Burnley's Empire Theatre hosting Heritage Open Days in September

After filling all allocated tickets within a day earlier this month, the Trust will be offering members of the public more opportunities to see inside the venue and hear about acts from the archives.

On Saturday September 7th there will be a talk held at the Burnley Pride of Place Project Hub in Charter Walk, about traveling acts who performed at the Empire with a chance to view the Trusts archive collection featuring rarely seen items for the first time.

The talk is a free ticketed event which will last 45 minutes from 11am. Tickets for the talk are limited, and will be available from this Friday, August 23rd online from 10am through Eventbrite, and in person from the Burnley Pride of Place Project Hub located across from the sports store JD, within Charter Walk.

The Hub is open Fridays and Saturdays 10am to 3pm. After the ticketed talk, the Hub will be open to members of the public from noon to 4pm to view items from the archives.

More open days are planned for September 20th and 27th with free tickets also available from this Friday at 10:00 am, online through the ticket site Eventbrite and in person at the Burnley Pride of Place Project Hub.

Last year people traveled throughout the UK to Burnley for the Empire's very first Heritage Open Day event that sold out instantly.

Burnley Empire Trust Chair Sophie Gibson said “We’re excited to share our archive and absolutely thrilled to open the doors once again to members of the public.

“Thanks to a grant awarded to us by the National Lottery Heritage Fund we have been able to make improvements since last year's visits which means people will be able to move around the auditorium or take a seat. We’re also opening the entrance at the top of Cow Lane, which offers street level access for wheelchair users which is really important to us as we want everyone to feel welcome and able to visit.

“Our Trustee Steve has been leading the efforts to get the Empire into shape ready for the public and he’s done a fantastic job with the clean up and coordinating new entrance scaffolding with Target Scaffolding who always go above and beyond.”

Supporter, Green Party councillor for Trinity ward in Burnley Martyn Hurt, said: “Everyone, whatever their access needs, should see what an amazing building and theatre it is, and understand its potential and importance to the town for the future, so it's fantastic to hear about the funding.”

Open day visitors will have the option to enter via street level or steps as they enter the highly decorated auditorium, learn about the significance of the building, the ongoing restoration project and future plans.

Tickets are limited and each group visit will last approximately 30 minutes. Booking is required for all open day site visits. The restoration of the Burnley Empire is ongoing with health and safety measures in place.

For more information email: [email protected]. Burnley Pride of Place Project Hub address is: 55 The Mall, Charter Walk Shopping Centre, Burnley. Online Eventbrite tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/burnley-empire-trust-69444853833