Exploring Abandoned Tameside Hippodrome (Everything Left Behind) - Manchester - Abandoned Places UK

The Tameside theatre opened with a civic gala evening on 19 November 1904 with a full variety programme commenced the following Monday.

In 1932, it was converted to a temporary cinema and renamed The New Empire in November 1933. It was later bought by ABC Cinemas, who continued to own the lease on the building until 1974.

Following an attempt to convert it into a bingo hall, a 21-year lease was bought by Tameside Council, and the theatre was relaunched as Tameside Theatre in 1976. The building was bought by the council in 1983.

In 1992, a contract to manage the theatre was given to Apollo Leisure (who were subsequently bought by Live Nation).

In 2007 Tameside Council began the tendering process for the management of the theatre. The company later submitted a bid outside the tender process, for a fee of double their existing rate. Live Nation followed their initial offer by offering to run the theatre free of charge until a new management was found. This offer was declined by the council.

A council statement said that it was unaffordable, and that the offer did not take into account required investment in the theatre. No contract was awarded and the theatre subsequently closed on 1 April 2008.

On Sept 6th 2009 it was reported that the Hippodrome will be torn down. No new buyers came forward for the building or to take it over as a working theatre. Since then the Tameside Hippodrome has been recognized as a listed building