Inside The LOST Empire Theatre & Cinema | Abandoned Uniforms, Mosaics & Nightclub

[@jiginc1]

One of the best films of this type I have seen. It just shows that many years ago Rotherham had great places to visit. Well done for presenting a great show.

[@tourobscure]

@@jiginc1 Thankyou for your kind words my friend. Thankyou for watching!

[@nelakroyd532]

Congrats on getting access! A great explore. Thanks.

[@danhorton8689]

An absolutely fabulous explore of a once stunning venue! This is the second video of yours I’ve watched so far today and as a keen amateur social historian myself, I definitely had to subscribe! Keep up the good work and I look forward to binging on more of your videos over coming days! 😉

[@Edenn32]

The usher robe left there is really interesting! Very creepy! Never visited here myself when visiting Rotherham but I’ve been told about this building before! Thanks for giving us the opportunity! Great video!

[@lisa1988x]

Love this! Went here nearly every Friday when it was pop nightclub

[@nisadave]

Fabulous old building went in their many times in the 60s when it was The Essoldo Cinema. My last visit was 51 years ago in 1973 to see The Exorcist. It's brought back so many great memories thanks for posting.

[@ffrtheted7671]

Saw my very first film there it was summer holiday cliff Richards there were queues an queues to get in we were put at the very top and yes it was very very steep brought back lots of good memories I'm 72 Thanks ❤

[@acidmack1041]

I used to DJ here around 10-15 years ago and after the club closed for the night we were allowed to go up there to see the old theatre. You'd get up there via a door in the women's toilets at that time

[@andrewpeacock7223]

Wow. Good stuff.

[@emmacoleman188]

What an amazing place! I love the floor mosaic. Thank you so much, you really brought this place to life

[@tourobscure]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thankyou

[@gailh3048]

Great video, thank you. So many layers of history uncovered. I went to see The Exorcist there in 1974. We queued up the side of the building to get in. St John’s Ambulance were there because of people fainting!

[@stevenmatthews2406]

Well done for a very informative showing of the grand old building. It was amazing to see all the decorative plaster work and the wooden carvings. The tiling and mosaic were in keeping with the buildings of that time and were beautiful to see. The uniform was a great find indeed, can it go to the Rotherham Museum? First visited the cinema back in the early 70' s and saw Herbie (Love bug). Later on recall queuing one night all the way up Ship Hill til we were level with the pub. The queue never seemed to go down much and the disappointment of just getting around the bottom corner anticipating to getting in only to be told 'Sorry we're full'. We gave it another go the following night, this time we made it to the door and......we were turned away again. Right third time lucky we thought and yes we finally got in to see.....Rambo Fisrt Blood. You brought back some brilliant memories, thanks for that and good luck with all your future work.

[@deanoobg42]

what a fantastic film and best one yet this was amazing to watch and loved it thank you to you and the staff for letting you access a wonderful building

[@CATS57CATS]

good to see a new video. Amazing how you had access. extremely well made video. Many thanks

[@CaptainKeyForge]

Important building to me. Visited many times when it was a cinema. Seen Back to the Future II, Moonwalker and Who Framed Roger Rabbit all inside as a child before it closed. Was a late teen early 20’s when it was New York bar where I met my now wife of over 15 years. Missed not having a cinema for 34 years in the town until a new one opened this month. Still live a two minute walk away. Thanks for the video.

[@steve26553]

It later changed its name to the Classic while still operating as a cinema. The cinema at the bottom of Corporation Street was originally the Odeon which then changed its name to Scala. On the subject of this other cinema, some older residents will remember this with nostalgia. At the rear of the Odeon a narrow stretch of the river Don separated it from Rotherham Forge. While watching a movie, it wasn't uncommon to hear the huge drop hammers and feel the vibrations beneath your feet.

[@jamielew]

A class video after a stressful weekend. Completed it nicely. Thanks buddy! A great watch as always 🙏🙏

[@jamielew]

Got a feeling this will be the most successful vlog yet!

[@marklewis9155]

Cracking video mate love stuff like this!!

[@tourobscure]

Glad you enjoyed

[@craigbaxter5154]

Fantastic video I live near it but didn’t know it’s history until my mate told me to watch this video

[@paulbaker8003]

Great video! Love the tiled staircase.

[@yonkieponkie]

Thanks

[@tourobscure]

@@yonkieponkie Thankyou very much. Name added to credits 👍

[@elainechissick7962]

I remember this place, I saw Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade here, and Twins. The seats were curved wood with red velvet cushioning. It was one of two cinemas in Rotherham town centre, this one was my favourite.

