The next few days are set to be mostly dry in Greater Manchester... with some sun forecast over the weekend.
28.04.2023 - 09:21 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A former snooker hall where the where The Beatles performed in their heyday is to be demolished.
The unlisted red brick building in the heart of Oldham, was previously Riley’s Snooker Hall but has been standing empty for several years.
A landmark for anyone entering the town on the tram, the King Street property was used as a training ground for the Rainy City Roller Derby team under the name of the Thunderdome. However the group were not able to renew their lease and vacated the venue in 2020.
The club said the owner of the building had been in talks with Oldham council to buy the venue. But this did not go ahead, and it was sold in May last year for £825k, according to the Land Registry.
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Originally built in 1908, it was named the Grand Theatre and designed by architects Thomas Taylor and Ernest Simister who also designed the Chadderton Town Hall.
According to records of the architects of Greater Manchester, the interior is said to have been ‘elaborate’ and consisted of several levels with boxes, a large stage and an orchestra pit.
The theatre was radically altered in 1937 by Gaumont Super Cinemas when the auditorium was gutted and transformed into a much simpler space of just stalls and one circle seating totalling 1,842 for a 1930s cinema.
Archive footage shows the Gaumont cinema being opened by George Formby as the guest of honour, who was received by the Mayor and watched by a large crowd.
After closing as a cinema in 1961 it was later used as a concert hall called The Astoria Ballroom and the Beatles performed there in their only Oldham gig in 1963.
It was also used as a bowling alley and a nightclub under numerous
The next few days are set to be mostly dry in Greater Manchester... with some sun forecast over the weekend.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has described how changes to the way technical education works in the region are "the single biggest thing I could do to change life chances" for local young people.
Local councils in Greater Manchester spent tens of thousands of pounds each on celebrations for the King's coronation earlier this month. One town hall set aside up to £52,000 to put on events in the area, while some spent nothing.
The government wants people to separate their food and garden recycling – but bosses in Greater Manchester have concerns it could need costly new bins and collection wagons.
Last year celebrated 50 years since the first Pride event in the country, the UK Gay Pride Rally in London, took place. The message behind Pride still stands strong today as the fight for LGBTQ+ equality and inclusion continues.
“You don’t want to compete with the nice old buildings, you want to do something that’s a statement on the era we are in,” says Tim Heatley, co-founder of ‘social impact developer’ Capital & Centric.
No trams are running across Greater Manchester for several hours this morning due to a network-wide 'shutdown'.
Attacking-midfielder Bruno Fernandes has sensationally revealed why he knew Anthony Martial would score in Manchester United's 2-0 win over Wolves at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.
Here are your Manchester United evening headlines for Saturday, May 13.
Manchester United fans have implored the club to give Alejandro Garnacho the vacant number seven jersey next season after his goal against Wolves.
It was a special night at Manchester's Albert Hall. Marking 10 years since the former Wesleyan church in the city centre was brought back to life as a music venue, a rare performance by Róisín Murphy on Wednesday (May 10) would always be a sell-out.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms for parts of Greater Manchester today.
Before a note is song of their Eurovision entry, Ukraine has already won cultutral accolades in Greater Manchester today. Two Ukrainian Catholic Churches in Salford and Oldham have been granted Grade II listed status.
The first details of how Andy Burnham will use new powers given to Greater Manchester in the latest devolution deal have been revealed. The mayor will make a series of announcements in the coming months to set out his plans for transport, housing and technical education.
People came together to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III today as street parties continued across Greater Manchester.
Although the Coronation itself may be over, there’s still a lot of bank holiday weekend left to enjoy. Celebrations continue to take place across Greater Manchester, with people holding street parties and events today and tomorrow.
As King Charles was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London, people came together across Greater Manchester to celebrate the new monarch - and enjoy a party.
The world will watch on today (Saturday May 6) as Britain crowns its first monarch in 70 years.
There was plenty of local political drama in three Greater Manchester boroughs last night — with more election action set to hit the region today.
The Coronation weekend is almost here so for many families that means a three-day break.