The Save Hulme Hippodrome campaign group is a nonprofit company and we are supported and assisted by members from the local community, Friends of the Hulme Hippodrome Facebook group, Hulme Community Forum and The Theatres Trust. We are in contact with Manchester City Council, which is the local planning authority. We also liaise with various national regulators such as the Charity Commission, Land Registry, and Courts as necessary.
For press enquiries, please start with our Wikipedia page which has a great deal of background detail with over 150 sources, including legal details on ownership.
We meet frequently with local community partnerships and stakeholders. We welcome student projects each year, and emphasise that we cannot provide constant supervision.
If you would like to join the campaign please get in touch: info@hulmehippodrome.org.uk
You can subscribe to our free newsletter via our Home page.
The Hulme Hippodrome is a Grade II listed theatre and music hall one mile south of Manchester city centre.
Built alongside the the Hulme Playhouse in 1901 by the Broadhead theatre empire it operated as their headquarters: the circuit comprising 17 other venues across the North West which are now mostly lost.
The Broadhead theatre chain made a huge contribution to working-class entertainment across the region and made theatre, arts and entertainment open to all.
Covered in gilded Rococo plasterwork the Hulme Hippodrome is an iconic building of social, historical, and architectural significance and has been on the Theatres Trust ‘Theatres at Risk’ list since the list began in 2006.
UNDER THREAT
On 22nd January 2021 we found Hulme Hippodrome had been listed on an online auction site for £950,000 as suitable for apartments. This was unexpected and announced just 2.5 weeks before the auction date.
Originally listed as suitable for residential redevelopment – we found this not to be true and had it removed from the listing.
OUR VISION
In Save Hulme Hippodrome we have a vision for the future of Hulme Hippodrome that would be beneficial for the arts, creative industries and local communities of Manchester for another 120 years.
The vision includes a full refurbishment, new mixed uses for the numerous spaces in the building and putting Hulme Hippodrome into community ownership.
Our vision would see the building fully renovated and host to:
- Production Academy – teaching set and costume design, sound & lighting, flying & rigging.
- Museum of Manchester Music and Arts – a modular museum designed for research and education
- Bakery and employment academy for ex-homeless
- Cafe, library and book store
- Bike hub and workshop
- Co-working space
- Community wellbeing centre
We also want to bring the building and operation under community ownership.
Renovation
Full renovation plans will be split across several phases, and we have developed these plans with the assistance of qualified advisors.
PHASE ONE – RESCUE (this is our current stage)
PHASE TWO – RECOVER (we have professional plans ready for stages 2, 3 and 4)
PHASE THREE – REPAIR
PHASE FOUR – REJUVENATE.