Empire Mecca Social Club

EMPIRE MECCA SOCIAL CLUB, CORPORATION ROAD

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Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II*
List Entry Number:
1329519
Date first listed:
28-Jul-1988
List Entry Name:
Empire Mecca Social Club
Statutory Address:
EMPIRE MECCA SOCIAL CLUB, CORPORATION ROAD
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Date:
2002-04-09
Reference:
IOE01/05180/24
Rights:
© Mr Bob Cottrell. Source: Historic England Archive

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II*
List Entry Number:
1329519
Date first listed:
28-Jul-1988
List Entry Name:
Empire Mecca Social Club
Statutory Address 1:
EMPIRE MECCA SOCIAL CLUB, CORPORATION ROAD

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:
EMPIRE MECCA SOCIAL CLUB, CORPORATION ROAD

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:
Middlesbrough (Unitary Authority)
Parish:
Non Civil Parish
National Grid Reference:
NZ 49666 20350

Details

MIDDLESBROUGH CORPORATION ROAD, NZ 4920 SE south side.

9/21 Empire Mecca Social Club. II* G.V. Theatre, 1896/99 by Ernest Runtz (London). Mid C20 canopy. Now used as social club. Steel-framed, with terracotta (Doulton & Co.) facings, painted below canopy. Brick at rear. Lakeland slate roof at front. Largely flat roof on auditorium. Welsh slate roofs at rear. Lead-clad domes. Spanish Baroque style. 4-stage, one-bay towers flank 2-storey centre with mezzanine. Continuous moulded plinth. Centre has 4 doors, alternately blocked and renewed, under lintels with enriched cartouches and paired segment-headed overlights, in enriched pilaster surrounds with continuous cornice. Canopy, suspended from iron ties cuts across lintels and towers and extends along returns. Renewed fascia sign fills mezzanine, flanked by colonnettes with tulip feet to shafts and scrolled flame finials. Slightly-recessed 1+5+1-bay first floor. Renewed round-headed windows in middle bays, with keyed archivolts and balustraded aprons. Enriched quasi-Composite columns on pedestals, with continuous shallow frieze and cornice and inverted consoles, between bays. Blind end bays have enriched bas-relief escutcheons. Rendered brick oversailing band below straight parapet with late C20 applied illuminated letters. Steeply pitched roof. Towers each have 2-light window with column mullion, below canopy. Square window in applied Composite pedimented aedicule, with enriched frieze and continuous cornices, in 2nd stage. Sculptured phoenix clasping outer corner on 3rd stage. Oversailing band on enriched consoles, between 3rd and 4th stages, the latter with paired rectangular windows under enriched escutcheon flanked by plain pilaster strips. Chamfered angles at top of 4th stage. Cornice and scalloped parapet with ornamented finials on pedestals at angles and above pilaster strips. Domed octagonal lantern has paired blocked round-headed windows, with moulded imposts, in each face of drum. Ramped and scroll-topped diagonal buttresses. Moulded modillion cornice, and vase finial with flagpole. Similar returns, and 9-bay first floor; ground floor of right return altered. INTERIOR: 3-bay foyer has marble engaged Roman Doric columns, with egg-and-dart capitals, carried through deep rinceau-enriched frieze, to heavily moulded panelled ceiling. Auditorium has 2-tier horseshoe-plan gallery and circle with raked seating, renewed in gallery. Elliptical-fronted dress boxes have basket-headed openings with enriched panelled responds and intrados, recessed behind quasi-Roman Doric (lower) and fluted Ionic columns; top entablature under enriched escutcheon. Boxes supported on giant scrolled brackets. Heavily-moulded corniced ceiling, divided into geometric patterns by richly-ornamented ribs. Central gas lighting burner,suspended from brattishing, screens ventilation shaft. Gallery, circle and box fronts, chamfered proscenium arch and ceiling, enriched with rinceau, cherubs, escutcheons and tropies of musical instruments. 3-bay panelled basked-arcaded saloon, behind Roman Doric screen, adjoins gallery at front of house. Formerly known as Palace of Varieties.

Listing NGR: NZ4966620350

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:
59705
Legacy System:
LBS

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

Ordnance survey map of Empire Mecca Social Club

Map

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End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

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