Empire, Hippodrome, ABC Theatre & Syndicate

Empire and Hippodrome

The site originally housed the Empire variety theatre and ballroom, designed by John Dent Harker, which opened its doors on 4 July 1895.

The Empire Theatre, Blackpool, Lancashire, 1895-1910. © Alamy

It was renamed the Hippodrome in 1900 and initially operated as a circus before being converted into a cinema a decade later.

ABC Theatre

Associated British Cinemas (ABC) acquired the former Hippodrome Theatre during April 1929. Although plans to rebuild it were underway in 1939, these were interrupted by the outbreak of World War II. The theatre eventually closed in 1960, with most of the structure demolished to make way for the new ABC Theatre. The new venue, built within the remnants of the old building, featured stalls and circle seating for 1,934 guests along with a permanent revolving stage.

The ABC Theatre welcomed the public on 31 May 1963 with the Holiday Carnival summer season stage show, which starred Cliff Richard and The Shadows. During the summer months, the venue hosted stage shows, while films and concerts were featured in winter. ABC Weekend TV, a sister company to ABC Cinemas, broadcast their Blackpool Night Out show from the theatre, featuring acts such as Freddie Davies, Mike & Bernie Winters, and Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson.

The Beatles performed at the theatre in 1963 and made a return visit in August 1965 for ABC Weekend TV’s Blackpool Night Out, where they debuted the song “Yesterday” on British television. This performance, later uploaded to YouTube, included four songs—”I Feel Fine,” “Ticket to Ride,” “Yesterday,” and “Help!”—which were included on the Anthology 2 compilation album in 1996. The Beatles’ performance of “Help!” was also featured in Episode four of the 1995 The Beatles Anthology documentary series.

Summer shows at the theatre featured talents such as Frank Ifield, Cilla Black, Morecambe and Wise, and Tommy Steele.

ABC Cinema

The theatre closed in January 1981 and underwent conversion into a triple-screen cinema, which reopened its doors on 30 April 1981. Despite the transformation, the cinema retained key features such as the revolving stage, orchestra pit, original proscenium, front stalls, and dressing rooms, though these were concealed behind the screens. The circle area was repurposed for one screen, while the stalls were divided into two additional screens.

The cinema experienced several name changes, becoming the Cannon Cinema in 1986, the MGM Cinema in May 1993, and finally reverting to the ABC name before closing in July 2000.

The Syndicate

During the summer of 2001, local entrepreneurs Mike and Sandra Nordwind purchased the ABC building for approximately £4 million and transformed it into the Syndicate nightclub. The venue opened in December 2002, with none of the original interior remaining. The club faced a temporary closure in October 2005 after losing its late-night drinks license, following a dossier of alleged violence presented by Blackpool Police. Magistrates revoked the license for alcohol sales after 11:00 pm. The club reopened on 26 November after agreeing to withdraw their application for a new 4 am license. Following the refusal of a 4 am license, the Syndicate closed in January 2006. It was acquired by national operator Nexum Leisure in May 2006, which carried out a £1 million refurbishment. The venue introduced a weekly Polish Night (Polska Noc) starting June 2007, catering to the resort’s Polish and Eastern European community.

On 7 September 2008, John Robb, vocalist of the punk rock band Goldblade and co-founder of The Membranes, hosted a special event titled “A Celebration of Music, Fashion & Football 1975–1995” at the Syndicate. The event featured guest speakers Andy Nicholls, Shane Meadows, and former Inspiral Carpets musician Clint Boon. The Syndicate also hosted a boxing event on 14 September 2008, featuring American former world heavyweight champion Tim Witherspoon and a match between Eric “Butterbean” Esch and Mark Potter for the European Boxing Federation Heavyweight title. The nightclub closed permanently on 10 August 2011, announcing the closure on Facebook. The building was subsequently demolished in 2014.