A history of the music halls and theatres of Ashton-under-Lyne

Special price

Usual Price £15.00 + p&p

Order Now for £8.00 + p&p

The book ‘For your Delectation and Delight’ is the first comprehensive account of popular live entertainment in Ashton-under-Lyne. Beginning in the early 1800s when theatres were housed in simple wooden structures temporarily erected on the market ground or fashioned from old stables, churches or numerous industrial premises. The book also covers the rise and fall of the town’s music halls including amongst others the ‘People’s Hall and Palace of Varieties’, ‘The Grand Palace and Fairyland’ and the ‘Grand Illuminated Grotto’. The lives of both the magnificent Frank Matcham designed Theatre Royal and the Empire-Hippodrome are both fully covered from their opening days to their final closures.

There are many people today who remember with affection their visits to the Tameside Theatre (later the Tameside Hippodrome) situated on Oldham Road and there may still be some older residents who remember the Theatre Royal, Ashton which stood almost opposite.

Of course, these two venues weren’t the first theatres in town. The earliest reference to a theatre in Ashton comes from 1802 – though it is probable that there had been earlier ones.

As stated in the book ‘For Your Delectation and Delight: A History of the Music Halls and Theatres of Ashton-under-Lyne, “…most, provincial towns like Ashton did not have a permanent all-year round theatre. Instead it was left to visiting theatrical troupes to establish and set up their own theatre. Initially, most were not purpose built but were adapted from suitable buildings. The exterior of these were simple with no adornments - other than advertising playbills - they carried no name usually being known simply as ‘The Theatre’. From the main entrance there would probably have been a vestibule with a paybox and doors to the pit, while a stairway would have led to the boxes and gallery. The number of boxes would be dependent on the size of the building. Some places may have had a separate entrance for the gallery. Apart from upholstered chairs in the boxes, seating in the rest of the building would have been rudimentary usually consisting of plain wooden benches. Decoration too was minimal with the walls merely carrying a coat of paint”. 

The first Theatre Royal in town was not the grand edifice that stood on Oldham Road but one which was located on Fleet Street. There was also the ‘Gas Works Theatre’ on Oldham Road and the Star Theatre on Church Street.

The Tameside Theatre/Hippodrome’ was originally built as a variety theatre ‘The Empire-Hippodrome’ which opened to a capacity audience of 2,000 people on 21st November 1904. It had been erected for the family-owned Broadhead Circuit of theatres. Their first purpose-built theatre had been the Osbourne Theatre at Oldham. This was followed by several more in Manchester. During the 1930s it became a cinema and remained as such through various owners until its acquisition by Tameside MBC in 1975.