Tatler News Theatre

The city centre's second cinema opened on 30 December 1910 and was located on Whitworth Street West, at the bottom of the approach to Oxford Road Railway Station. The Kinemacolor Palace was run by Manchester Electric Theatres Ltd of 30 Brown Street, with the first licence issued to the manager, Edward Bruce London. The architect was Charles Swain of Exchange Street, who would later design picture houses in Stockport, Salford, Prestwich, Rawtenstall and Blackpool as well as Manchester's "theatre that never was", the planned New Queen's on Great Bridgewater Street. The cinema closed early in 1933, after which it was briefly turned into a furniture store.

In 1934 Times Theatres Limited of Liverpool proposed a new cinema on the site.  Architect Peter Cummings, who had designed other cinemas in and around Manchester during the 1930’s, was commissioned in October 1934, by the cinema company Capital & Provincial, to design a new entrance and auditorium interior. Cummings’ original design included stylistic Art Deco neon lighting to the exterior and large, raised chrome lettering along the top of his canopy, but these were not passed by the corporation. This 300 seat theatre opened to the public on 2 May 1935 as the Tatler News Cinema.

NEWS REEL THEATRE - Conversion of premises into a news reel theatre at Whitworth Street West and Oxford Road Station approach has been approved.[Manchester City News 3 November 1934 Page 9]

A contract for conversion into a news reel theatre for 400 persons of premises at the corner of Oxford Street and Whitworth Street for Messrs R A Birley and C and CW Fennel "Waverley" Chester Road Sandiway, Northwich has been placed with Messrs Alfred Hodkinson Ltd of Manchester. Mr Peter Cummings ARIBA, 27 King Street West, Manchester, is the architect. [Builder 4 January 1935 Page 37 (New Cinemas)]

In the era of the newsreel, people went to news theatres to see moving pictures depicting the events of the day. With increasing competition from television news services, dwindling audiences forced the cinema to close about 1959-61. It re-opened as the Manchester Tatler Classic on 20 November 1961, only to close again on 31 May 1969. The Tatler spent its final years in the 1970's as a film club showing sex films. From 2 June 1969 to 15 November 1979, the cinema operated as the Tatler Cinema Club, showing uncensored films, thereby acquiring for itself a somewhat unsavoury reputation. Even now, the name "Tatler" has overtones of tackiness. From 16 November 1979 to 15 August 1981, it reverted to a normal cinema under the name of the Classic Cinema.  Penthouse Cinema Club 1981- After standing empty for some time, the building was purchased by the promoters of the Cornerhouse Arts Complex. In 1985, the triangular building housing Shaw's Furniture Stores was turned into the Cornerhouse. The empty cinema was purchased, becoming Cornerhouse Cinema One, which re-opened on 15 November 1985

CHRONOLOGY
1910    Opened 30 December 1910 as the Kinemacolor Palace. Architect Charles Swain
1911    Financial difficulties force the closure of the cinema. May 1911
1911    Reopened as the Manchester Electric Theatre
c1915    Renamed Whitworth Street Electric Theatre
c1923    Renamed the Majestic
1933    Majestic closed
c1934    Cinema stripped out and the building converted for use as Page's Furniture Showroom.
1934    Peter Cummings designs new cinema. 3 November:  Conversion of premises into a news reel theatre at Whitworth Street West and Oxford Road Station approach has been approved. MCN  Page 9
1935    Contract for conversion to cinema let to Messrs Alfred Hodkinson Ltd of Manchester. Builder 4 January 1935 Page 37 (New Cinemas)
1935    Opened as the Tatler News Theatre on 2 May 1935
1959    Closed as a news theatre
1961    Opened as the Manchester Tatler Classic
1969    2 June - opened as the Tatler Cinema Club
1979    15 November. Tatler Cinema Club closed. 16 November Opened as Classic Cinema
1981    15 August. Closed as Classic Cinema. Opened as the Penthouse Cinema Club
1985    The now vacant cinema building purchased by the promotors of the Cornerhouse Arts complex. Re-opened 15 November 1985 as Cornerhouse Cinema 1
1997    Refurbished. Architect David Chipperfield Architects

References
Manchester City News 3 November 1934
 Builder 4 January 1935 Page 37 (New Cinemas)
Manchester City News Saturday 4 May 1935 Page 9 Col 2-3
Kinematograph Weekly. 2 May 1935 Page 17. Col 1
Manchester Review
Derek J Southall    Magic in the Dark   The Cinemas of Central Manchester and Ardwick Green. 1999