The Theatre was built as a home for melodrama and originally seated 3,000 when it first opened as the Grand Junction Theatre and Floral Hall in 1901. The Theatre was renamed the Hulme Hippodrome in 1905 when it became a music hall.
In 1962 the Theatre was converted for Bingo and Casino use, and then later became a nightclub which closed down in 1986. | ||
The building is Grade II Listed and whilst the auditorium with its two galleries remain in its original state, albeit slowly falling into disrepair, the same can't be said for its original exterior which has long since been altered beyond recognition. The current owners, a church group called Deya Ministries, who had been holding services in the Theatre's foyer for some time, have now leased the Theatre to 'Youth Village' who are a not-for-profit group who plan to convert the Theatre into an arts centre and a hub for community groups across Manchester: http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1460167_encore-plans-for-new-curtain-call-for-hulme-hippodrome               I got talking to Tony, the manager of Youth Village, and offered to document the regeneration of the Hippodrome - he sounded enthusiastic but failed to respond to subsequent emails. Another case of relying on people who perhaps didn't understand the nature of the project. I decided to leave this as a single photoshoot. |