Theatre. Manchester. July 2012

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NakedEye

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Manchester
Opened as a music hall on October 10, 1901, Hulme Hippodrome was once seen as one of Manchester's finest theatres, with its gilded decorations, velvet seats and huge auditorium.
Tunnels are even believed to have been built from the theatre to the nearby Junction Pub and into the city centre for performers to use.It was one of Manchester’s hottest nightspots, where stars like the Beatles and Laurel and Hardy played to packed houses.
The building was remodelled in the 1950s to become a theatre, seating an audience of 3,000.
In 1962 the Theatre was converted for Bingo and Casino use. before it was closed down in 1986.

The Grand Junction Theatre and Floral Hall, with a capacity of 3,000, was built for melodrama, with the Playhouse next door designed as a music hall. In 1905 the two venues changed names and the newly christened Hulme Hippodrome with its larger auditorium became the new music hall. Later on, the playhouse was taken over by the BBC, and it was here the first radio recording of The Beatles was made.

Now there are plans to restore the huge Grade-II listed building, which contains an ornate three-tier theatre, ballroom and restaurant.
Youth Village, a not-for-profit enterprise, have unveiled proposals to turn the building into an arts centre and hub for community groups across Manchester.

Literally down the road from my home, a quite remarkable discovery last year, been past a 1000 times without knowing what lurked inside!

A photograph showing the Hippodrome when it was open in it's early days

tumblr_lurs3ms0zw1qfz7a3 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr

In the basement, dark and unforgiving....lacking in light, a real challenge for my Nikon..

1 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr


The battery room

2 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr


The underground original changing rooms for the theatre

3 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr


The left over equipment from the bingo hall which it was used for in the 197os/80s left in the cellar

4 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr

In one of the underground changing rooms are stacks of the bingo cards left over and unused

5 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr



6 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr


At the end of the underground corridor, wandering through the pitch black with a torch one finds the toilet from hell!

7 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr


Rear of the stage the steps to the upstairs changing rooms and store rooms

8 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr


In one of the upstairs changing rooms to the rear of the stage are old toothpaste and cigarette packets from the 70's/80's along with a stack of old televisions and bingo equipment

9 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr



10 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr



11a by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr


Another upstairs changing room

11 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr


Bingo balls left in a downstairs sink

12 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr


The theatre itself, a cacophony of bright colours, reds, purples. greens & gold gilded Rococo plaster...it's condition is remarkable except for the roof which had dissapeared over the years

13 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr



14 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr



15 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr



16 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr



17 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr



18 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr



19 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr


Matchbox found on the stage, possibly from the 1920's from research done

20 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr



21 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr


View from the stage looking out at the auditorium

22 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr


A rear bathroom

23 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr



24 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr



25 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr


Old organ in great condition

27 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr


Downstairs bathrooms, like stepping back in time to the 1960s!

28 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr



29 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr


Finally a programme , looks 1960 ish...

_JHL6780 by NaKed-Eye, on Flickr

A remarkable place, I really hope the funding is found to restore this magnificent building full of history...
 
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Battery room's usually in such building's run the emergency lighting systems/secondary lighting. Nowadays replaced by complicated switch over/computer controlled stuff, but in older buildings you will find little pea lamps glowing all the time which is what the batteries run.
 
Truly spectacular! Really enjoyed this, and really envious :)

Thanks :) Access is easy really if you want to go as you just need to ask the caretaker and he will let you in if you are there to photogrpah it as the rest of the building is in use as a youth centre. Quite a few bands go there to shoot videos aswell.

Really nice set of pictures, thanks for sharing them... do you know what the battery room was for?

The battery room as far as I know is thought to be the only power system of its type still installed in any building. It's precise function i'm not sure LX's reply seems plausable though!
 
I can't be 100% sure on my battery story - but I work in theatre's up and down the land and it's a very common way of doing it... so I put 2 and 2 together. That can of course equal 5!
 
Thanks :) Access is easy really if you want to go as you just need to ask the caretaker and he will let you in if you are there to photogrpah it as the rest of the building is in use as a youth centre. Quite a few bands go there to shoot videos aswell.

Did you just turn up and happen to find the caretaker, or did you get in touch with him/her first?
 
It's such a beautiful building inside. That stage curtain is gone now, I used high powered LED lights to illuminate and annoy the many pigeons.
Great work!
 
wow this looks amazing some of it looks in great condition. fantastic selection of pictures
 

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