Chorley Empire Cinema at Chorley Theatre are proud to present a walking tour of the town centre which takes you past all the major sites of entertainment in Chorley’s history.

In the first half of the 20th Century Britain led the way in film exhibition, and Chorley is typical of the way the cinema business expanded and contracted across the century. In the five years before World War I, over 3400 cinemas were built in the UK and Lancashire had the had the most per population, with 1 screen for every 9 people by 1935. Film screenings had been presented in public halls or at fairs and carnivals but this rapid expansion meant cinema was being taken seriously as an entertainment and the new venues were designed to be attractive places to visit in their own right, with drinks and concessions, and the latest facilities like electric and indoor plumbing.

Films were originally sold by the foot and cinemas would advertise how long they were (an 3400ft epic could last forty minutes!) but the increased competition meant films had to be promoted on the content, and the star system was born, where people would come especially to see the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. A night out would comprise of short films and “features” – at first linked by variety acts, but these soon gave way to fully-screened events. By 1921 there were 11 cinemas in Chorley Borough, and with the advent of sound there was another building boom in the 1930s.

This tour takes you past the sites of all six of Chorley’s 20th Century cinemas, although only one is still standing. It also goes past places where other entertainments took place, so you will see where Chorley Amateur & Operatics Society formed and where one of the first ‘alternative comedy’ clubs outside London was based. It will give you an insight into how people entertained themselves over the last 120 years, and how towns can change.

This project is supported by Cinema For All

Thanks to Ellie and Abi at Cinema For All. Thanks also to Lancashire Libraries, Boyd Hilton, David Walker, Lesley Duckworth, Bill Walker, Phil Cool, and Kathleen Jackson. Thanks also to Eddie Robinson and Cathy Hurley’s Flicks Project.

Information compiled by Ian Robinson & Estelle Bryers. Design and illustration by Ian Robinson.

In addition to the town centre, other parts of Chorley that have appeared on screen include Park Hall at Charnock Richard, which hosts a tournament in International Velvet, and the hills of Rivington where The Monster Calls was filmed and are regularly featured in Peter Kay’s shows. There is also Astley Hall, a 16th Century manor house that was once the setting for a Roland Rat episode! Visit www.checkoutchorley.com for more information.

This is a self-guided circular walk and we would recommend starting at Queens Road car park – PR7 1JX. Visit the Chorley Council website for parking information.

1 ASTLEY PARK GATES AND CENOTAPH Some of the earliest footage of Chorley shows wounded servicemen parading through the Park gates towards the new Cenotaph commemorating the sacrifice of the Chorley folk in armed combat. The whole of Astley Park is a memorial to all wars.

2 PARK ROAD METHODIST CHURCH A very early venue for “improving” plays, often on a Temperance theme, Bible Stories and then Magic Lantern shows. Chorley Film Society used this a venue when it formed 1986 (before they got a regular base at Chorley Little Theatre).

3 SAINT LAURENCE’S CHURCH The historic Parish Church, believed to hold the bones of St Lawrence and with connections to Miles Standish of the Mayflower pilgrims.

4 ODEON

5 CHORLEY PALS A statue to mark the bravery of the Pals in The Great War. This car park was a site of Wild West shows by the likes of Buffalo Bill in the 19th Century, was a cattle market and is now the “flat iron market.” (Chorley has had several markets since at least 1498 with the current main site occupied since 1828). This is also a good place to look East, beyond the railway tracks, to Winter Hill where the TV mast has broadcast across the North West since 1956. 

6 CARTWRIGHT THEATRE – Renowned local Playwright Jim Cartwright opened this venue on Friday Street as a base for his professional acting courses, with occassional shows

7 REEL CINEMAS  Opened in 2019, this is a purpose built 6 screen multiplex, as part of the Market Walk extension. The first film shown was Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. Look for the small border garden with film themed metal edging. 

8 SHEPHERD’S HALL  Chorley traditionally made money from sheep, this building belonged to The Shepherds Guild but the rooms could be hired for meetings and Chorley Amateur Dramatic & Operatic Society (CADOS) was founded here on 2nd March 1933 by Sir John Jackson and Joseph Whiteman. Today it contains shops, a micro pub, and a gym.

9 PAVILION

10 PLAZA

11 THEATRE ROYAL

12 MASSA’S  Since 1950’s a Friday treat would be to go to Massas for a vimto milkshake (a Chorley speciality). They had an expresso machine, a jukebox & milkshake frother & a distictive green paint scheme, still there in 1980’s. Ice creams are made locally by Frederick’s, who also supply the traditional tubs for Chorley Theatre. 

