St Annes Palace

St Annes Palace is the building opposite the police station and Ashton Gardens. It’s on the corner of Garden Street and St George’s Road, behind the former JR Taylor department store.

You’ve probably noticed the antique dealers, opposite Ashton Gardens, and you’ve probably taken a wander through the indoor market on the ground floor. But did you know that the upstairs of this building is also well used? That the building itself has a long and interesting past?

St Annes Palace Today

It’s an attractive building, occupying the full corner plot. Standing against it on the pavement you’re not entirely aware just how big this rectangular building is.

St Annes Palace is a much-altered former Public Hall and Assembly Rooms. It’s built on two and three storeys with Queen Anne features and elevations on St George’s Road, Garden Street and St George’s Lane. It was built to a design by John Dent Harker, with brick with orange moulded terracotta embellishments under flat and pitched slate roofs.

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History of St Annes Palace

St Annes Palace opened as the Public Hall and Assembly Rooms on 14 March 1900. It occupies the corner plot at Garden Street and St George’s Road.

Built for the St Annes Public Hall Company, the construction cost £11,000. Originally intended to be the Princess Picture House cinema, the decision was made to include a public meeting hall as well. The venue had a stage and dressing rooms, and with a seating capacity of 800 was fully licensed for dramatic and musical events.

Cinema comes to St Annes

In 1908 a Thomas Bannister bought the building, leasing it to Fred Carlton. Mr Carlton opened it in 1910 as the Public Hall Picturedrome. From 1913 it was known as the Palace Cinema – in an attempt to lure people from nearby Blackpool.

In 1922 the building was sold again. Still a cinema, after a re-fit reopened in 1924 as the Palace Cinema and Cafes. Seating capacity was now 1050 people – along with cafes, shops and a Masonic Hall on the ground floor. The restaurant had seating for 450 – and the first floor concert hall held another 600 people.

Blackpool Tower ownership

The Blackpool Tower Company bought the building in 1925 for £40,000 and ran the cinema until 1959. Operated as the Palace Cinema and Restaurant, it was complete with ballroom, restaurant and cafe. Plus assembly room, Masonic room, billiard room. And of course, shops on the ground floor fronting Garden Street.

Sometime in the inter-war years, part of the building fronting St George’s Road was converted into a car showroom.

Masonic Hall

From 1959 to today, the next owner was Lytham St Annes Masons. A mezzanine floor was added in the former cinema to create rooms on a new upper floor. This was converted the first floor into a Masonic suite – which is still used today by Masonic Quadrant Lodge 8044. In the main room there’s a vintage pipe organ which came from ‘Fairlawn’ at Ansdell in 1975.

Other alterations included:

• A freemason’s boardroom was built on part of the flat roof,
• a Steward’s flat was created out of what are thought to have been former dressing rooms,
• the former ballroom was converted into a Masonic Lodge Room,
• the former billiard room in the basement had its ceiling lowered and all fixtures and fittings removed,
• former car showroom was converted into a furniture retailers,
• the main staircase was moved to allow insertion of a lift shaft,
• and a large part of the ground floor was lowered and a covered market hall created.

Externally a glass and iron canopy was added in the 1980s, which has since been removed.

It’s now known as St Annes Palace Masonic Hall and the ground floor is an antiques emporium.

On 7 February 2015 it was officially opened as the new Community Hub of Lytham St Annes. Anne Nolan and David Winder, Assistant Provincial Grand Master of West Lancashire, did the honours.

Information Credits:

English Heritage Pastscape webpage about St Annes Palace 

Nick Moore’s History of Fylde, Blackpool and South Wyre

Contact:

St Annes Palace, 18 Garden St, Lytham St Annes, FY8 2AA

• Tel: 01253 724900
• Website