Report - Wellington Picturehouse, Stockport, Jan 23

[host]

So the plastic lamps above the tables have gone then ??

 

[Ojay]

So the plastic lamps above the tables have gone then ??

Place has been smashed to shit and ransacked

I mean it wasn’t great to start with but fuck me it’s in a sorry state!

 

[Speed]

Can you blame them? Bud Dry was about the only yoinkable thing in there..

Still stuff to hunt out even after all the footfall tho.

 

[albino-jay]

Can you blame them? Bud Dry was about the only yoinkable thing in there..

Still stuff to hunt out even after all the footfall tho.

I think we all need to start taking a drywall jab saw with us 😂

 

[SpiderMonkey]

Lovely stuff mate. Looks great with some actual photography applied! #pinguexplores

 

[albino-jay]

Lovely stuff mate. Looks great with some actual photography applied! #pinguexplores

Noot Noot

 

[Exploring With Pride 🌈]

So it’s the latest on the g00n trail, but I have no shame in seeing what I want to see, regardless if it’s gooned out or not. Plus its one many of us have eyed up several times, we just haven’t been brass necked enough to smash it wide open.

People are going nuts over it, I can’t imagine it will be open long.

I’m sure we’ve all seen the hundreds of out of focus pictures, of bits of no interest from here spewed all over Facebook but I thought I’d bang some OK ish pics up with a bit of history about the place.

The explore was as straight forward as you can get turn up walk in, swerve many goons, photograph it best you can when there’s torches pinging about everywhere, walk out. Job done.

History

The Wellington Picture House was opened on 11th July 1921. The corner entrance has a dome, which was originally topped by a cupola. Seating in the auditorium was provided in stalls and circle levels. The proscenium was 28 feet wide. The Wellington Picture House also contained a 13-table billiard hall and a café in the basement. Which later became the Manor Lounge.

Some old posters from circa 1925

Independently operated, it was last operated by the Essoldo Cinemas chain who took over in 1948. Bingo was introduced for one day a week in 1961, and the Wellington Cinema was closed on 31st August 1963.

The picture house when it closed as a cinema

It was converted into a full time Essoldo Bingo Club, later becoming a Ladbrokes Bingo Club, and finally a Walkers Bingo Club.

These were taken in 1993

In recent years it has become a Riley’s snooker hall, which closed in 2012.

In 1963 local businessman Reginald Pickstock, who managed many local clubs turned the basement into a live music venue called Manor Lounge. Manor Lounge hosted many great bands and performers in the short space it was open such as, Pink Floyd, The Hollies, Tom Jones, The Kinks, Van Morrison, The Who, Rod Stewart and many more before closing down in 1966. Pickstock then opened the Tabernacle which later became Sgt Peppers.

Below is a picture of campaigners who tried to rise £500 to have a blue plaque fitted to the building. I’m assuming this failed as it was a good few years ago now and I haven’t seen a blue plaque.

Pics

An old poster from when it was Essoldo bingo.

You can see the original plasterwork from the circle hideously painted over.

Are you even in a derp pool/snooker hall if you don’t get a shite selfie?

A pic of the bar, because we haven’t seen what a modern bar looks like

Moving upstairs

Projector room

Looking out from the circle to the proscenium above the suspended ceiling

Below the projector room this whole side of the building has been letting water in since it closed. Damp is an understatement. I’ll let the photo’s do the talking.

Which in turn has led to the basement, the former Manor Lounge, being flooded.

Some photo’s of staff from 2002.

And I’ll finish on this shit pig, which I thought was a Bully when I first walked in. Time to go to specsavers I think!

​

Great report we did this yesterday after we happen to drive by it on way to hotel a few minutes down the road