13 EBB & FLO BOOKSHOP  Chorleys fab independent bookshop, storytime emporium & refuge for the young at heart. Opposite the site of the Hippo-Picturedrome, which is now a car park. 

14 HIPPODROME

15 AMBULANCE HALL Considered to have the best dancefloor for miles, and visited by servicemen stationed nearby. Had a raised stage for concert parties, live music & plays, and regularly used by St George’s Am Dram and CADOS before they got their own venue. Demolished in 2017.

16 DRILL HALL Built in 1880 the Chorley Pals trained here before marching round town and going by train to The Great War. In recent years it has held beer festivals and wrestling matches. 

17 CORONATION REC Originally Dole Fields, on Dole Lane, which hosted trick riders, bicycle demonstrations and acrobatic displays as well as being Chorley’s Football Field. Visited by King George V, from who’s coronation it gets it’s name. In the 1950s events here attracted big-name stars such as Nicolas Parsons and Ken Dodd. 

18 LITTLE THEATRE  Having formed in 1933, CADOS needed a venue to perform in so an old cellar under St Georges Street Congregational Church was converted into a miniature theatre the following year. It was named Chorley Little Theatre, and the group performed there until repairs made it unviable in the late 1950s. During the war it was repurposed by the Government as a “British Restaurant” where nutritious meals were sold to those that needed them for 9d.

19 ST GEORGE’S Chorley’s oldest still-running amateur dramatics group was formed here in 1913, and now perform in the Church’s hall, having previously used the old school ast the main site.

20 MALCOLM’S MUSICLAND Built as a Baptist Chapel in Chapel Street, for over 50 years Malcolm has sold records, CDs, and more – including theatre tickets. Over the years the music shop has had appearances by The Nolans, Annie Lennox, Kim Wilde, Lulu and Bob Carolges with Spit The Dog.

21 GRAND THEATRE “lights the heart and the imagination.” George Testo Sante was a US-born circus strongman who toured the UK with his variety play “The Showman.” In 1894 he bought a wooden theatre and invested in creating “a peoples palace of dreams” and claims to have entertained 150,000 people in 1899. Sadly it was destroyed by fire in 1914 after a performance of the pantomime “Jack Horner” and Sante sold his stakes in other venues before dying penniless in 1916.

22 THEATRE WALK Peterwink & Dole Lane were 2 of the oldest Streets in Chorley. The ginnel connecting Market Street with Peter Street as a cut through from The Town Centre to Chorley Theatre was renovated by Chorley Council to create Theatre Walk, with it’s cheery arts themed paving & improved steps making Chorley Theatre more accessible from the Town Centre

23 CHORLEY THEATRE/EMPIRE. In 2021 the Chorley Theatre Studio opened, providing extra performance and rehearsal space on the site of the old Hyatt Restaurant, which was previously a cottage from the 1870s.

24 CHORLEY TOWN HALL Very early film screenings, called Matagraphs, were presented as well as wholesome fare such as light classics. Over the years it has been the venue for live TV wrestling, flower shows, plays, radio recordings, dances and more. Frankie Vaughan was a regular visitor in the 1950s when he would call on his way to or from a show in Blackpool.

25 LAUGHINGAS Downstairs at The Royal Oak was the country’s first ‘alternative’ comedy club outside of London. Run by Steve Taylor and Phil Cool, it was a place for Cool to refine his act while hosting many upcoming comedians. For £1 the audience in the smoke-filled cellar could see the likes of Jeremy Hardy, Felix Dexter, and Mark Steel. Laughingas ran here from 1983 to 1987, then moved elsewhere in Chorley and Horwich with acts including Steve Coogan, Vic Reeves and Paul Merton, whilst Phil Cool went on to nationwide TV fame. The Royal Oak building was demolished in 2018 and is now a car park.

26 PUBLIC HALL & GYMNASIUM  One of the first venues to screen films on a regular basis, the Public Hall also hosted the Chorley Dramatic Club and community events. The Perfecto Filmographic Co Ltd ran the Picture Palace here until purchasing land on Dole Lane in 1909 and moving operations to their purpose-built venue there. Also on Mealhouse Lane, the building with features reminiscent of a cinema was Applejax, Chorley’s infamous nightclub!