s still an old theatre. It still has something about it (to me atleast) and there are a few old features about if you look for them.

And yep, it has been covered plenty of times before but here’s a recent update on the sorry state it is in.​

History

Designed by local architects Campbell & Horsley, the theatre was originally called the Lyceum Theatre and was opened on Thursday, February 23, 1899. It is located on Church Street at the corner of Mather Road.

The auditorium has three tiers supported by four columns. The fire curtain was embossed with the Bourough of Eccles Heraldic emblem.

The proscenium surround is decorated to represent Shakespeare’s "Seven Ages of Man" The frontage is quite ornamental in Accrington brick and terracotta.

In March 1899, the Eccles public were treated to a ten minute bioscope presentation, "The Spanish Bull Fight". Originally, the theatre’s owners intended a more cultural entertainment of Shakespeare and operettas, however by 1900 the theatre began to put on variety and novelty acts.

In 1907, the theatre changed ownership to Broadhead’s Theatres chain and was renamed the Crown Theatre. In 1932 the Crown Theatre became a cinema, just in time for the "talkies" By 1937 it had become part of the H.D. Moorhouse Circuit.

In 1955, the Crown Theatre became part of the Snape Circuit and continued showing films until 1963 when it became the inevitable bingo house.

By the late 1980s it was reported to be falling into disrepair internally and the theatre closed. The exterior is largely intact, apart from the stage house which has been partly demolished. Planning permission was given in 2005 – and again in 2008 – for partial demolition (retaining the facade) and development of apartments behind. These works have not been started, and the building remains empty and increasingly derelict.

There is a current campaign to save the theatre.


http://www.salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=2851


Pics

So this is what it looks like today

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This looks like it was taken in the 60’s going off the Anglia.

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So the first stop was to get up as high as I could. Which was to this room. Where the floor was kippered.

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Which was next to the empty projector room

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Looking out of one of the projection holes

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I’m hoping @dweeb or someone else can tell me what this was for? I’m guessing some sort of periscope to somewhere?

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An un smashed window, a rare find somewhere like this lol

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The places is full of these cast vents.

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Old markings on the door

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and on the stairs

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I daren’t go out onto the circle.

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Main entrance

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As always someone thought it would be a good idea to box over the original features. Idiots.

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Joists starting to give

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Not sure if it has been filled in or if there was no basement. These stairs just led down to a small room. Some nice glazed brickwork though.

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Looking up to where the stage once was

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Looking up from the stage to the bricked projection room

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and to finish and old poster bill from when it was the Lyceum

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dweeb

28DL Regular User
Regular User
Hmmm.... I actually don't know! Could be some kind of speak-pipe affair or something as boring as a vent. Can't say I noticed it when I went.

I've always loved the flowers above the stage on the proscenium... I wish I could buy it as a wallpaper!
 

albino-jay

g00n Buster
Staff member
Moderator
Hmmm.... I actually don't know! Could be some kind of speak-pipe affair or something as boring as a vent. Can't say I noticed it when I went.

I've always loved the flowers above the stage on the proscenium... I wish I could buy it as a wallpaper!

Hmm its got me stumped. It was just a wooden box that dissappeared somewhere. I couldnt find the other end anywhere. I wonder if it is a vent. Might go back and pull one of the cast ones off and see whats behind it.
M
 

Rodentz

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Looks like a deathtrap but some excellent photos. Particularly like the shot from one of the projection holes:thumband subsequent two photos.
 

Baggy trousers

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Used to gaze up at this whilst waiting time when I used to drive the 22 bus!!
That place is proper sketchy. Can't believe you managed round that with a dodgy leg ha!
Good report that man, it's nice to see an update of the place.
Think those vents are some sort of speaker system?? It looks like a speaker box to me..
 

albino-jay

g00n Buster
Staff member
Moderator
Used to gaze up at this whilst waiting time when I used to drive the 22 bus!!
That place is proper sketchy. Can't believe you managed round that with a dodgy leg ha!
Good report that man, it's nice to see an update of the place.
Think those vents are some sort of speaker system?? It looks like a speaker box to me..

Could be i might try and stick my head in and have a proper look.m when my knees sorted.
 

UrbexHan

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Thought I’d try this last year when it was getting dark... decided it was a bad idea when I got inside so will have to head back in the day at some point!
 

Theundergroundheskey

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
I used to play hide and seek in here about 6 or 7 years ago before the back collapsed or was kncocked down since then this place has been ignited in flames so haven't risked going back in if you manage to get to the top floor on the right hand side (if your facing Liverpool road) one of the rooms has a hatch to the roof which at the time was stable
 
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