ABC Cinema, Blackpool

The ABC Cinema stands in Blackpool’s town centre on the site of a former variety theatre. The Empire opened there in 1895 and became the Hippodrome before turning into a cinema in 1910. Associated British Cinemas bought the building in 1929 and rebuilt it in the early 1960s. The new theatre opened in 1963 with Cliff Richard and The Shadows on stage. It hosted summer shows with stars such as Cilla Black and Morecambe and Wise. The ABC became a triple-screen cinema in 1981, keeping the revolving stage and orchestra pit behind the screens. It changed names several times—Cannon, MGM, then ABC again—before closing in 2000. The building was bought in 2001 and turned into the Syndicate nightclub, which opened in December 2002. The interior was stripped out, leaving only the outer shell. Visitors to the ABC Cinema would have found three screens arranged across the old stalls and circle. The revolving stage and orchestra pit remained hidden behind the cinema’s modern layout. Above ground, the Syndicate had three floors of dance space, a VIP balcony and a revolving dance floor in the main arena. The building now no longer exists, having been demolished in 2014.