Crown Theatre

The Crown opened in 1899 as the Lyceum Theatre. The intention was to provide a luxury theatre for Shakespeare productions and drama as well as revue. It is a landmark building in the town of Eccles in a vaguely Elizabethan Style with pilasters and mullioned windows. The facade is constructed of moulded red brick of five storeys with terracotta dressings to three high arched windows at first floor. It is richly decorated, and has an asymmetrically placed short corner tower. This once had a pyramidal roof and the parapet was topped with square pinnacles. The cast iron copy still survives, now encased. The auditorium was designed with three balconies, supported by four columns. The ornamentation of the proscenium comprised an allegorical representation of Shakespeare's 'Seven Ages of Man'. The act drop was a facsimile of Beverley's noted work for the opening of the Theatre Royal (Manchester) in 1845 - a Grecian subject painted by Mr Keith. Becoming a cinema in 1932, it was later adapted for Cinemascope, ending stage use. Converted for bingo in 1963, by the late 1980s it was reported to be falling into disrepair internally. The exterior is largely intact, apart from the stage house which has been partly demolished. Planning permission was given in 2005 - and again in 2008 - for partial demolition (retaining the facade) and development of apartments behind. Since then the building has become more dilapidated and a new planning application for a residential and retail development submitted in 2016 proposes complete demolition of the theatre.