Sunderland Empire started to be built in 1906 and was completed in 1907 It was originally owned by three men, one of them was a local lad who started out as a busker!
It became hard to fill and closed in 1959 reopening by a corporation in 1960
It is an Edwardian building with a round tower and a dome on the top.
The inside is lovely and painted reds and lots of gold splashed around here and there, we were in the upper circle and wow how many stairs was there?? ooh Its really high too, the stairs are very steep, the rows of seats are very close together so there isn't much leg room, these are the only negative things to say about this lovely building.
Some famous people who have been to The Empire include The Beatles, Charlie Chaplin, Billy Conley, Laurel and Hardy.
The Theatre has an eerie feel to it.
Wed Feb 13, 2008 10:21 am