A theatre in Halifax, West Yorkshire, that opened in 1905 and later hosted a cinema, bingo hall and nightclub – now lies abandoned with a forbidden vending machine and grand staircase
Hidden across the UK are eerie abandoned theatres that appear frozen in time, with cigarette machines, red velvet seats, and grand staircases left untouched.
Dust covers the seats where audience members once sat as they watched a performance on stage with energetic movements and live music filling the space. Wallpaper tears and mould gather on the walls that were once the colourful backdrop of the enchanting theatres for an evening night out.
And original features like tiles, lighting fixtures, and décor are scattered throughout the building and its numerous rooms and levels, as is the case in The Theatre Royal, in the West Yorkshire town of Halifax.
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Having replaced a previous theatre that stood on the same site from 1790 to 1904, it brought back live performances when it reopened in 1905. As the century progressed, the building morphed into a cinema, bingo hall, and eventually a nightclub, before finally shutting down in the 2000s.
Footage captured by urban explorers UK Urbex unveils what appear to be old cinema seats – once concealed during the building’s various transformations – now vacant, shrouded in dust and cobwebs. An antique cigarette vending machine – the likes of which are now banned – nestled amid discarded rubbish and furniture, still displays a decidedly retro price of just £5.90 per pack, according to Yorkshire Live.
Staircases guide visitors to a series of hidden chambers, each boasting unique or original elements dating back to the cinema’s inauguration in 1904. Originally, the 1,900-seat auditorium spanned four tiers, but during a refurbishment in 1937, it was remodelled into a two-tier, 2,200-seat cinema.
By the late 1960s, the cinema had closed its doors, and the building transitioned into a bingo hall. By 1999, the once grand 1,058 square metre theatre had morphed into the La Mania themed entertainment cafe and later evolved into Club Platinum nightclub, sadly losing much of its original interior during the transformation.
Its last service was as the Theatre Nightclub, which lowered its curtains in 2007. Since then, it is said to have remained vacant.
In a revival bid, RK Hotels Ltd approached Calderdale Council in 2022 seeking approval to repurpose the old theatre into a Holiday Inn Express budget hotel.
In 2023, an urban explorer rediscovered an old art deco cinema in another part of the UK, which had enchanted audiences across the UK for over seven decades. Youtuber Urbanexboi managed to gain access to the former art deco cinema, which closed in 2019.
Regrettably, the cinema has been left to crumble, with images showing the creeping spread of mould and damp on walls and once-thriving screens. Since its closure, the former picture house has also fallen prey to vandalism.
Reflecting on the cinema, the explorer remarked: “I would describe the old cinema as the heart of Plymouth and not just another ‘cinema’ where so many buildings like this get torn down or are left to be destroyed by nature or by local councils.”
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