Empire Cinema

A cinema built in 1911 and designed by Arthur S Hewitt. The building is constructed of gault brick with its facade clad in vitreous buff terracotta made by the Leeds Fireclay Company. The east facade comprises three bays, and the building extends thirteen bays in length.

Exterior

The central bay is wider and taller than its neighbours, framed by pairs of giant reeded and fluted Ionic columns rising from pedestals to block entablatures with tall blocks above. Each block contains a wreath encircling the numerals 19 and 11. Between the pedestals, wide steps ascend to the timber panelled entrance, which is flanked by curved ticket booths and set within a wide, decorated round arch. The entrance is partly glazed, including the ticket booths. Above the arch sits a moulded cornice below a balcony with balustrade and three round-headed arches fronting deeply recessed windows. These three arches are slightly recessed beneath a wide segmental arch, above which the cinema's name, The Empire, is displayed. Above this point, the cornice that originally spanned all three bays is missing. The north and south elevations continue with decorative terracotta cladding for one bay each, the remaining twelve bays marked by blind arches below predominantly blind round windows.

Interior

The entrance lobby features a terrazzo floor and decoratively patterned plasterwork ceiling. Stairs rising from the lobby to the balcony are lined with marble and lit by round stained glass windows at the upper level. The auditorium has a barrel vaulted ceiling with an apsidal end, decorated with plasterwork ribs that curve down to meet pilasters lining the walls at balcony level. These pilasters rise to a moulded cornice. Between the ceiling panels and cornice are curved panels decorated with cherubs and garlands. Between the pilasters are roundels decorated with leaf swags. The ground floor features arcaded panels to the side walls. The balcony sweeps around the auditorium almost to the proscenium arch, decorated with leaves, swags and paired mermaids whose forearms project outwards. The side pillars of the proscenium arch have been removed, though their capitals remain, supporting a deep cornice above which urns sit at either end. Behind the arch is a fly tower and balcony.

History and Development

Great Yarmouth began its development as a resort in the first half of the 19th century. The first resort building, The Royal Hotel (Grade II), was constructed in 1840. The Victoria Building Company, established in 1841, intended to develop the South Beach area but completed only the Brandon and Kimberly Terraces (1841) and Victoria Hotel (1842), both in derivative Regency style. As the resort expanded, terraced housing and two piers were built: Wellington Pier in 1853 and Britannia Pier in 1857 to the north. In the late Victorian and Edwardian periods, entertainment structures were erected along Marine Parade, including an aquarium, the Winter Gardens, and two cinemas. The resort's development was directed by the Borough Council, particularly Borough Surveyor J. W Cockrill (1849–1924), who designed five designated buildings in Great Yarmouth and Gorleston.

Moving picture shows developed beyond fairground novelty status in America in 1902. In Britain, their potential as a seaside attraction became apparent following the 1907 opening in Colne, Lancashire, of what was probably the first purpose-built cinema in the country. Between 1907 and the outbreak of war in 1914, thirty-four resort-based companies were established promoting this new form of entertainment. The first purpose-built cinema in Great Yarmouth was The Gem, one of the earliest in the country, followed in July 1911 by The Empire.

Later Alterations

The Empire is no longer used as a cinema. Late 20th-century alterations include the removal of the side pillars of the proscenium arch, presumably to accommodate a wider screen. Other changes comprise the loss of the overarching cornice from the main facade and, inside, the removal of all ground floor auditorium seating (balcony seating remains intact). The entrance to the dressing room area below the stage has been altered and the space modified for use as part of a nightclub, the building's most recent use. At some point in the late 20th century, the forearms of the mermaids around the balcony were removed; these were later rediscovered and the mermaids were restored.