Interior of the Lyric Theatre, Midland Road - Wellingborough

Interior of Wellingborough's Lyric Theatre

Following the Wall Street Stockmarket Crash of 1929 and the ‘Great Depression’ that followed, the factory in Midland Road was to close in the early 1930s. The factory was subsequently demolished and The Lyric Cinema was built on the site and opened to the public on 14th December 1936. The cinema cost £70,000 pounds to build in the Art Deco design. It could seat 1,424 people and was not just designed for film showing but stage shows too. A Compton Electric Organ with illuminated surround was installed which rose from a lift from the orchestra pit. The stage was 20ft in depth with a 40ft proscenium arch with 12 fly lines for scenery. There were also 15 dressing rooms.

The lobby could hold 200 people with stairs leading to the upper lounge and café. The café not only served morning coffee, but three course lunches were prepared by a resident chef. ‘The Lyric Snappy Three Course Matinee Lunch’ cost 1/6d, about the same price as a circle rear seat for any show. The 1960s saw professional artistes appearing on the stage, along with local dramatic groups. In 1965 the cinema was renamed the A.B.C. and on Saturday 9th April 1969 the last film was shown at the cinema. This was ‘The Happiest Millionaire’ made by Walt Disney and starring Fred MacMurray, Tommy Steele, Geer Garson and Gladys Cooper.

Wellingborough Museum