Tag: Hulme Hippodrome

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Hulme Hippodrome needs your help!

Manchester’s at-risk Hulme Hippodrome needs your support to survive a recent change in its status.

The Hulme Hippodrome is a 120 years old theatre, a Grade 2 Listed Building, and a precious community heritage that is now in peril of being lost for ever.

Since 2003 the Hulme Hippodrome has been owned by a controversial religious charity. Around November 2020 a minority of the trustees of this disgraced charity took money for the building from a south London property developer, and have spent it. The developer then tried to quickly sell on the building at auction, without all the legal paperwork, and advertising that apartments could be built on the site. The developer is a disqualified director by the High Court until 2025, having had 14 of their property companies closed down by the court.

The attempted auction was stopped in February 2021 by rapid community campaigning from the Save Hulme Hippodrome group, and by strong representations by Manchester City Council for being advertised contrary to planning law, and by the Theatres Trust for the loss of unique heritage.

The attempted transfer of title of ownership was stopped by the Land Registry in September 2021 after a fair appeals period because the developer had tried to purchase the building by irregular means and inaccurate documents.

On Friday 14 October, the Charity Commission took over legal control of the Hulme Hippodrome building, and the immediate danger is that they will allow a property developer to use the site for a new block of apartments. 

The Save Hulme Hippodrome campaign secured the major support of angel investor in 2021, and the latest offer to buy building was made on 6 October 2022,

The campaign calls on the Charity Commission to do the right thing and use their substantial powers to give The Hippodrome building back to community which needs its potential greatly.

You can see two related items about the campaign below:

Letter from Lucy Powell, the MP for the district within which the Hippodrome sits:

18 October 2022

From Lucy Powell, MP

To: Helen Stephenson, CEO Charity Commission

Dear Ms Stephenson

I am writing regarding Hulme Hippodrome, a Grade-2 listed theatre in my constituency, which is currently unused and deteriorating. Last year, a number of local residents established a non-profit company, Save Hulme Hippodrome (SHH), with a view to acquiring the building, restoring it and bringing it back to use as a local cultural and entertainment hub.

For the past eighteen months, it was believed that the owners of the Hippodrome, Gilbert Deya Ministries (GDM), had sold the building to a London-based property developer (Charles Gassell Gordon) for £450,000. However SHH have recently become aware that the transfer of the title deed was denied by the Land Registry due to irregularities with the sale, and GDM remained the owners of the building. Furthermore I understand that the Charity Commission have now issued GDM a Section 69 notice and taken complete control of the building.

Before becoming aware of this development, SHH wrote to the owners with a fully funded offer to purchase the building for £450,000, the same amount GDM had previously accepted from Charles Gassell Gordon. Now with the Hippodrome officially in the hands of the Charity Commission, SHH are hopeful that their offer will be accepted and that work can finally commence to restore the building and bring it back into its former use.

The group have the strong backing of Manchester City Council and a number of organisations, including the National Theatre Trust, who have been providing SHH with practical and legal support. A local wealthy investor is lined up to pay the costs and just this month, I understand the investor tabled a legal written offer for £450,000 to GDM. SHH are a bona fide constituted community group with written proof of funds. They are ready to take ownership and begin the work needed to ensure the Hippodrome can once again become a cultural and entertainment hub for the local community.

I would therefore be grateful if you could let me know what plans the Commission have to sell the building and what procedures will be in place to determine which offer is ultimately accepted. I would also strongly urge the Commission to consider the impact on the local community, who have for years campaigned and sought to save the building. With the SHH’s offer, there is now an opportunity to bring the Hippodrome back into public use as a cherished and beautiful centre for arts and culture for generations to come and I would urge the Commission to consider their offer favourably.

With best wishes

Lucy Powell

Labour & Cooperative Member of Parliament for Manchester Central

And, here, the press release from the Save Hulme Hippodrome campaigners.

Press Release: Charity Commission can act now to save Hulme Hippodrome for the Community 
Lucy Powell MP urges Charity Commissioner to consider offer from SHH favourably

HOW YOU CAN HELP Add your name here to support this open letter to the CEO of Charity Commission requesting that they act to save Hulme Hippodrome for the community. THANK YOU!

For more information about the Save Hulme Hippodrome group, see below.

Save Hulme Hippodrome
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Save Hulme Hippodrome Campaign goes to court to challenge inactive owners

For those who may not have heard of it before, Hulme Hippodrome is a theatre building of great hiostorical and architectural value which has been on the Theatre Trusts’s Theatres At Risk list for many years.

The buidling has changed hands several times in a series of possibly improper ways, and the Save Hulme Hippodrome Campaign are looking to secure its survival against the ravages of time and its current unsound condition, before it falls beyond repair.

On 14 February Manchester City Council issued notice to owners of the building to make repairs and improvements to its exterior. Known as a Section 215 Notice, it had 11 requirements, listed below, all designed to help slow the decay of the building’s fabric.

As of the time of writing the owners have not started any of these works and instead appealed. The first hearing will occur on 29th July and we wish the Council and the SHH campaign success in getting these irresponsible people to protect the future of this important heritage building.

