Graving Docks Pump House - West Float - Birkenhead

The former Garston Empire Theatre in south Liverpool opened in 1915 as a purpose-built cine-variety theatre, reflecting the rapid growth of popular entertainment in the dockside suburb during the early twentieth century. Designed to host both live acts and motion pictures, it featured a full stage, orchestra pit, dressing rooms and an ornate auditorium with balcony seating, attracting touring performers as well as cinema audiences; stars of the variety era, including Gracie Fields, are said to have appeared there. Around 1918 the venue shifted to operating primarily as a cinema, becoming one of the area’s principal picture houses and drawing large crowds through the interwar period. Sound equipment was installed in 1930 to accommodate talking pictures, allowing it to remain competitive as film technology evolved. Like many suburban cinemas, however, attendance declined after the Second World War with the rise of television, and the building closed as a cinema on 8 December 1962, reportedly showing Jailhouse Rock starring Elvis Presley as part of its final programme.

Almost immediately the premises reopened as a bingo hall, a conversion that ensured the structure’s survival during a period when many similar venues were demolished. For nearly half a century it functioned as a major social hub for local residents, though internal alterations obscured some of the original theatre features. The bingo club finally closed in 2009, after which the building fell vacant and began to deteriorate, suffering from vandalism, weather damage and uncertainty over ownership and redevelopment. Despite repeated proposals ranging from community arts use to housing schemes, none has yet come to fruition, and the structure has been listed as at risk because of its historical and architectural significance.