Remembering the rich history of the Empire Theatre and the famous faces who came to perform in Dewsbury

But it seems there is a new generation of readers who do not remember the theatre which closed in 1955 and was demolished five years later.

Indeed, I fear the day will come when there will be no-one left in Dewsbury who will remember the Empire Palace Theatre, which in its heyday was one of the biggest and grandest in the provinces.

This is why it is important to collect as much information as we can about it while there are people still around to give it to us.

Some years ago I was delighted to make contact with Ray Brace, who was stage manager at the Empire when it closed in 1955.

He still has fond memories of the theatre and has photographs of the staff who worked there and of the stars who appeared there.

Ray, who was born in 1932 in an area of Thornhill Lees knows as the Piece, now lives in Milton Keynes, and he still has family living in the district.

Ray stared working at the Empire in 1948 as assistant stage manager and later became stage manager.

Although he lost his job when the Empire closed, he was able to secure another and eventually became stage manager and general manager at theatres in Blackpool and Morecambe.

Although the Empire closed in 1955, the building remained empty for five years before being demolished to make way for a four-storey office block which was given the name Empire House.

On the day demolition work started, passers-by watched in disbelief as the theatre’s beautiful facade was ripped away, leaving the red plush theatre seats inside visible to the outside world.

Many Dewsbury people lost their livelihoods when the theatre closed, including landladies of the boarding houses where the stars stayed.

In those days many of the stars, including Frank Randall and Florrie Ford, stayed with ordinary families in houses in various parts of town, mainly on Crackenedge Lane, Leeds Road and the Eightlands.

Stan Laurel, who had relatives in Dewsbury, Charlie Chaplin and Gracie Fields, all appeared at the Empire and stayed in local boarding houses.

One of the best known landladies was Mrs May Cage, of Marsden Terrace, Crackenedge, who was heartbroken when the theatre closed.

For the five years while it was empty, she lived in the hope that it would re-open, but her hopes were dashed when the demolition men moved in.

She said at the time: “Me and my husband are so upset we make a point of not walking past the demolition site – it is too much to bear.”

Mrs Cage was also disgusted at the attitude of town hall officials and the people of Dewsbury who did nothing to save the theatre.

"Something could have been done to save it, but no-one tried hard enough,” she said.

Like so many other provincial theatres, the Empire, which had been built in 1909, had fallen victim to competition from television and the silver screen in the 1950s.

During his long career in the theatre, Ray Brace met and befriended many of the big stars, two of whom, George Formby and film and television star Yana, became godparents to his son, Howard.

Many of the stars who appeared at The Empire later became big names on television, quite a lot of them appearing in Coronation Street.

Bill Waddington became Percy Sugden, Jill Summers became Phyllis Pearce, Johnny Briggs, Mike Baldwin, and Betty Turpin, Betty Driver.

Ray Brace’s mother, Marian Brace (nee Waring), remembered seeing Florrie Forde and Wilfred Lawton at the Empire in the 1930s.

Ray himself remembers film star Anthony Newley being a regular visitor to their home when he appeared at Dewsbury with the Saxon Players.

And, of course, two other famous stars to appear at the Empire, just as they were making a name for themselves, were Morecambe and Wise,

Ray went on to become general manager at the Queen’s Theatre, Blackpool, and the Alhambra Theatre, Morecambe, where he produced many summer shows.

Some of the top names of the day appeared there, including Max Wall and Nat Jackley.

Now retired, Ray looks back with fond memories on his years in Dewsbury, especially while working at the Empire.

He also remembers his first job as an apprentice electrician at Beaumont and Blackburn’s when he was paid the princely sum of 15 shillings a week, but he only stayed there nine months.

“I also remember Francis Stephenson, a former Dewsbury policeman, whose beat was around the Empire,” he said.

Ray was also a keen amateur rugby league player, being part of the Dewsbury YMCA under-16 team in 1948.

“I still love my home town, although I don’t like some of the changes being made. But during the rugby season, the first score I look for is the Rams,” he said.

The Empire Theatre opened on a warm summer’s night in 1909 and closed on a damp April evening in 1955.

Although a few interested people in the town had considered ways of keeping the theatre open, no serious campaign to save it was launched. The town council did consider buying it, but never did.

The opening of the Empire in 1909 was one of Dewsbury’s biggest ever social occasions, and for weeks the townspeople watched the new theatre quickly take shape.

Its impressive and elaborate frontage dominated the approach to the town hall which stood just across the road.

It was one of the best equipped music halls in the provinces, having rich upholstered seating, luxurious velvet curtains, ornate private boxes, brass fittings everywhere and an eight hundred-weight chandelier.

In keeping with the opulence of its interior, the first night programmes were made of silk.