Theatre at 'heart' of town added to 'at-risk' list

Oswaldtwistle Civic Arts Centre & Theatre has been added to the Theatres At Risk register

A Lancashire theatre which has been "at the heart of the community for more than 150 years" has been added to a heritage "at risk" register.

The Theatres Trust, a charity that campaigns to protect the UK's historic performance spaces, has added Oswaldtwistle Civic Arts Centre & Theatre to its annual Theatres at Risk Register as part of efforts to protect the venue.

It is among 13 theatres across north-west England on the list of those under threat due to severe structural or safety issues or redevelopment plans.

Other theatres on the register include Liverpool's Epstein Theatre and Manchester's Theatre Royal, the city's oldest surviving theatre.

Salford's Victoria Theatre was designed by eminent theatre architect Bertie Crewe

The venues across the region featuring on the Theatres Trust 2025 register - which has a total of 44 UK theatres on it - are as follows:

Greater Manchester

Tameside Theatre - Ashton-under-Lyne's only Grade II-listed, purpose-built theatre which is of architectural and historical significance, featuring 1930s Art Deco features.

Co-op Hall, Ramsbottom - built in 1874-1876 as part of the Co-operative movement. It has been unused since 1944.

Victoria Theatre, Salford - which was designed by eminent theatre architect Bertie Crewe, with rare substage machinery.

Hulme Hippodrome - a Grade II-listed music hall constructed for the Broadhead Circuit which operated 17 venues in the region.

Theatre Royal, Manchester - the city's oldest surviving theatre building, built in 1845.

Lancashire

Burnley Empire - the town's only Grade II-listed purpose-built Victorian theatre, built in 1894.

Winter Gardens Morecambe - the Grade II-listed big concert party hall was built in 1897 to the designs of Mangnall & Littlewood.

Winter Gardens, Blackpool Pavilion - the entertainment complex built between 1875-1939.

Joe Longthorne Pavilion - an Art Deco pier pavilion in Blackpool dating from the 1930 on Blackpool's North Pier.

Oswaldtwistle Civic Arts Centre & Theatre - which the charity said was "at the heart of the community for more than 150 years".

The Pavilion Theatre on Blackpool's North Pier is named after the late entertainer Joe Longthorne

Merseyside

Garston Empire - built in 1915, it is a rare surviving example of a ciné-variety house, designed to bring theatre and silent films to the working-classes.

Epstein Theatre - a Grade II-listed theatre built above a music shop in 1913 and originally intended as a music hall which was closed in 2023 when its financial support was curtailed.

Garrick Theatre, Southport - an Art Deco theatre built in 1932. Its original features remain largely intact.

The Epstein Theatre in Liverpool closed in 2023 after its financial support was curtailed