The Top Rank Club (Former Essoldo Cinema)

The Top Rank Club, formerly Essoldo Cinema, is a cinema built in 1936 by Henry Elder of Roberts, Wood and Elder of Manchester, for the Jackson and Newport cinema circuit. It has undergone alterations in the late 20th century. The building is constructed of narrow red brick with a faience tiled facade, and its roofs are concealed behind tall brick walling. It is an example of Art Deco style architecture.

The cinema is set back from the road, with a long foyer passage leading to the Chester Road entrance, and a shorter link to a side entrance on Edge Road, both set amongst contemporary buildings. The Chester Road entrance is designed to resemble a cash register, featuring stepped convex surfaces curving upwards and backwards, with a rib carrying the name ‘Top Rank.’ A carved band runs horizontally across both the curve and rib, above a modern entrance canopy with three double doorways. The flanking walls are covered in tiles. The side entrance on Edge Road has a tall convex brick wall above a semi-circular canopy, creating a circular entrance area. A tall, grooved concrete column rises above this, supported by a curved pier that divides the entrance area, each part containing a pair of original glazed double doors. A tall recessed panel stands between brick piers above exit doors for the auditorium.

The stalls area has been altered to form a bingo hall, but the overall plan remains largely unchanged. Surviving features include a circle, projection room, upper floor bar, a lighting rotunda and a cafe area above the foyer (which now has a suspended ceiling). Foyer murals, designed by Frederick H. Baines, depicting contemporary cinema scenes, measuring approximately 10 feet by 6 feet, are thought to survive behind removable coverings.

The cinema represents a significant departure from traditional theatre-influenced cinema planning, acknowledging the spatial and technical requirements of wide screen cinematography. It is considered amongst the first, and the only surviving, cinemas designed by Elder, and its striking facade motifs reflect his view that the film industry was primarily concerned with money and sex.