Kilburn Empire

• Theatre ID
  786
• Built / Converted
  1908
• Dates of use
  • 1908 - 1928
• Current state
  Demolished
• Current use
  demolished
• Address
  9-11 The Parade, Kilburn, Camden, London, NW6, England

Details

Built as a music hall and circus with a seating capacity of nearly 2,000, in 1908 the interior was redesigned as a music hall by W G R Sprague and further modified in 1910. A new name was chosen - New Kilburn Empire. It remained a variety theatre until 1928 with a further name change to Kilburn Vaudeville Theatre in the mid 1920s. In 1928 the name reverted back to Kilburn Empire and the theatre was converted into a cinema with occasional variety shows. In 1949 it became the Essoldo Cinema, Kilburn retaining all of its Sprague interior intact - externally the top level decorations of urns and a central statue had been removed in the mid 1930s. As the building became 'too old-fashioned' for the modern cinema audience, a modernisation scheme stripped out the old Sprague interior to the basic walls and a luxury cinema was created within the old building by extending the original circle down to the stage, leaving stalls and gallery levels derelict and empty. The stage areas remained untouched and retained the original and rare elephant pits underneath the stage and animal traps on the stage itself. In the auditorium a false ceiling was suspended from the front of the gallery to a point which was half way up the original proscenium opening. The foyer and original circle entrance stairs were modernised in the same treatment with the original stalls stairwell being blocked off. The main front elevation was clad in blue metal sheeting and the only external evidence that the building had been a cine-theatre was the flytower and dressing room block at the rear of the building. Classic Cinemas Ltd took over control from Essoldo in 1972 but success eluded them and the cinema closed in December 1973. For a period it remained unused then Larry Paines refurbished the stage and dressing room areas to modern day standards and reopened in May 1976 as a live theatre, and films were again shown. The theatre/cinema finally closed its doors 1981 and the building lay derelict and boarded up until 1991 when it was used as a Quaser Laser Games Centre. The last venture lasted a few months, until closure in 1992. Demolition of this once beautiful Edwardian theatre took place in May/June 1994.

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• Other names
  New Kilburn Empire, Kilburn Vaudeville Theatre, Kilburn Empire, Essoldo Cinema Kilburn, The Classic Maida Vale, Broadway Theatre
• Events
  • 1908 - 1928 Use:
  • 1906 - 0 Design/Construction: (architect unknown).
  • 1908 - 0 Design/Construction: redesigned as a music hall, with further modifications.
    • W G R Sprague - Architect
  • 1905 - 0 Owner/Management: licence to Walter Stephens (to be erected).
  • 1906 - 1908 Owner/Management: Harry Warden & Stanley Chilcott
  • 1909 Owner/Management: Francis Joseph Pepper
  • 1925 Owner/Management: London Theatres of Varieties & F J Pepper
  • 1928 Owner/Management: Greater London Theatres & Cinemas Ltd & Summers Brown
  • 1931 Owner/Management: Metropolitan & Provincial Cinematograph Theatres Ltd and Victor Sheridan
  • 1937 Owner/Management: Theodore Kanssen
  • 1938 Owner/Management: Arthur Hillier
  • 1942 Owner/Management: Kilburn Varieties Ltd
  • 1942 Owner/Management: Richard Ed Marcoso
  • 1943 Owner/Management: Fred J Butterworth
  • 1947 Owner/Management: Nat Tennens
  • 1994 - 0 Demolition:
• Capacities
  • Later: 1910: 1913 (138 stalls, 496 pit, 454 circle, 546 gallery) 1928: 1762 1949: 471 (cinema)
• Listings
  • Grade Not listed
• Dimensions
  • Stage dimensions: 1910 Depth: 40ft Width SL: 19ft plus 15ft wing space SR: 19ft plus 15ft wing space
  • Proscenium width: 1910: 38ft
  • Height to grid: 45ft
  • Inside proscenium: 40-45ft
  • Orchestra pit: Original. There were 12 dressing rooms.
• Unreliable anecdotes
  1922 - Marie Lloyd gave one of her last performances here. She died in Oct 1922.