The Empire Theatre

The Empire Theatre is a theatre built between 1924 and 1925 for Moss's Empires Ltd, designed by W & T R Milburn. The building features a steel frame clad in Portland stone at the front and brick elsewhere, with the roof material not visible. The theatre has a very wide auditorium, including a balcony, designed to seat 2,450 people. It is designed in a free neo-Classical style.

The front of the building has a layout of 1:3:1 bays, with the central bays featuring Attic courses above a dentilled cornice. It includes paired and single Ionic columns in antis, with windows set in bold aedicules and octagonal openings above. The ground floor has three-light windows above the foyer entrances, and a steel canopy adorned with medallions and decorative guilloche bands. The central bays, except for the Attic, are rusticated, while the side bays are lower with parapets. The first-floor windows are framed by shallow pilasters and have a cornice above. The stone cladding extends one bay to either side, maintaining similar window designs. Many window openings at the rear and sides have been altered and are not intended to be seen.

Inside, the seating is raked both to the sides and to the rear to enhance visibility. The decoration follows a free 'Louis XVI' style, featuring a coved ceiling with deep lateral arches and elaborately treated fan vaults that conceal lighting at the front angles of the auditorium. The praescenium arch and the side walk of the orchestra pit are richly decorated, showcasing many unique features, including carved elephant caryatids. The theatre was recognized for its innovative design, with long rows of seats sloping up on either end to improve sight lines and foster a sense of audience participation.