The transfer of bingo sessions from the Palace to the Empire cinema marks the end of a long chapter in the history of entertainment in Burnley. The curtains at the Palace may have come down for the last time to make way for future development.
Opened on December 2nd 1907 the Palace immediately established itself as one of the more popular entertainment houses in East Lancashire. Many outstanding artists and productions were brought to appear on the stage there at considerable cost. But on January 10th 1931 a performance of the musical comedy "My Cinders" ended the theatre's career as a place of live entertainment. The following Monday it opened as a cinema with the film "Raffles" as the chief attraction.
In 1937 a private company was formed so that live entertainment could again be staged, but after only a short time the Burnley Express announced on April 26th 1939 that the Palace was to close down because of an "unaccountable lack of support".
After the war the Palace became a cinema again, and then, of course, more recently full "houses" referred to bingo cards and not attendances.