Yates's Wine Lodge Fire and History

In July 1861, the first-floor hall of the building was being promoted in the local press as soon to reopen as the New Theatre Royal. By August of that year, its manager, Watkins Young, had secured a theatrical licence, allowing performances to be staged during the summer months. The building itself boasted a long and intricate history, with its origins tracing back to 1868, when it first opened its doors as the Arcade and Assembly Rooms. In 1896, Yates Bros Ltd took over the property, converting the ground floor into Yate’s Wine Lodge, which remained in operation until the building’s closure in 2009. The upper floor, which housed the Theatre Royal, began showing Lumière’s Cinematograph films in 1897 and transitioned to a fully operational cinema in 1906, rebranded as the Tivoli Theatre.

In 1909, the venue was renamed Van Beine’s Theatre, offering a variety of entertainment in the style of Music Hall and Variety performances. After undergoing further renovations, the building reopened in 1913 as the Tivoli Picture Theatre, with films becoming the main attraction. The Tivoli Cinema was destroyed by fire in October 1964, though the Wine Lodge beneath continued to trade. The cinema was rebuilt and reopened in April 1965, albeit with a smaller seating capacity of around 650. The Tivoli Cinema closed in the mid-1970s and was repurposed as a Bingo hall, adopting the name Talbot Bingo Club. It was later taken over by Hutchinsons but was shut down in September 1980. Remarkably, the venue returned to its cinematic roots in February 1982, reopening as the Tivoli Cinema with films such as Hooper and Convoy. However, this brief revival was unsuccessful, and the cinema closed once again within months. The building was later transformed into the Music Hall Tavern, a venue for traditional music hall acts, before being turned into a nightclub called Addisons.

Carriages Restaurant Menu © Deeper Blue Marketing & Design Ltd

But we must not forget Carriages Restaurant, a terrific place underneath everything mentioned above. It served excellent Italian food and was run by Orlando Peracca, who later set up Portofino in Lytham, which ran for 25 years until closing in 2018.

In February 2009, Blackpool’s historic Yates’s Wine Lodge was destroyed in a devastating arson attack that shook the heart of the resort. A massive blaze tore through the building, engulfing not only Yates’s but also nearby shops, including a pet store on Clifton Street and the Wildcats lap dancing bar. The fire, which began around 3:15 AM, spread quickly, aided by strong winds, and was so intense that over 100 firefighters were needed to contain it. The flames raged through the roof of the pet shop before reaching Yates’s, which had only recently reopened after a £500,000 restoration. Seven people, including a baby, were evacuated from the area, and three people were treated for smoke inhalation.

As the fire spread, firefighters worked tirelessly, using aerial ladder-mounted pumps and high-volume pumps to prevent the flames from spreading further to other businesses in the area. After several hours, the fire was finally brought under control by 10:30 AM. Lancashire Police arrested a 21-year-old man close to the suspected point of origin and began an investigation into the cause, though it was too early to determine any motives. Blackpool’s leaders expressed their sorrow over the loss, with Peter Callow, the leader of Blackpool Council, calling it “a tragedy” that destroyed one of the town’s most iconic buildings. The fire also caused significant damage to surrounding renovations in Talbot Square, making the event all the more heartbreaking for the local community. Despite the scale of the fire, authorities were relieved that there were no fatalities, though the destruction of Yates’s Wine Lodge and the surrounding businesses left a lasting impact on Blackpool.

The building has a great history in the town. It used to host Music Hall Tavern, not to be confused with another location bearing that name.

Yates’s Wine Lodge, Blackpool Night © Alamy

Interior of Yates’s Wine Lodge, Blackpool, circa 1990s © Alamy

The image below shows the new building that took its place, a Premier Inn with a new pub/restaurant called the Cookhouse Pub. © Deeper Blue Marketing & Design Ltd