Bishopwearmouth, Gill Bridge Avenue, Avenue Theatre

HER Number:
13548

District:
Sunderland

Site Name:
Bishopwearmouth, Gill Bridge Avenue, Avenue Theatre

Place:
Bishopwearmouth

Map Sheet:
NZ35NE

Class:
Recreational

Site Type: Broad:
Music Speech and Dance Venue

Site Type: Specific:
Theatre

General Period:
Early Modern

Specific Period:
C19

Form of Evidence:
Demolished Building

Description:
Opened on the 30th October 1882 as a theatre showing plays and live music hall acts. During 1907 and 1908 James H Tindle showed the theatres first moving pictures. The theatre only lasted a few years after the introduction of the "talkie" films and was closed on the 27th February 1932. The grand entrance way had a square frontage with a stepped pyramid topping. The theatre was closed in 1932 and the land bought by Vaux Brewery who retained the original entrance and incorporated it into their new building. The brewery was demolished in 1999. Tesco bought the land in 2001 but in 2010 it was sold to One North East for redevelopment. It is currently a brown-field redevelopment site with plans for mixed-use office and residential quarter with additional leisure facilities and new hotels.

Easting:
3936

Northing:
5720

Grid Reference:
NZ39365720

Lats/Lons:

Sources:
Anderson, A. (1995) A century of Sunderland Cinemas; http://www.vauxsite.co.uk