Mansfield Granada: Exhibition to celebrate town's former music venue

The Beatles were among the top acts who played at the Granada

An exhibition is to be held to celebrate Mansfield's Granada music venue, which closed 50 years ago.

The theatre hosted some of the most famous names in rock and roll in its heyday including the Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Cliff Richard.

The exhibition opens later at the Mansfield Museum.

Organiser Ian Watkins said the Granada had been a major part of town life for more than 40 years and he was looking forward to reminding people of it.

A Primark store now stands on the site of the Granada

Mr Watkins said: "The Granada was such an important place in terms of Mansfield's cultural and social history.

"Some of the biggest names in music graced that stage."

The building, on West Gate, was originally a cinema but also became a concert hall in the 1950s and 1960s.

It was demolished and a Primark store now stands in its place.

The exhibition, which will run for two months, will feature photographs, memorabilia, audio recordings, film, and a specially commissioned model of the venue.

Some former employees will speak about their time there when the exhibition launches

Mr Watkins added: "I have long been fascinated by stories of the Granada and for the last few years I have been collecting memories and memorabilia relating to the cinema.

"I suppose it started for me with my dad telling me about him going to see The Beatles at the Granada. Initially, perhaps I didn't believe him and the stories about bands like The Rolling Stones also appearing in Mansfield.

"He was there back in 1963 watching The Beatles, but gradually I began to realise it was all true.

"I would walk down West Gate and look up at Primark, thinking of what an iconic building used to be there.

"It made me want to reach out to all the people who used to work there, who used to go there for a night out, and to record those memories for future generations before they are lost.

"It's not just about the music. It is about the Granada as a cinema, with a nod to all the other cinemas there were in Mansfield at that time too.

"It has now been gone longer than it existed but for many local people, when you mention its name, it still brings back happy memories."

Former staff members have been invited to attend the exhibition's launch event at the Mansfield Museum on 1 April.

A sold-out concert by tribute band The Hey Beatles will take place at Mansfield's Forest Town Arena on Sunday - exactly 60 years after The Beatles played at the Granada.