Visited with Tweek
While in the process of cleaning out my derp closet, I came across a few snaps I took of the Tatton in Gatley back in September. The Tatton had been covered by Alley over two years ago, but we were pretty keen to have a peek inside for ourselves. It's mostly as it looks.. trashed, but it seems like there has been some recent activity to keep the place water tight, and the power is still connected. The surviving rear-projection mini-cinema (the first of its kind in the UK) is a nice little feature, but other than that, its had it - the main showrooms were demolished to make way for flats that never got off the ground.
History
The Tatton was opened in 1937 and flourished under the ownership of Ernest Nash Eaton who owned and ran many cinemas throughout manchester in the middle of the 20th century. When he passed away, the cinema passed to Vera Edge, a long time employee of Eatons, who's son Jack took over after her tenure. The site then changed hands to Apollo Leisure who closed the doors for the final time on the 18th January 2001, selling the building to Dicken Property group at the height of the market, who promptly demolished the main auditoriums in order to ensure it could not be used as a cinema again, allowing them to hurry up with their plans to knock up some fancy flats. With the property slow-down, the building has been left standing for a decade, with no real plans layed down as to what will happen to it.
Rear projected mini cinema
At least we got treated to a nice sun-rise..
