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____________________________________________________________________________________________ The Gaumont Theatre, 44 to 50 Oxford Street, Manchester Later - Rotters Nightclub
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The auditorium was on two levels, stalls and one circle, and the stage was 50 foot wide and 23 foot deep so capable of staging all manner of productions. The Theatre was also equipped with its own 4 Manual 14 Rank Wurlitzer organ which also had a grand piano installed and was thought to be one of the best such instruments in Britain. Right - A small handbill for an All Star Variety show at the Gaumont Theatre, Manchester in January 1941 - Courtesy Tony Craig, whose mother Jessie Jewel was on the Bill along with Donald Peers who, says Tony, 'wasn't at the height of his fame yet, as he didn't record his biggest hit "In A Shady Nook, By A Babbling Brook" till 1944... and he must have got leave for that Sunday Concert, because he was still in 'The Royal Army Service Corps', (but he entertained the Troops through The War anyway).' |
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Above - A signed photograph of Stanley Tudor who
played the Wurlitzer organ at the opening of the Gaumont Theatre, Manchester
in October 1935 - Courtesy Gordon Crook who says 'The organ console
is very much of the later Granada style as used in their many cinemas,
also it was a near copy of the Granada Tooting specification.' The Theatre was very successful right from its opening until its closure in 1974 when it was closed and boarded up. A nightclub called 'Rotters' later took over part of the building, using the ground floor and basement areas, and hanging a false ceiling under the balcony. Rotters closed in 1990 and the Theatre was then demolished and a few years later a multi-storey car park was built on the site. Some of the information on this page was gleaned from the excellent Cinema Treasures website and there is also some interesting information and images about the Gaumont here. If you have any more information or images for this Theatre that you are willing to share please Contact Me... |
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The
Gaumont Theatre in Manchester's Oxford Street was built as a large and
lavish 2,300 seat Cine / Variety Theatre and constructed on part of
the site of the former 