History buffs in Leigh recently questioned the town council about what was being done to preserve the “disappearing” architectural heritage. PAUL NIZINSKYJ looks into the history of some of Leigh’s recently-lost gems.

LEIGH’S Grand Hotel stands asamagnificent monument to a bygone era, towering over the Broadway – but it is a crumbling one.

Although he has come under criticism for the slow pace of renovation, Mick Norcross was lauded for taking over the 1890s building in late 2011, as the fear was it would face almost certain demolition without a buyer.

The hope remains the building is in safe hands but, sadly, the fate of some its neighbours have not been so rosy.

Behind the Grand, there is now a car park where, until February 2009, the former Empire Palace cinema stood.

Built in 1910, it was unfortunately denied the privilege of seeing its centenary before falling victim to the wrecking ball. Moving pictures were still very much a new technology in the years immediately before the First World War, but John Mitchell, of San Remo Parade, Westcliff, had acquired a projector for showing what were then known as bioscope pictures.

An announcement was made in the Southend Graphic that a scheme was “on foot” to open the 400-seat building “on the land which has been acquired by Mr Riches, of the Grand Hotel”

and, by Easter 1912, the cinema had proved so popular it was enlarged to accomodate 250 more people.

Some 50 years before televisions were to become a common feature of living rooms, it is easy to see why the building was so popular – in 1911, for example, the Empire went to great expense to show footage of George V’s Coronation, the FA Cup Final, the Derby and 68th Boat Race on the very same days they occurred.

By the early Twenties the “Palace” part of the name was dropped and in December 1930, the cinema was fitted with talking picture apparatus, which would continue to be played for another seven years. After that the building became a car showroom and shops.

Another recent loss nearby has been the former Henry’s Hall in Maple Avenue, which was most recently Midel Cleaning Supplies after the closure of Dossett’s Bakery, which had occupied the building since 1923.

The building was originally built by Henry Bridge in 1912 as a shop with living quarters above, but Mr Bridge quickly applied for permission to convert the building into a 600-seater music hall, which opened on June 8 that year – a photograph exists of this day showing four men standing on the balcony in full evening dress.

Local historian Arthur Woodward, knows of an amusing tale regarding the fate of this balcony.

HE said: “Trams ran from Chalkwell Schools to Leigh Church at that time and the top of the trams was open.

“People could reach out from the top of the trams and touch the people on the balcony of the music hall and Mr Livermore, a surveyor for Leigh Town Council at the time, ordered the balcony to be taken down in case of accidents.”

The small size of the building would prove its downfall as a concert hall, however.

It was unable to pull in big names, and, after the closure of Midel, construction of the Grandview flats where it once stood is now taking place.

Surviving structures from this era include the former Corona Cinema in Leigh Road, which opened in 1929, and films continued to be showed there for the next 50 years, with Seven Brides for Seven Brothers being among the last. This building later became the Rileys snooker hall, Elm Road’s Coliseum Cinema opened in April 1914 and underwent significant alterations in the late Twenties and Thirties before it became a bingo hall in 1965.

It was partly demolished in 2001.

Whether they remain a part of the Leigh street scene is largely in the hands of Leigh Town Council, Southend Council and, most importantly, the people of Leigh.

Only time will tell.