Repairs to the exterior have commended in early 2010. The owner has given assurances that the inside of the building is in good order, but has not given access to the public. Following articles in the Messenger, MEN and on Channel M last April, the owner stated that they were looking at potential suggestions for community use. No other information is available at present but we regularly receive emails from interested parties and messages of support. Sign up to this site to get the latest information. Here are photos of the latest repairs as of March 2010 and then the last available known pictures of the interior, taken 14 years ago at auction, and provided from the video by John Ryan that you can see in the video section of this site.
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- The front canopy, woodwork replaced
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- The other side of the front building, now repaired.
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- The side exterior where the worst damp issue appeared to be, now fixed.
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- From the stage looking at the stalls as bingo and the circle as origional
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- Longford Essoldo Cinema Stretford last picture of the projection booth
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- From the circle looking down, the bingo set up still in tact
Used to drive past this daily back in the 90′s and wondered whether it would survive, so glad to see it has
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Hi, my brother is an ex projectionist of the Essoldo and Picturedrome, now living in Nz and still asks for news of the cinema, so any news I read I print and send to him as he is not computer savvy.
Cheers x
the front of the cinema has been painted blue looks fab, but hope they finish the bottom bit
Remember my sister and I going with Gran to see a stage production of Oaklaoma at the Essoldo in the late 50s as well as being scared out of my wits by Moby Dick. It was about to close or may have done just, when we moved to Blackrod and then Kenya. I am now retired and live in Sri Lanka (Matra) where we have a small hotel. I still visit Stretford at least twice a year, Sister lives on Barton Road now apart from the landlord of the Menville and the Vicar of the Church (All Saints) nowt seems to have changed much. Oh ! and the 5 ways garage.
Thinking on I remember the ‘torchee’ as we used to call him with all his medal ribbions along with a Mrs McAllister (a friend of Mums) who used to work in the restraunt/cafe. We used to be taken in the front entrance and up the stairs to the large piush vesitbule to sit in the large red velvit seats until the end of the first house, there always seems to be ‘March of Violins’ playing over the speaker system.