The list of requirements which have so far been ignored by the building’s irresponsible owners

FOOTNOTE: There is an interesting article by a local reporter Kevin Glenton, with a particularly Mancunian take on the Hippodrome and its significance, which includes talking to members of the Save Hulme Hippodrome campaign. It’s worth a read, and you can find it by clicking here

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Hulme Hippodrome Campaign Group starts monthly meetings

Two welcome pieces of new from the Hulme Hippodrome , currently very much at risk through opaque ownership tangles and owners indifference. The campaigning group is string a series of meetings, held on the second Monday in each month, starting with this coming Monday May 9th at 6.30pm. Supporters, interested parties and other visitors are welcome to meet outside the Hippodrome to hear latest news about the campaign to bring the venue back into public use, and to find out how they can contribute.

Also, a university research student has been working with the Hippodrome team to identify and compile shows and performers that have appeared at the Hippodrome during its 120-year history. They hope that the results of this research project will be available soon. More news on this as it becomes available.

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Save Hulme Hippodrome’s Spring Festival is this weekend!

The ever-resourceful and positive team behind the Save Hulme Hippodrome campaign have announced this year’s Spring Festival happening this coming weekend.

The Hulme Hippodrome is a cultural landmark of Manchester and this event aims to bring this gem of a venue back to life and into the minds of local people who once swarmed to its performances year in, year out, but for the last few years has been closed and slowly deteriorating, almost to the point of no return.

The Save Hulme Hippodrome team have ambitious aims to bring the crumbling Grade II-listed Edwardian theatre back to life to serve the people of the area once again.

This coming Sunday, March 6th from 12.30pm-3.30pm you are invited to join the party (Pay what you can -tickets on the door) at the Hulme Community Garden Centre for a fun afternoon of live music and entertainment, all sorts of fun activities to join in with, with great food and drink to enjoy. With the chance to see old friends, make new ones, have some fun and enjoy a bit of food and drink into the bargain, it’s certain that everyone will have a great afternoon!

Aside from all this, you can learn the rich and unusual history of the Hippodrome and learn about the plans to revive it, its massive potential for the local communities, and how you can help.

There will be a large covered outdoor area to relax in and enjoy, just in case of rain!

Venue; Hulme Community Garden Centre, 28 Old Birley Street, Hulme, Manchester M15 5RG

Visit hulmehippodrome.org for more details and tickets

And for those of you who might not know, here’s a short history of the Hulme Hippodrome helpfully compiled by the team

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Numerous developments regarding “Theatre at Risk” Hulme Hippodrome

Hulme Hippodrome is unlikely to last much longer without major interventions.

Those in Manchester City Council responsible for protecting listed buildings have written to the unresponsive owners of Hulme Hippodrome insisting on urgent repair works. If repairs are not carried out then the Council has powers to do the works itself, charge the owners, and has powers to start proceedings for compulsory purchase, which would be a good thing all round in my opinion.

Meanwhile, the lively and committed campaign group Save Hulme Hippodrome have been doing some interesting research on the building’s architect.

Here’s what they found. Manchester-born multi-talented John Joseph Alley began his architectural career in his mid-50’s & was 70 before he described himself as architect. He received little architectural training. Working exclusively for WH Broadhead he designed 12 theatres in Manchester, including the Hulme Hippodrome.

Born in Chorlton-on-Medlock, JJ Alley son of John Alley, decorator & his wife Mary. Jobs inc. Lecturer of Polygraphy (printing multiple colours simultaneously); sign-writer; consulting & practical decorator & sign-writer; topographical antiquarian & scientific draughtsman, librarian & book seller, journalist, Lecturer and Public Reader, Topographic Antiquarian & Scientific Draughtsman & Modeller; journalist; illustrative journalist. He gives “Architect” as his occupation in the 1911 census, taken a year before his death.

Whatever his passions or qualifications, he produced many fine buildings of which Hulme Hippodrome is one of the last remaining examples, and should be brought back into public use as soon as possible.

The facts behind the current obfuscation about the ownership of Hulme Hippodrome

The actual ownership of the Hulme Hippodrome is confounding efforts to protect it from winter damage, say the Save Hulme Hippodrome organisation, which places the theatre in further jeopardy from deterioration beyond recovery.

The Save Hulme Hippodrome group said “The current “owners” of The Hulme Hippodrome, HHM20 Limited, have now asked for a review of the Manchester City Council decision to list The Hulme Hippodrome as an asset of community value.

In our view this is delaying tactics & the ACV to protect the building has been granted on merit & any challenge merely serves to delay the upkeep.

From past experience this is “all of a piece”, meaning that the parties involved will seek to complicate matters with any public authority as far as possible in hope of causing confusion & delay. Sadly, we saw this behaviour in the previous criminal as well as civil proceedings.

Whilst they must have a fair hearing, not least because fairness benefits us too. However we need to be careful that fairness doesn’t cause delays in the urgent remedial works order made earlier this month works needed to stop the ongoing damage from rainwater ingress at scale.”

Let’s all wish them well with their preservation attempts.

On a happier final note, here’s a poster for the Hulme Hippodrome’s 1953/4 pantomime. Frank Randle was due to star but became ill and unable to appear, so comedian Ted Lune came out of retirement to star with his wife Valery Joy as Bo-Peep. According to helpful comments on the Save Hulme Hippodrome ‘s Twitter page from Jeff Hill, we learn this: “Iris Poliakova was found at a London theatre billed as “the cigar smoking strip tease artiste”. John Chilvers, the villain in this show, went on to make a significant contribution to Welsh theatre directing over 500 plays and writing pantos. Awarded MBE for his efforts.”