Gill Bridge Avenue, Avenue Theatre
Gill Bridge Avenue, Avenue Theatre
HER Number
13548
District
Sunderland
Site Name
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
POST MEDIEVAL
Specific Period
Victorian 1837 to 1901
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
439360
Northing
557200
Grid Reference
NZ439360557200
Sources
Anderson, A. (1995) A century of Sunderland Cinemas; http://www.vauxsite.co.uk