The History of the Liverpool Empire #Liverpool
Liverpool is a city with culture coming out of every pore. There is a reason why it was named the Capital of Culture back in 2008, at a time when the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Union was one that made sense and wasn’t as needlessly self-destructive as it is nowadays.
Whether it be something to do with The Beatles, the number of museums that you can visit or simply the manner in which Scousers embrace other cultures, there are plenty of things you can do during a visit to the city.
One of them is see a show at the Liverpool Empire, but what is the history of the famous place?
Not the Site’s First Theatre
What a lot of people might be interested to learn about the Liverpool Empire is that it isn’t the first theatre that stood on the site where the current one exists. On the 15th of October 1866, the New Prince of Wales Theatre and Opera House opened its doors for the first time, offering somewhere for Scousers to go in order to enjoy some culture.
Less than a year later, the venue changed its name to become the Royal Alexandra Theatre and Opera House, with the change being made in order to honour Princess Alexandra, the Princess of Wales. The venue closed in 1894.
It didn’t take long before the site was bought by new owners, however. In 1895, the Empire Theatre (Liverpool) Ltd were confirmed as the new owners, reopening with the new title. A year after that, Messrs. Moss and Thornton bought the venue for £30,000, which is the equivalent of a little over £4 million in today’s money.
That was the point at which it was retitled to become simply ‘The Empire’, continuing to offer shows and plays for more than two decades. On the 16th of February 1924, however, it closed its doors for the final time and not long after it was demolished.
The Modern Day Empire
Moss Empires underwent the process of building a new theatre to stand in the place of the one that they had seen demolished. Designed to be one of the most impressive venues outside of London, it opened its doors to a new audience on the ninth of March 1925. More than five decades later, it was still owned by Moss Empires, but the group was making plans to get rid of it.
In 1979, they finally succeeded in their aim, with Merseyside County Council buying it and then spending the following two years investing more than half a million pounds introducing cosmetic improvements.
That included improvements on the facilities backstage, as well as an extension to both the orchestra pit and the stage itself. As the millennium approached and the award of the European Capital of Culture to Liverpool was known, more investment took place to improve the crown jewel in Liverpool’s cultural offering.
The size of the stage was increased once more, whilst the facilities on offer to the audience were also improved. It was soon sold to Clear Channel Entertainment, who spent more money on improvements and built an extension on the building’s north side.
Not Just a Venue for Shows
There is little doubt that the Empire Theatre will have been visited by most people who turned up to watch the likes of musicals on the famous old stage. One of the biggest theatres outside of London, it is common to see shows such as Annie, Blood Brothers and Hamilton performed there.
The fact that it is so large means that it has also played host to some of the biggest musical stars in the world at one time or another. In 1957, for example, a little-known group called The Quarrymen performed there, doing so again as Johnny and the Moondogs in 1959 before returning as The Beatles five years after that.
Here’s what’s left of the ticket to my first gig:
Motörhead supported by Girlschool at the Liverpool Empire on Thursday 5th April 1979.
Three of us had got early buses to town to buy the tickets as soon as the Empire box office opened, then we went to Calderstones Park and walked on the frozen lake.
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— Ash Jñ?nagarbha (
@jnanagarbha.bsky.social)
May 6, 2025 at 8:10
The vastness of the theatre in front of them is such that most will be overwhelmed by the sight in front of them. With 2,350 seats on offer, it is the largest two-tier auditorium in the United Kingdom, which is doubtless why the likes of Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and Laurel and Hardy all performed there.
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