About The ABC Blackpool
The Empire Theatre, Church Street, Blackpool.
1895-1897
The Empire Theatre was designed by John Dent Harker of Manchester, and built in Church Street for the Blackpool Princess Company. It opened in 1895 as a theatre & ballroom but there were financial problems and in 1897 it was sold to a local syndicate.
The Empire Theatre (Local Syndicate)
1897-1900
It became a variety theatre and was at the time the only music hall in Blackpool; most entertainers came from London.
The Hippodrome (Local Syndicate)
1900-1910
In 1900 ‘The Empire’ was renamed ‘The Hippodrome’
The Hippodrome (Cinema Interests)
1910-1929
In 1910 it was sold to cinema interests. It continued to stage live shows but it was also screened silent movies and became a circus with a Louis Tussaud Waxwork Exhibition in the basement. At the time of the Boer War there were bioscope shows.
During this time Cinema Interests sold shares (Debentures) in the Hippodrome. Thousands of pounds was raised.
When ABC purchased the Hippodrome the shares Debentures were purchased at a higher price. (Simply Blackpool has this book in their possession).
The Hippodrome (Associated British Cinemas (ABC))
1929-1960
In 1929 the Hippodrome was purchased (along with the Princess Cinema) by Associated British Cinemas (ABC) and it was here that the first ‘talking pictures’ in Blackpool were shown “The Singing Fool” starring Al Johnson.
They planned to rebuild it in 1939, which was halted by the outbreak of World War II.
The Hippodrome (Associated British Cinemas (ABC))
1960-1963
The old theatre closed in 1960. Most of the building was then demolished and the new ABC Theatre was built in the shell of the old building with stalls and circle seating with a capacity of 1,934. It also had a permanent revolving stage.
The Hippodrome was remodelled at a cost of over £350,000. It embodied ‘all the facets of contemporary design with emphasis placed throughout on good taste and comfort.’
The company’s chief architect, C.J. Foster, was commissioned to design a large modern cinema within the walls of the former theatre. Only the outer walls of the Hippodrome were left standing which may suggest that there was a requirement to retain the original structure for one reason or another.
ABC Theatre (Associated British Cinemas (ABC))
1963-1981
Renamed the ‘ABC Theatre’ it was opened by the Mayor of Blackpool on Friday, 31st May, 1963.
After the impressive formal ceremony, a celebrity-packed audience watched the first performance of Leslie Grade’s spectacular production “Holiday Carnival” which starred Cliff Richard and The Shadows.
Between 1963 & 1967, the ABC staged four successful summer stage shows and a great number of one-night-stand `pop’ concerts. In the late 1960s, ABC television moved into the theatre every Sunday night during the season and successfully produced their television show which has been seen by the entire ITV network. During the out-of-season months, the theatre showed selected pre-release films.
The Hippodrome became one of the leading cinemas in the Northern England, playing selected pre-release films out of season and presenting leading live-shows during the summer. Despite the fact that the theatre had been purchased by a cinema syndicate, the Hippodrome continued to stage live shows.
ABC Cinema (Associated British Cinemas (ABC))
1981-1986
In January 1981, the theatre closed and was converted into a triple screen cinema which reopened on 30 April 1981, although the revolving stage was retained together with the orchestra pit, original proscenium and front stalls and dressing rooms, though hidden behind the screens. The circle was used for one screen with the stalls divided into two screens which reopened on 30 April 1981.
Cannon Cinema (Associated British Cinemas (ABC))
1986-1993
It was renamed the Cannon Cinema in 1986
MGM Cinema (Associated British Cinemas (ABC))
1993-1998
and then the MGM Cinema in May 1993; it eventually closed in December 19981.
Refurbishment (Mike and Sandra Nordwind)
2001-2002
The building was purchased by local entrepreneurs Mike and Sandra Nordwind in the summer of 2001 for about £4million. The interior was gutted and the 1960s exterior removed revealing parts of the original building before being converted into a nightclub. The Syndicate Superclub opened in December 2002
The Syndicate Nightclub (Mike and Sandra Nordwind)
2002-2006
It was the largest nightclub in North West England, and claimed to be the largest nightclub in the United Kingdom. The club opened in December 2002 and had at the time of closing, three levels of floor space, three segmented rooms, and a VIP floor. It had a capacity of 5,000 if including the club ‘status’, which was part of the building but was advertised as a second nightclub in the earlier years. Otherwise, the capacity was 4,500, with a 2,200 capacity in the downstairs section, and a 2,300 capacity in the higher levels. The higher floors were tiered, with the VIP section being at the top of the tier overlooking a balcony section below which itself overlooked the dancefloor. The dance floor area had a revolving dance floor in the middle of it. This whole upper section of floors was a single open space and was named the ‘Dance Arena’.
The club was closed for a month in October 2005 when it lost its late night drinks licence in court, after Blackpool Police had presented a dossier of alleged violence at the club, which magistrates decided was so serious they withdrew the licence to sell alcohol after 11:00 pm. The club re-opened on 26 November after agreeing to withdraw their application for a new 4 am licence.
The Syndicate Nightclub (Nexum Leisure)
2006-2011
After the club closed in January 2006 following the refusal of a 4am licence,[10] it was bought in May by national operator Nexum Leisure who undertook a £1m refurbishment of the venue.[1] In June 2007 the venue launched a weekly Polish Night (Polska Noc) aimed at the resorts Polish and Eastern European population.[11]
On 7 September 2008, John Robb the vocalist in the punk rock band Goldblade who co-founded The Membranes in Blackpool in 1977 and who also works as a journalist and television pundit, hosted a special event entitled “A Celebration of Music, Fashion & Football 1975–1995” at the Syndicate, with guest speakers Andy Nicholls, Shane Meadows and former Inspiral Carpets musician Clint Boon.
On 14 September 2008 the Syndicate staged a boxing event with American former world heavyweight champion, Tim Witherspoon making a guest appearance. Eric “Butterbean” Esch took on Mark Potter for the European Boxing Federation Heavyweight title.
The Syndicate closed on 10 August 2011, posting a closing notice on Facebook
Closed Down – To Let
2011-2014
Demolition
2014 – 2014
The building was demolished in 2014
Carpark
2014 – 2023
Streaming It!
2024 –
OK, so we’re not really there, but we’re dedicating this site to The ABC!