Top Rank (Preston)

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The Preston Top Rank was in Church Street, Preston, Lancashire and opened on Monday, January 28, 1963.

The place was also known as The Top Rank Ballroom.

The Preston Top Rank was originally called The New Victora Theatre and was opened on Monday, September 17, 1928 by the Provincial Cinematography Theatres (PCT). The PCT had brought this huge structure which was a largely complete cinema, but was unfinished and had planned to be opened as the 900- seater Coliseum. They turned this auditorium in the crush hall. The PCT then employed the architect W. E. Trent (1874 - 1948) to build a sumptuous cinema/theatre behind the existing structure complete with full stage and café. The stalls had seating for 1,450 and the single balcony had seating for 630. The New Victoria Theatre was equipped with a Wurlitzer 2 Manual/9 Rank Organ and was opened by Leslie J. Rogers.

In February 1929 PCT was taken over by Gaumont British Theatres and in 1952 the cinema was renamed The Gaumont. In 1962 it closed for sub-division and opened on Monday, January 28, 1963. The circle had been extended forward to create a new and much plainer Odeon with 1,298 seats. The re-opening film was 'On The Beat' staring actor/comedian Norman Wisdom (1915 - 2010) and was attended by film star Leslie Phillips (b. 1924) and film star/comedian Stanley Baxter (b. 1926). 

As for the stalls, they became the dance hall called The Preston Top Rank and had a new fully sprung maple floor installed.

The Preston Top Rank closed in 1971. The whole complex closed in September 1992.

Information courtesy John H. Warburg  3/12/2023