The Unofficial
Website
Theatres & Cinemas
Dinnington Palace
The Alexandra Music Hall & Theatre of Varieties
The Clifton Hall
The Electra Picture Palace or the Electric Pavilion
The Lyric, Dinnington
The Premier Picture Palace
The Tivoli
The Whitehall Theatre
Theatres & Cinemas More Pages:-
The Cinema House
The Essoldo
also called the Empire, the Classic, and the Cannon
The Odeon
also called the Scala previously the Regal
The Rotherham Hippodrome
The Theatre Royal
later the Regent Theatre
Little is known of the history of theatre in Rotherham before the late 19th Century. There appears to have been no permanent stage but doubtless touring companies performed in inn yards and halls. Public performances were subject to licensing by the town authorities and probably quite difficult to get in Rotherham. The town was very Protestant, not to say Puritan, in outlook and actors and travelling companies were generally regarded as deeply sinful and depraved. Before the first cinema opened, animated features were shown in the Town Hall Assembly Rooms, previously the Mechanics Institute from 1902 to 1911, and also Clifton Hall.
I tried splitting the various buildings into Theatres and Cinemas but decided to abandon this as many of them were used as both theatres and cinemas, and afterwards as bingo halls, during their lifetimes.
Except for Rotherham Civic Theatre and the theatre in the Arts Centre which are run by the Council there are no privately run theatres left in the town. It has been said and not by me that Rotherham audiences were hard to please. This is presumably the reason why none of the theatres lasted long. Rotherham audiences are still hard to please and I have seen groups in clubs barracked off the stage by a combination of catcalls, stamping, whistles and jeers. Mind you some of them well deserved it. In truth they were lucky not to have rotten tomatoes thrown at them not that rotten tomatoes are usually to hand in a club.
There are no cinemas either - you have to go to Sheffield if you want to see a film. Cinemas used to rejoice in the name of picture palaces round here.
Dinnington Palace
Dinnington Palace was built around 1915 by James England and some local businessmen. For the first year there were live acts during the breaks in the film programme, which was Pathe's Gazette, the serial, the main feature and the comic. In its heyday it was very popular. It was converted to a supermarket.
The Alexandra Music Hall & Theatre of Varieties
The first theatre to open in Rotherham in 1870 was the Alexandra Music Hall & Theatre of Varieties, situated in Howard Street. It was re-named Alexandra Theatre Royal and Music Hall in 1871. It closed in 1873 and the building was converted into a chapel.
The Clifton Hall
I had a great debate with myself as to which section of the website the Clifton Hall belong to. It is definitely history and I decided that it fitted most cosily in here. It opened as the Rotherham Volunteer Drill Hall in 1873 and was used for balls and dances as well as drill. From about 1910 the hall was used for concerts and film shows as well. After the Second World War the Hall ceased to be used to be used by the Royal Volunteers, was renamed the Clifton Hall and came under the control of the Local Authority. I can remember going to dances and does here in my teens but the venue was becoming less and less popular, not to mention that it was getting tattier and tattier. Attempts were made to turn it into a night club and disco in the late 1980s but the appropriate licences were not granted. The Council put the Hall up for sale and when there were no buyers they demolished it in 1991 to make way for a car park.
The Electra Picture Palace or the Electric Pavilion
The building that became the Electra was originally a Zion chapel. It stood opposite the Hippodrome on Henry Street. Other than this I know next to nothing about this one other than its name and that it closed in 1930.
The Lyric, Dinnington
Dinnington has a small local theatre (The Lyric) which was opened in 1910 as a roller skating ring. At one time it was a Salvation Army Citadel and during World War II was used for dances. It was bought by the Parish Council in 1962. It now stages local amateur theatrical productions, and is available for wedding receptions, etc.
The Premier Picture Palace
The Premier Picture Palace was situated facing Ferham Park at Kimberworth. It opened in 1912 and remained a cinema until 1961 when the fashion for bingo took over. Houses ceased to be called in 1964 and I believe that it is now a Billiards Hall but I have not been up to check.
The Tivoli
The Tivoli at Masbrough was a cinema which opened in 1913 and closed in 1959. It was Fred Elliott's second hand furniture warehouse when I remember it, but even this passed into dust in 1989 when the building was demolished to make a car park.
The Whitehall Theatre
The Whitehall Theatre was a picture palace situated on High Street which opened in 1911 as the Picture Palace. After refurbishment in 1920 it was gutted by fire in 1921. It was rebuilt in and reopened in 1925. It closed in 1960 and the building was demolished the same year.
I have to confess that I have no recollection of this theatre at all and cannot even remember where the site was. Andrew has informed me that the Whitehall Theatre stood on the site that is now the Primark store (formerly BHS). I don't think that I could have ever visited here as I have no memories at all of the place.