![]() |
The New Prince of Wales Theatre and Opera House Lime Street Liverpool |
The theatre then closed its doors on Saturday 16th February
1924 for the building of the new theatre which can be seen today. The new theatre opened its doors to the public in 1925. The
theatre was designed by W. and T. R. Milburn for Moss Empires; the carving and
the ornamentation in the auditorium were carried out by E. O. Griffiths. The
building is constructed on a steel frame, with a Portland stone façade and
brick elsewhere. The architectural style of the façade is free Neoclassical.
The front of the theatre is in five bays, the central three of which have an
attic, rising above the two lateral bays. The ground floor of the central bays
contains the entrance doors, and over them is a steel canopy decorated with
medallions and guilloché bands. The storey above ground level contains the
balcony, with single and paired Ionic columns, between which are recessed
windows. Over this is a dentilled cornice and the attic. In the first floor of
the side bays there are windows in architraves that are flanked by shallow
pilasters, above which is a plain parapet.
On 24th May 1961 the Theatre played host to the 'Royal Gala Performance' before her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. The Beatles performed at the Empire, famously in l965 at the height of their fame, following in the footsteps of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and many other internationally known stars. Once again in the 1970s, it was host to two Royal Command performances for the Queen and Prince Charles.
In July 1977 Moss Empires reviewed plans to dispose of the
theatre after making a loss over the previous five years, and two years later
in April 1979 Merseyside County Council saved the theatre.
By October 1979, £330,00 had been spent on the back stage
and a further £350,000 in 1980. The improvements included new lighting
facilities, sound system and new dressing rooms. The theatre has 2,350 seats
and has now been extended across Coal Street, the small side street that once
separated it from the Legs of Man Public House, and a new extension has been
built on the site of the former pub.
![]() |
Liverpool Empire, photograph Joe Bleasdale |
The Empire, the largest two tier theatre in the country, is
still home to a wide variety of entertainment, from opera to West End shows.

Performers in the original theatre included George Formby,
Sr., Harry Tate, Dan Leno, Florrie Forde, The Two Bobs, and Wilson, Keppel and
Betty. The first production in the present theatre was Better Days, starring
Stanley Lupino, Maisie Gay and Ruth French. Subsequent performers have included
Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Mae West, Laurel and Hardy, Roy
Rogers and Trigger, Charlton Heston, Sarah Bernhardt, Henry Irving, Vesta
Tilley, and Arthur Askey. More recent artists include Johnny Mathis, The
Carpenters, Neil Sedaka, The Osmonds, Tommy Steel, Adam Faith, Bruce Forsyth,
Victoria Wood, Morecambe and Wise, Ken Dodd, Shirley Bassey, Kate Bush, and
Cilla Black. In 1957 a local pop group called The Quarrymen appeared at the
theatre. They returned in 1959, having changed their name to "Johnny and
the Moondogs". They returned to the Empire again in 1962, now named The
Beatles. The Beatles gave their last performance in this theatre on 5 December
1965. During the 1970s two Royal Command Performances were held in the Empire,
and in 2007 the theatre was the venue for the Royal Variety Performance.
marking Liverpool's being a European City of Culture the following year.
The Liverpool Empire Theatre welcomes royal guest Prince Edward to lead a celebration of 150 years of live performance on Thursday September 29th 2016. Prince Edward will be the guest of honour at a special Royal Gala performance of Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers
Among the many acts that appeared at the Empire where
Liverpool’s own ‘The Vernon's Girls’ a singing choir in the 1950s, made up of
employees, mainly the girls who checked the pools coupons at Vernons Pools.
![]() |
The Vernon's Girls at the Empire circa early 1950s. Audrey Satterley is 4th in from the left 2nd row back (Photograph courtesy of Heather Foreman) |
Later signed to Decca Records The Vernon's Girls reached No.
16 in the charts with ‘Lover Please’. They also had minor hits with
‘Locomotion’, ‘You Know What I Mean’, ‘Funny All Over’ and ‘Do The Bird.’
The Liverpool Empire Theatre welcomes royal guest Prince Edward to lead a celebration of 150 years of live performance on Thursday September 29th 2016. Prince Edward will be the guest of honour at a special Royal Gala performance of Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers
Another piece of Liverpool History sits just behind the
Empire Theatre, Ma Egertons, originally the Eagle Public House took its name
from former Irish-born landlady Mary Egerton, who arrived in Liverpool in
around 1890. The pub has played host to numerous stars of stage and screen over
many years and is still open today.
Links
By Robert F Edwards