History

Plans for The Plaza Super Cinema and Variety Theatre were submitted to Stockport Council in 1929. Three years later, in 1932, The Plaza was completed with a seating capacity of in excess of 1850. It was commissioned by the Reid, Snape and Ward cinema circuit and designed by Architect, W Thornley of Wigan. It was, and still could be, described as the most architecturally sophisticated public entertainment building ever to be constructed in Stockport.

The site, in Mersey Square, Stockport, was previously occupied by a row of small terraced cottages, backing onto the sandstone cliff that form one side of the Mersey gorge. The site was chosen because of its great commercial potential, with all Stockport’s buses and trams terminating in the Square. However, it presented a huge technical challenge. 10,000 tons of rock had to be removed to make room for the new Super Cinema and buildings on each side had to be shored up during the massive excavation work. Despite its extensive frontage, most of The Plaza is actually underground with 12 dressing rooms forty feet below street level, most of which are accessed from a corridor which runs full width underneath the stage.

The dramatic front elevation, in white terracotta, was originally illuminated by 300 feet of red and green neon lighting and it is planned to restore this as part of the proposed renovation works.

During construction, no expense was spared on the interior of The Plaza. The Super Cinema contains rich plaster decoration throughout the foyers, auditorium and large first floor café, which still has its own entrance and can be opened independently of the theatre. The original café décor is still in place but is currently covered by a 1960’s “makeover”, which will be removed as part of the Plaza restoration plans.

Foyers were lit by Neron Vitalux lamps, which provided heat and ultraviolet rays to shed “perpetual summer sunshine” on patrons. Virtually all the front of house and auditorium lighting was concealed in troughs and coves.

The original decoration included gold and silver glazes, glowing with colour generated by a complex Holophane lighting system, which was a three circuit arrangement that could be adjusted to produce any colour of the rainbow. The central dome was lined with silver foil, which cast multicoloured light down into the auditorium from the 1000 lamps around its base. 6000 lamps were used in the whole installation, which is out of action at present but is included in the restoration plans for the Plaza.

A full height fly tower extends across the front third of the stage. The rear two-thirds runs underneath the street at the back of the building, making the Plaza larger inside than out! A massive riveted lattice steel beam, across the stage, supports the back wall of the building and the street. The proscenium is uncharacteristically large for the 1930’s and presented no projection problems when wide screen formats were introduced in the 1950’s.

With the advent of television and the general decline in cinema attendances the Plaza continued to trade until the mid 1960’s hosting films and trialing pantomimes in an effort to continue as a cinema but the levels of business were not sufficient to maintain her therefore closure loomed.

From 1966 the Stockport Plaza converted to a bingo hall under the ownership and custodianship of the Mecca Group who also opened a nightclub called ‘Samantha’s in what was once the Café Lounge, an organization that had empathy with Stockport’s art deco gem so that when their tenancy finished in the late 1990’s the Stockport Plaza Trust which was formed to save the Plaza from potential demolition were able to start the campaign to raise funds and reopen a building that had the art deco gems concealed, ready for a chance to shine again.

In October 2000 the doors were open again for the first live stage performance in the Plaza that had once again been returned following the commitment and dedication of a team of volunteers who were passionate about this jewel in the arts crown of the North West, with an auditorium devoid of bingo seating, restored stage facilities, refurbished dressing rooms, bar and public areas.

With an aim from the beginning of restoring the Plaza to its 1932 art glory extensive work took place that saw the dedicated team and board of the Stockport Plaza Trust, undertaking the mammoth tasks of achieving their goal of raising £3.2 million, a task that was achieved with the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund donating £1.9 million, the North West Regional Development Agency providing £650,000 along with an extra £95,000 for repainting the auditorium and SMBC providing a grant for £300,000 alongside fundraising undertaken by our dedicated and motivated team, the Plaza finally closed in February 2009 and braced itself for the works ahead….

With works undertaken in all the public areas, including replacing and restoring sections of the façade, all internal Front of House areas, installation of a public lift, backstage improvements and rewiring the Plaza opened in a blaze of glory in December 2009 in time for the annual pantomime Snow White starring Claire King, a box office hit that alongside the newly restored Stockport Plaza was back in the heart of the community and secure in the knowledge that her future was as bright as the day in 1932 when this art deco gem was first opened to its public.