Stockton Globe

In 1913, the Stockton Globe first flickered into life as the region’s first purpose built cinema. It was demolished in 1925 and rebuilt within a year to embrace the new ‘fad’ of Hollywood’s talking pictures.

In 1935 the Globe was reborn again as a stunning Art Deco palace designed by Percy L. Browne & Son, with almost 2400 seats.

In 1938 it joined the ABC chain of cinemas, but the Globe was always more than just movies, with live pantomime, ballet and touring West End shows running each season.

The 1950s–70s marked a golden age, as legends from Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry to The Beatles rocked its stage.

The Fab Four played a fateful gig on 22 November 1963, the day JFK was assassinated, finding out the news between sets they still went on to finish the show.

Homegrown stars made history here too with Cliff Richard and The Shadows launching their panto careers at the Stockton Globe. Meanwhile, everyone from The Rolling Stones and Cilla Black to Lonnie Donegan also delighted Teesside crowds.

The Globe also made cinematic history in 1953, it wowed and terrified filmgoers with House of Wax, the region’s first ever 3D movie. - and what a classic it is!

By the mid-1970s, however, the final curtain was falling. The last film shown was The Sting in June 1974. That December, Status Quo rocked the final concert, and in early 1975 the London Philharmonic Orchestra gave the venue its swan song performance.

The Stockton Globe closed in 1975, briefly reopening as a bingo hall, as many theatre's did, then falling dark in 1997.

The building sat silent on Stockton High Street until 2017, when a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant, backed by Stockton Council, jump-started its £28 million restoration. Check out this amazing flythrough video of their plans.

Craftsmen lovingly restored its 1935 Art Deco glory (even the auditorium’s striking green-and-yellow walls shine once more), and the Globe’s marquee now gleams again over the High Street.

Watch this Final Reveal video to see this stunning restoration in all its glory!

In September 2021, Stockton Globe reopened with McFly christening the stage before a rapturous crowd of 2,300 fans.

Now Grade II listed and ATG’s flagship UK venue, the venue’s 2,700 capacity auditorium makes it one of Northern England’s largest. State-of-the-art facilities meet 1930s Art Deco glamour in a dazzling blend.

It also now boasts an adjoining venue, The LINK, a contemporary bar and creative space with a 200 seat capacity.

After more than a century of reinvention, the Stockton Globe stands proud again as the beating heart of Stockton’s cultural scene. Long may that continue.