[@steve26553]

Old geezer here. There was a time when there were more than two in the town centre and a few others scattered around the outskirts. There was the Hippodrome on Effingham Street and a small one on Doncaster Gate just down from the old hospital. I can't remember the name of that one but it was a few doors up from what was once Coopers toy shop and that was another later used as a bingo hall. There was the Tivoli at Masbrough opposite the old football ground and at Ferham there was the Premier Pictue Palace known affectionately as the 3 P's

[@elainechissick7962]

@@steve26553 tiny bit before my time! I remember seeing one of the Star Wars movies at the one near chantry bridge, but I don’t remember the others.

[@carlf3051]

Brilliant Video... (From 'Big Carl' 🙂) Thank You 👍

[@tourobscure]

@@carlf3051 Thankyou for all your help and sacrificing your own time to accommodate. Top man 👍

[@Autism_mum82]

I was only 7 when the theatre closed so don't really remember it but always knew it as a nightclub. Would love it for you to do the old scala/bingo hall on Corporation Street.

[@Johnjoe3519]

This brought back some fantastic memories for me. It was the first nightclub I ever went to as a teen back in 1999, when it was called New York. Damn, I'd give anything to go back to those times.

[@garyphillips006]

I used to go here a lot (most weekends) in the late 90s into the 00's when it was New YOrk New York, and then the Beach, it was a big club that played dance/pop music and then was a smaller venue at the back, slightly cut off but in the same building which from memory played much more hard core Garage music, don't think you had to pay extra to get in, however I could be wrong. I definately remember nights when I would switch between the two. Also I saw my first ever movie in here in around 1987/88 Turner and Hooch with Tom Hanks. Very Interesting that.

[@missyembo]

Amazing video

[@barnsleymat]

Those terrazzo stairs, terrazzo floor and mosaic floor are beautifil. The victorian ceramic wall tiling is wonderful too. I restore things like these.

[@notoriousdog8942]

I worked very very briefly next door in the Corn Law, there’s still the old bank vault in there. Amazing there’s so much left from the Empire that’s just been covered up!

[@matt-fh6hb]

Just down the road from here was another Empire, in Moorthorpe. That began as a theatre, then cinema, then bingo hall, and was sectioned off and lots of original features boxed away like this. A few years ago they converted it to flats and houses and destroyed it all.

[@johngibson3837]

Hey up mate super good video thinking I'm going to ask my mum now living in oz but from Rotherham about this as I'm guessing she's been there pre 1960

[@andrewpeacock7223]

Thanks

[@martynkitchen1565]

The old upper circle was there in the ESSOLDO 60s , saw easy rider there and lots more

[@Stewart.fryers]

Excellent film mate

[@tourobscure]

@@Stewart.fryers Thankyou my friend.

[@janeabbott5379]

This is fantastic! Rotherham was special at one time!. Well done Tour Obscure!

[@yonkieponkie]

i remember seeing Monte Carlo or bust there in 1969. In the booking office they had a picture of Clark Gable behind on the wall

[@darylslinn5704]

Spent a few hours in that place many years ago and had no idea that everything behind the scenes still existed.

[@jambigreg2008]

Used to work when its was a nightclub around 2011/12 till 2015. hope the construction thats taking place is for the better. The hoo ha bar was there as a separate bar with its own enterance in its later life before hand used to be a extra floor for the main nightclub (like a extra bar as such). many a memory in that place.

[@michaelreed9887]

Good content thanks

[@wescomrie3134]

It was also called Synergy before it was called Pop. The ‘S’ carpeting is left over from that period.

[@bentranmer303]

I remember watching ghostbusters there! Please could you try and get access to Revolutions (Pascha) as that is where I used to go clubbing, would love to see inside again!

[@paulscushschofield1288]

Video killed more than radio stars.thats a tragedy

[@unclenolly3207]

Thanks It’s great to see so many of the original features are still there. What’s the plan for the building now? (Sorry if you did say) I have to ask - at 0:42 in the opening credits - where is that? It looks familiar and it’s bugging me trying to work out where it is. Thank you once again.

[@tourobscure]

@@unclenolly3207 that’s oaks lane in Barnsley, the road that leads up to the old Barnsley Main Colliery. Was a beautiful day as you can tell! Thanks for watching again my friend, going to have to create a special shoutout section for you alone!

[@fatal817]

the builder that gave you permission is my dad haha i helped work on this building 😆

[@paulscushschofield1288]

Those tiles are worth a few quid

[@albuchanan]

I used to queue up the side on a Saturday afternoon to watch herbi, Jaws, star wars, six million dollar man, evil knivel and my grandad had the dance hall across the road called the carlton suit for ballroom dancing then later became a nightclub but I have only been in this one once. l

[@sylviabrooks9871]

We called the gallery The Gods

[@stephenreeve6732]

My brother was the last projectionist of the Cannon cinema

[@thenameskrisg]

I saw many a terrible film here 😂 So many memories!

[@johnnewell-q4p]

😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄

[@janeabbott5379]

Thanks

[@sarahtingle4511]

Thanks

[@tourobscure]

@@sarahtingle4511 Thankyou very much! Name added to the list! ❤️