Photo of the interior of Hulme Hippodrome by Ursula Ackah. Taken from the fantastic blog:
www.mancky.co.uk
Ursula writes:
The substantial building on the corner of Chichester Road and Warwick Street, Hulme, contains not just one theatre, but two, standing side-by-side!
The Grand Junction Theatre and Floral Hall opened in 1901, with a capacity of 3000, while the smaller Hippodrome Theatre (The NIA Centre) was completed the following year and could seat 1500. An arcade originally ran between the two structures, which is now closed off.
In 1905, the two theatres swapped names, adding greatly to the likelihood that they would be confused over time!
My pictures show the interior of the older, larger theatre, now generally called Hulme Hippodrome, which is further away from Chichester Road. Renamed the Second Manchester Repertory Theatre in 1942, it was subsequently converted for use as a bingo hall and casino in the early ’60s.