THE end of full-time professional theatre in Barrow came 50 years ago today with the closure after more than a century of Her Majesty’s Theatre.

This badly decaying Albert Street building had been called a variety of names through the decades and was once one of the town’s “palaces of entertainment” in the days before cinema, radio, TV and computers.

The sad end was recorded in the Evening Mail of January 13 in 1967 which noted: “The actors, being cheery soils, seemed unperturbed by their pending unemployment.

“Most of them are preparing to head for London – their train fares provided by the theatre.

“The director of productions Donald MacKechnie, faces a battle against dust and damp in his role of caretaker-negotiator.

“The final act against the dust was completed today – the two theatre cleaners gave a final whisk of the broom to the building.”

Closure came after months of negotiations with Barrow Town Hall over possible extra financial support, or the provisions of a new theatre costing up to £30,000 as part of a town centre redevelopment scheme.

The council had made a £1,500 annual contribution for the past five years towards running costs at the theatre.

Her Majesty’s Theatre in Albert Street opened in 1864 as the Theatre Royal and was completely rebuilt in 1867 and could hold 1,500 people.

In 1894 it was redecorated and became the Empire Theatre of Varieties with a private box costing a guinea (£1.05).

It showed an early version of moving picture films for the first time in Barrow in September 1896.

From August 1905 it became His Majesty’s Theatre and retained that name until the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953.

It closed in 1955 and fell into disrepair until the arrival in town of Donald Sartain as director and manager from Lyme Regis.

It was back open on January 20 in 1958 with a show called Hippo Dancing but closed for good on January 14 in 1967 after a final performance of Brandon Thomas’ Charley’s Aunt.

It was sold in a derelict state to builder Tommy Quinn who had hopes to renovate the theatre but couldn’t get financial support for such a major project.

The building was demolished in August 1972.