New lease of life for Burnley Empire?

Published: 9 December 2018
Reporter: David Upton

Burnley Empire Credit: Mark Salmon

Burnley Empire has been bought by Burnley Empire Limited.

Sole survivor of five variety music halls in Burnley, it is the only purpose-built Victorian theatre of its kind in East Lancashire. New ownership means it could once again become a vibrant community venue.

Burnley Empire Limited is a company formed by the friends group Burnley Empire Theatre Trust, established three years ago and working tirelessly to revive the theatre.

The venue has been on the Theatres Trust’s ‘at risk’ register since 2006. The Duchy of Lancaster offered the group the Empire for £1 in 2015, but it was not then in a position to take on the large-scale project. It was feared the building might be lost as it was due to go to auction.

Thanks to support from the Theatres Trust, National Trust and David Wilmore at historic theatre consultancy Theatresearch—and the generosity of an anonymous donor—Burnley Empire Limited has been able to take up the original offer.

*Some links, including Amazon, Stageplays.com, ATG Tickets, LOVEtheatre, BTG Tickets, Ticketmaster, The Ticket Factory, LW Theatres and QuayTickets, are affiliate links for which BTG may earn a small fee at no extra cost to the purchaser.

Are you sure?