With over 100 years of history, the Empire Theatre is one of the grandest buildings in Rotherham town centre and is now set to receive a new lease of life thanks to local developer, Mark McGrail.

Music has the ability to bring people together like no other force on earth. It has the power to transcend language barriers, to connect people of all ages and backgrounds, and to create a sense of community.

That’s certainly the opinion of Mark McGrail, who is hoping the power of music can bring a huge lift to Rotherham town centre, with his latest project providing the main focal point.

The Empire Theatre will be a familiar building to many and has operated under various guises since it first opened in 1913, most notably a theatre, cinema, nightclub and, most recently, the Amber Lounge Bar, which closed in July last year.  

The theatre was originally constructed by George Longdon & Son of Sheffield and designed by Chadwick & Watson of Leeds, who also designed the earlier Hippodrome in Rotherham as well as the Empire in Dewsbury and Alhambra in Bradford. 

In 1921, the auditorium was altered for full-time cinemas use and it had various names over the years, including Empire Super Kinema, Essoldo, Classic and Cannon, before closing in 1990. 

It then entered its nightclub era and again had various names such as New York, New York, Beach and Pop.

Rotherham Council had previously explored the possibility of investing in the building but found the project too expensive so the then current owner Fred Gould turned to Mark McGrail, who has had plenty of experience restoring other buildings in the town.

Mark’s family business – SME Waste Management & Environmental Services Ltd – has firm roots in Rotherham where they also own a number or properties, including the George Wright Boutique Hotel. It was Mark’s work on the latter which captured the attention of Fred.

“I knew of the building and when I came to look at it I saw the potential but saw the work it needed doing to it,” said Mark. “The previous owner didn’t have the appetite so we mutually agreed for me to take it on.”

After clearing all the rubbish from the site – including 22 tonnes of beer waste – Mark and his team set about renovating the site and were quickly surprised at what they found.

“Our first intention was to strip it back, clean it and reopen it as a nightclub,” continued Mark. “But then we started to find all the original features.”

These included a mosaic marble floor in the entrance and the original Italian façade moulding as well as a cantilevered gallery, which was hidden behind a false ceiling.

“There’s nothing of this grandeur in Rotherham,” said Mark. “I think there’s five generations of people who know this place – you can’t rid of that.”

His plan, which will run into the summer and beyond, is to get the building to a position where it is fireproofed, sealed, watertight and have services in place before it is handed over to a trust, who will then be responsible for pushing the next phase and opening the Empire as a music venue. The Rotherham Empire Trust has already been set up and they are currently looking for the right people with passion and enthusiasm to help drive the project forwards.

Other than the town’s pubs, up-and-coming bands have very few options when it comes to performing and often have to venture further afield as their audiences increase beyond a couple of hundred people. It is hoped that a new music venue with a capacity of between 1,000 and 2,000 will provide this and also have a positive impact on other businesses in the centre.

After holding an open day in October last year, where over 500 people attended, Mark feels that the appetite is definitely there and that the renovated venue can provide the town with a real focal point.

“South Yorkshire’s well known for music and Rotherham’s the only town that seems to have lost its emphasis on that, we need to give people a platform,” he said. “We tried it in 2017 by putting Martin Kemp on and it was a phenomenal success. Then you look at The Reytons last year – 20,000 people in Clifton Park – and the Wentworth Woodhouse festival which can attract 2-3,000 people. We need to get the town centre involved and a hub of food, drink and music can do just that.”

It’s already clear that this has become a huge passion project for Mark and his family; he is determined to play his part in revitalising Rotherham town centre and in turn, restore a sense of civic pride.

“Like a lot of northern towns, I think Rotherham is at the lowest it can be,” he expressed. “We need to bring back the heritage, bring back the communities and give people in Rotherham a sense of identity and pride.

“A thousand people here on a Friday and Saturday night would make a big difference. It’ll put Rotherham back on the map.”

Although they declined to get involved in the project, Rotherham Council are in agreement that a new music venue could have a positive impact on the town centre.

“Rotherham Council is committed to investing and transforming Rotherham town centre,” said Rotherham Council’s Assistant Director for Transport, Planning, and Regeneration, Simon Moss. “Last year, we opened Forge Island and the first cinema in Rotherham for over 30 years while improving leisure venues and activities is a key part of this transformation.

“The success of The Reyton’s gig in Clifton Park last summer shows there’s significant demand for music events in Rotherham, and this has been part of our vision for investment in the town centre’s leisure and cultural offer. The Council worked with the previous owner of the old Empire Theatre on High Street, but our work revealed significant structural costs which made the project unviable, and an operator could not be identified to take it forward as a music venue. An alternative site has since been identified which would bring another historic building back into use.

“We welcome private sector investment to bring historic buildings back into use and will continue to work with the current owner of the old Empire Theatre to look at the feasibility of an alternative scheme.”

Mark cites recent improvements in Sheffield as a good example of bringing everything together in a positive way as well as another Yorkshire town – Holmfirth.

“Ask anyone about Holmfirth and other than the Last of the Summer Wine they’ll mention the Picturedrome,” beamed Mark. “They have some great bands and it attracts loads of people to the town who otherwise probably wouldn’t go there. Why can’t we do the same in Rotherham?”

Mark is a self-confessed music fan and will be one of the first people through the door when the Rotherham Empire re-opens its doors. So who would be first on his list if he could choose which acts appear?

“For me it would be Billy Ocean but more wife, she’d quite like Adele, but I can’t see that happening!” laughed Mark.