Empire Theatre & Cinema, Cleethorpes, England - history page

02/05/2026

Grim&Gleeful CIC continue their celebration of the Empire Theatre next week:

Auguste Van Biene: The Man Who Made the Empire
Cleethorpes Town Hall
Saturday 9th May 2026, 7pm start

"Auguste Van Biene was one of the most influential figures in British popular entertainment at the turn of the 20th century — actor, composer, theatre manager and impresario. His vision helped shape the Empire Theatre, Cleethorpes, and placed the town firmly on the national entertainment map.

In this illustrated talk and recital, music historian Dr George Kennaway brings Van Biene’s remarkable life and work vividly to life, exploring melodrama, music hall, touring theatre and the birth of seaside entertainment culture.

A fascinating evening for anyone interested in theatre history, music, or the hidden stories behind Cleethorpes’ most iconic venue."

£10 - https://grimandgleeful.org/event/6433765/751430678/auguste-van-biene-the-man-who-made-the-empire

Auguste Van Biene: The Man Who Made the Empire – Cleethorpes Town Hall, Sat 9 May 2026 - Celebrating 130 Years of the Empire Theatre, Cleethorpes Auguste Van Biene was one of the most influential figures in British popular entertainment at the turn of the 20th century — actor, composer, theatre ...

29/04/2026

I love Cleethorpes — I can remember watching shows in the pier pavilion and the local Scouts Gang Show at the ABC Cleethorpes (formerly The Ritz).

The resort today has the attractive, family-run Parkway Cinema, which occasionally hosts modest live shows, while Grimsby's contemporary Auditorium is said to fall short on atmosphere and acoustics. The Caxton Players, a popular amateur dramatic society,
present their own productions in the small former Plaza Cinema, though it doesn't host visiting performers.

Sadly, the area has lost so many theatres and cinemas over the years. Grimsby once had one of the highest cinema-to-population ratios in Lincolnshire during the inter-war years — a time when these venues weren't just entertainment but somewhere to be seen, catch up on gossip, or simply have a reason to get dressed up.

Cleethorpes itself enjoyed the remarkable Theatre Royal (demolished 1963/4), the Coliseum Picture House (now a Wetherspoons, retaining a fine 1920 façade but
nothing of its original interior), and the large Ritz — later the ABC Cleethorpes, now the site of a McDonald's. Grimsby had notable theatres of its own: the Prince of Wales (later demolished for the Regal Super Cinema), the Palace Theatre (now a car park, though its former theatre bar has been sympathetically converted to retail),
The Hippodrome (demolished after a fire) and the Tivoli (lost due to enemy action in WWII) being the primary ones.

Of the surviving former theatre and cinema buildings, the Regal is now an indoor play centre, the Tower a stationers warehouse, and the Savoy a McDonald's with its few remaining features hidden from view. That leaves the Empire as the only viable
building with realistic potential to return to public use as an entertainment venue — should it become available and sufficient funding be secured. There is genuine community feeling that it should once again serve the purpose for which it was built, back in 1896, 130 years ago.

15/04/2026

Welcome to the Cleethorpes Empire History Page – a theatre once again?

Hi, I'm Dave Smith, and I set this page up (and The Empire Theatre - History Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1632191747048340/) to share what the former Empire Theatre and Cinema looks like today and to recount its history for anyone interested. If you have memories, photos, or stories connected to the building, please do share them
here, or feel free to contact me directly or my fellow moderator, Samuel Pearson.

In my next post, I will share why I love Cleethorpes, recollections from the past, and a theatre history of Grimsby and Cleethorpes throughout the years.

30/03/2026

The Empire just in sight.
PIER GARDENS is currently being 'revamped as part of a wider £18.4m regeneration scheme'

Strolling in the Pier Gardens. Alexandra Road, the Dolphin Hotel and Empire Theatre on left. Photographed in 1951

30/03/2026

Front elevation drawing for Cleethorpes Public Hall from a fund-raising prospectus of 1895. The building was later the Empire Theatre.

The location is described in glowing terms:

“It is being erected upon a central and valuable site fronting the Alexandra Road, Cleethorpes, opposite to the principal entrance to the Pier and Gardens, and extending back to Dolphin Street, and will have a commanding and extensive sea view; it is undoubtedly the finest site in Cleethorpes for the purpose.”

North East Lincolnshire Archives Reference: 1053.

30/03/2026

That's it. A good day to finish my copy edits and send them back to my editor.

Only the proofreading is left before it's out of my hands and I can tweak it no more.

Until then, here's a little taster.

If you've read A New Year for the Seaside Girls, you may remember Peggy - she stood in for Frances when she went to work at the Palace Theatre.

The Empire Theatre in Cleethorpes stood at the top of a small incline that led down to the sea that wasn’t really the sea. It was the estuary of the River Humber on the north-east Lincolnshire coast, but as it had a beach and a pier, it had to be the seaside. So many things were not what they seemed. One day, when the war was over, the Empire would be a theatre again, and Peggy Marshall would walk through the heavy glazed doors, a star. In the meantime, Sunday nights were for singalongs and Peggy wouldn’t miss them for all the tea in China. She pulled on the brass handle and stepped over the threshold, leaving her troubles on the pavement of Alexandra Road.

23/02/2026

This Thursday, Grim&Gleeful is hosting their first event for their project on the Empire, Cleethorpes. The project is supported and funded by Create NEL - Hidden Place Hidden Stories Grant

Share your memories, stories and curiosities about the Empire

What If We Create, Freshney Place (next to Next), Grimsby
Thursday 26th February (this week!)
Drop in from 11-2.30pm

This Thursday, at Freshney Place (next to Next) pop in and find out about our Hidden Stories project celebrating 130th birthday of The Empire Theatre & Cinema, teas and coffees and chat or curiosity also welcome.
📍 What If We Create, Freshney Place (next to Next), Grimsby
🗓 Thursday 26th February
⏰ We'll be there between 11.00am – 2.30pm
Grimsby Creates The Cleethorpes Promenados

25/07/2025

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