Click the pictures to enlarge (not the posters)

Located on Palmerston Street where Hailwood House is today, the Empire Cinema was pictured in c.1950. There were two films showing that week, the main feature being:

Aerial view of Bollington (from Britain From Above) showing the Empire Cinema. Look for the bright road surface in the bottom right of the picture. The cinema is the building immediately above.

The site was ideally suited for a cinema because the land sloped down from front to back of the building. Consequently the seats could be raked down the natural lie of the land, giving everyone a perfect view of the screen. In the days before television, the cinema was the only entertaining escapist activity available. It also had the great advantage for teens and twenties of being in the dark! However, the manager, Mr Whittaker, and his staff went to great pains to ensure that there was no hanky panky on the back (or any other) row! There was often a very popular show on Saturday mornings for pre-teen children. When TV became affordable and popular after the Coronation in 1953, cinema going went into decline, and the Empire closed in 1955.

The Empire was actually the second cinema in Bollington. The first was the Imperial Picture Palace located in Foundry Street.

In modern times there used to be two cinemas in Macclesfield, both now closed, but you may be able to see a film at Pott Shrigley school where a volunteer team put on monthly shows under the heading Flix in the Stix.

Turret’s Chocolate liqueurs

After the Empire Cinema closed in 1955, the building was taken over by Turret Chocolates (Liqueurs) Ltd, their business being in the title. The liqueurs were proper alcoholic and could be sold only in licensed premises!

The little (c.15cm square) chocolate liqueur box (right) made a fine presentation box for a no doubt excellent product. It is designed to look like a book. Unfortunately, our only example has suffered a fair bit of ware on the front and the corners.