Grosvenor Picture Palace

Grosvenor Picture Palace is a historic entertainment venue at the junction of Grosvenor Street and Oxford Road in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, England. Constructed in 1912 and opened as a cinema on 19 May 1915, it was one of the most prominent early permanent cinemas in the city and was described at the time as the largest cinema outside London. The building was designed in a Roman-Corinthian style associated with the theatrical architectural language of early cinemas, when elaborate façades helped advertise the new form of mass entertainment. Percy Hothersall is identified as its architect, although some accounts place the design in 1913 rather than 1912. The cinema had a capacity of just under 1,000 people and occupied a strategically visible corner site. Its exterior combines green and cream faience with terracotta detailing, including a raised white terracotta torch on the Oxford Road elevation. The two-storey building has a chamfered corner entrance topped by a pavilion, four bays along Grosvenor Street, six bays along Oxford Road, a small attic and a slate roof. Significant elements of the original interior survive, including the balcony, plasterwork and vaulted ceiling. The auditorium's balcony originally included multicoloured inlaid panels. A canopy that once projected from the building has since been removed. The venue was initially operated by the H. D. Moorehouse cinema chain. In the early 1960s it was acquired by Star Cinema Group, which used the premises for both film exhibition and bingo. A billiard hall had been added in the basement during the 1930s, reflecting the building's gradual evolution from a single-purpose cinema into a broader leisure venue. Its location away from Manchester city centre limited its commercial performance, and the cinema was not considered a sustained financial success. The final film programme, consisting of The Passionate Demons and Attack of the Crab Monsters, was shown on 18 May 1968. After cinema operations ended, the premises were used exclusively as a bingo hall and later as a Riley's snooker club. The building subsequently stood boarded up for a period before being adapted for licensed hospitality. In 1990 it reopened as the Flea and Firkin, a brewery pub associated with a student-oriented beer-hall atmosphere and an on-site brewery. It was later renamed Footage and Firkin and then The Footage after a change of ownership and branding. Stonegate Pub Company refurbished the building at a reported cost of £360,000 and relaunched it on 13 September 2014 with capacity for approximately 620 people. The building received Grade II listed status on 3 October 1974, formally recognizing its architectural and historic importance. The listed designation has helped preserve its principal external and internal features while allowing successive leisure uses. The Footage closed in May 2024. After refurbishment by new owners Index Investments, the premises reopened in November 2024 as The Grosvenor. The current venue therefore continues the site's long tradition of public entertainment, although its operating identity is now a pub and events venue rather than a cinema. The name Grosvenor Picture Palace remains important as the building's historic identity and as a reference point in Manchester's early cinema heritage.

The building now associated with the Grosvenor Picture Palace was constructed in 1912 on the corner of Grosvenor Street and Oxford Road in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester. Some contemporary or later accounts give 1913 as the design date, but the official historic-building record identifies 1912 as the construction year. Percy Hothersall is credited as architect. He later designed the Piccadilly, regarded as Manchester's first supercinema, although that later project was built between 1919 and 1922. The cinema opened on 19 May 1915 with a programme featuring Blanche Forsythe in Jane Shore. Its architecture reflected the ambitions of the early cinema era. Permanent cinemas were still a relatively new building type, and their highly decorative façades served both aesthetic and commercial purposes by making the venue conspicuous to passers-by. The Grosvenor was described in Roman-Corinthian terms with later Renaissance influence. Its corner position, elaborate entrance pavilion and coloured faience and terracotta façade gave it a deliberately grand presence. The auditorium held just under 1,000 people, making the venue the largest cinema outside London at the time. The building was rectangular and two storeys high, with a three-bay chamfered entrance corner, four bays facing Grosvenor Street and six facing Oxford Road. A raised white terracotta torch marked the centre of the Oxford Road elevation. A small attic and slate roof completed the exterior, while the interior featured a balcony, vaulted ceiling and ornamental plasterwork. The balcony originally contained multicoloured inlaid panels. A projecting canopy that once sheltered the entrance was later removed. Operations were initially handled by the H. D. Moorehouse cinema chain. During the 1930s, the basement was adapted to include a billiard hall, broadening the site's leisure function. Star Cinema Group acquired the building in the early 1960s and used it for both cinema exhibition and bingo. Film programmes included popular genre and adventure titles, such as Steve Reeves in Hercules Unchained. Despite its size and distinctive design, the venue struggled commercially because it was located away from Manchester's central shopping and entertainment district. The final cinema programme took place on 18 May 1968, showing The Passionate Demons and Attack of the Crab Monsters. After that date the building was used solely for bingo. It later operated for several years as a Riley's snooker club and then remained boarded up for a period. This succession of uses illustrates the building's adaptability but also the decline of its original cinema business model. On 3 October 1974, the former cinema was designated a Grade II listed building. The designation recognized the importance of its early-cinema architecture and the survival of substantial original fabric. In 1990 it became the Flea and Firkin, a brewery pub known for a beer-hall-style atmosphere and a largely student clientele. The pub was later renamed Footage and Firkin, and subsequently The Footage after a change in ownership and operating identity. Stonegate Pub Company carried out a major refurbishment and relaunched the premises on 13 September 2014. The renovated venue had a reported capacity of 620 people, allowing the listed structure to continue functioning as a large hospitality and entertainment site. The Footage closed in May 2024. Index Investments then undertook further refurbishment, and the premises reopened in November 2024 as The Grosvenor. Although no longer a cinema, the venue retains the historic Grosvenor identity and continues to use the former picture palace as a pub and leisure destination.

• 2024

  Reopened as The Grosvenor

  [1]Grosvenor Picture Palaceen.wikipedia.org

  After closing in May and undergoing refurbishment by Index Investments, the venue reopened in November 2024 as The Grosvenor.

• 2014

  The Footage relaunched

  [1]Grosvenor Picture Palaceen.wikipedia.org

  Stonegate Pub Company completed a refurbishment and relaunched the venue on 13 September 2014.

• 1990

  Converted into the Flea and Firkin

  [1]Grosvenor Picture Palaceen.wikipedia.org

  The premises became a brewery pub, beginning the building's modern hospitality era.

• 1974

  Grade II listing granted

  [1]Grosvenor Picture Palaceen.wikipedia.org

  The former cinema was designated a Grade II listed building on 3 October 1974.

• 1968

  Cinema operations ended

  [1]Grosvenor Picture Palaceen.wikipedia.org

  The final films were screened on 18 May 1968, after which the premises were used exclusively for bingo.

• 1960

  Acquired by Star Cinema Group

  [1]Grosvenor Picture Palaceen.wikipedia.org

  Star Cinema Group acquired the venue in the early 1960s and operated it for cinema and bingo.

• 1930

  Basement billiard hall added

  [1]Grosvenor Picture Palaceen.wikipedia.org

  A billiard hall was installed in the basement during the 1930s, expanding the venue's leisure uses.

• 1915

  Cinema opened

  [1]Grosvenor Picture Palaceen.wikipedia.org

  The Grosvenor Picture Palace opened on 19 May 1915 with a screening featuring Blanche Forsythe in Jane Shore.

• 1912

  Building constructed

  [1]Grosvenor Picture Palaceen.wikipedia.org

  The building identified with the Grosvenor Picture Palace was constructed at the corner of Grosvenor Street and Oxford Road.

A heritage entertainment venue that combines a Grade II listed former cinema building with contemporary pub and leisure operations.

• Cinema · 1915

  Grosvenor Picture Palace cinema

  The original cinema operation opened in 1915 with seating for just under 1,000 people. It screened feature films and was notable for its scale, ornate early-cinema architecture and status as the largest cinema outside London in its day. Cinema use ended in May 1968.

• Leisure venue · 1968

  Bingo venue

  Following the end of film screenings, the building was used exclusively for bingo. Star Cinema Group had already combined cinema and bingo operations during the early 1960s.

• Brewery pub · 1990

  The Flea and Firkin

  Opened in 1990, this iteration converted the former cinema into a brewery pub with a beer-hall-style environment and an on-site brewery. It was associated with a predominantly student clientele.

• Pub and entertainment venue · 2014

  The Footage

  The building operated under the Footage and Firkin name and later as The Footage. A Stonegate refurbishment in 2014 relaunched the venue with a reported capacity of 620 before its closure in May 2024.

• Public house and events venue · 2024

  The Grosvenor

  The current operating identity of the premises, reopened in November 2024 after refurbishment by Index Investments. It uses the historic building as a contemporary pub and entertainment venue.

• 2024

  Rebranding as The GrosvenorStrategy

  Background

  The Footage closed in May 2024 and the property changed ownership.

  Action taken

  Index Investments refurbished the building and reopened it in November 2024 as The Grosvenor.

  Aftermath

  The site resumed operation as a pub and entertainment venue under a name that reconnects it with its historic picture-palace identity.

  Source

• 2014

  Stonegate refurbishment and relaunchOther

  Background

  The venue was operating as The Footage and required modernization while continuing to occupy a listed former cinema.

  Action taken

  Stonegate Pub Company refurbished the premises and relaunched them on 13 September 2014.

  Aftermath

  The relaunched venue was reported to have capacity for 620 people.

  Refurbishment cost. £360,000 (2014 refurbishment)

  Source

• 1990

  Conversion to a brewery pubStrategy

  Background

  After cinema, bingo and snooker uses, the listed building required a new sustainable leisure function.

  Action taken

  The premises were converted into the Flea and Firkin, a brewery pub with an on-site brewery.

  Aftermath

  The building entered a long-running hospitality phase and was subsequently rebranded as Footage and Firkin and The Footage.

  Source

• 1968

  End cinema operations and move to bingoStrategy

  Background

  The cinema was commercially challenged by its distance from Manchester city centre, and the final film programme was shown on 18 May 1968.

  Action taken

  The operator ended film exhibition and used the building exclusively as a bingo hall.

  Aftermath

  The building remained an entertainment venue but no longer operated as a cinema, later becoming a snooker club and then a pub.

  Source

1. 1Grosvenor Picture Palaceen.wikipedia.org