History of the Ambassador - Part Four
The Ambassador Project & the Final Curtain
After the Ambassador closed in the form of a Mecca Bingo Hall in 1995, the building remained vacant for over four years.
In December 1999, following their success in preserving listed cottages in Irlams O’Th’Height, the Claremont Community Association members, Cath Connett and Mary Ferrer launched a campaign to save the Ambassador from impending demolition by getting it listed. They formed a steering group that included Tim Bailey, Brian Davies, Mark Dobson, Roy Pattison, Julia Voss, John Wilson, Lil Mather, and Pat Greenhalgh, all dedicated to securing the cinema's future.
On October 5, 2000, their efforts paid off when the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) granted the Ambassador Grade II listed status, recognizing its architectural and cultural significance.
DCMS Listing ( click to open larger image)
The Ambassador Project is Born
The Ambassador Project was launched in December 2000, and by January 2001, the team had expanded from eight to twelve members, each bringing unique skills and a shared passion for saving the Ambassador. The group established a website with a dedicated email address to rally support and spread their message.
In February and March 2001, the group were able to conduct a site visit to take photos and video of the Ambassador. (Photos from these visits can be seen in the Galleries section of this site)
By July 2001, they had secured a significant endorsement from Salford-born playwright Shelagh Delaney, famed for her work "A Taste of Honey" and a former usherette at the cinema, who agreed to serve as the group’s Patron.
Shelagh Delaney becomes Patron
In a press release at the time, Shelagh stated, “The Ambassador Cinema is the last old cinema in Salford. It was built when people went to the pictures at least twice a week. My family were no exception. Salford has preserved few of its old buildings. It cannot afford to lose the Ambassador.
Joining The Ambassador Project is more than just a desire to pay respect to the past. The Project will not treat the building as a museum piece. It will have to earn its living once again as a cinema, and also as a theatre, restaurant and meeting place where people can have a good time. Saving the Ambassador will not only preserve something good from Salford’s past it will add something good to the life of Salford present.”
Christopher Eccleston lends his support
Following the cinema’s listing as a Grade II historical building in October 2000, a dispute emerged between the original purchaser, Kelly Homes, who had paid £195,000, and the vendor, the Rank Organisation, over ownership rights. Despite the listing, the developer announced his intention to proceed with demolition, citing the outline planning permission granted by Salford City Council prior to the listing.
In response, the group launched a media campaign, enlisting local support, including that of Salford-born actor Christopher Eccleston. In the Manchester Evening News, Eccleston stated, “I’m totally against plans to demolish the Ambassador Cinema. It sounds like bad news to me. The cinema was very important to Salford. I lived in Little Hulton, but my father, mother, and brothers used the Ambass—that’s what people call it—and my aunt worked there. It helps to create a sense of community if you all go to a place within your community rather than out-of-town venues.”
As a result, the demolition application was withdrawn in November of that year. This gave the group some much-needed breathing room to connect with the public and other interested parties about the potential uses the venue could offer for the local and broader community.
Treachery and betrayal
The group moved forward with plans to transform the Ambassador into a Community Media and Arts Centre, aimed at benefiting local residents and providing a space for drama groups that lacked the funding or resources to stage productions at the more expensive and less accessible Lowry complex in Salford Quays.
While the group consulted with the community and worked to persuade local politicians about the potential of their proposals, they were unaware that the Rank Organisation had enlisted The Halpern Partnership—a company specialising in challenging building listings, particularly for Odeon, who were known for placing restrictive covenants in their sales contracts when selling their old cinemas.
Snapshot of original Ambassador Project website
(Please note this is just an image)
Although there is no formal process to appeal a building's listed status, The Halpern Partnership argued that the alterations made in 1993 were significant enough to justify delisting. These arguments led English Heritage’s London office to draft a report that convinced the Secretary of State for the DCMS, Tessa Jowell, to remove the Ambassador’s listed status in October 2001, almost exactly one year after it had been granted.
The controversial de-listing, based on the English Heritage report, was seen by critics as London-centric and elitist. The London team at English Heritage strongly supported the request to remove the Ambassador's protected status, arguing that the reversible alterations made by the Rank Organisation in 1992 had significantly altered the building, rendering it unworthy of listing. To add insult to injury, English Heritage also questioned the significance of the architect, John Knight, dismissing him as "an architect not of major repute, either in a provincial or national context."
NOTE: English Heritage was separated into two organizations in April 2015: Historic England and the English Heritage Charity.
The 1992 alteration plans showing the mezzanine insert that Rank would claim significantly altered the building and therefore undermined the listing.
Despite being shocked and disheartened, the group bravely continued their fight, launching a vigorous campaign to reverse the decision.
They attended a regional meeting of English Heritage at Manchester Town Hall, where they were given 30 minutes to argue for the reinstatement of the listing.
The group argued that the alterations made to the building were superficial and easily reversible, with 99 per cent of the original features like oak panelling in the café, original wallpaper, and mouldings intact, hidden behind false plasterboard panels and suspended ceilings.
They presented photos of the visible and intact detailed plasterwork and mouldings in the auditorium, all of which were visible at the time of de-listing. The group believed that the claims of “substantial alterations” were false and driven by a desire to serve big business, rather than preserve cultural heritage.
They felt deeply betrayed by English Heritage’s London team, who they believed failed in their duty to protect Salford's local heritage by overriding the officials in the North-West team.
Lloyd Grossman,
the regional commissioner for English Heritage
Their efforts won the sympathy of TV personality Lloyd Grossman, the regional commissioner for English Heritage, who expressed regret over the situation and agreed to help facilitate a meeting with the local directors of English Heritage to explore possible avenues for reversing the decision.
Manchester Evening News Article 9th August 2003
Manchester Evening News 12th August 2003
After the de-listing, London-based entrepreneur Kevin Kelly, who had purchased the Ambassador four years earlier from the Rank Organisation for £150,000, put it back on the market. With the benefit of de-listing and outline planning permission to demolish and build flats, the asking price was now £750,000.
Subsequently, the Ambassador was purchased by Burnley-based McDermott Developments. The company stated, "We bought it with the benefit of planning permission, but we're not ready to discuss our intentions just yet. We're still deciding whether to demolish the building and construct flats or perhaps sell it again. We might wait until the market in that area of Salford improves. We're assessing whether the existing plan with permission would work or if changes are necessary."
This statement offered the group a faint glimmer of hope that the Ambassador could still be saved, though with the significant increase in the purchase price, the chances were slim without substantial grant funding or an angel investor. They reached out to local councillors, the DCMS, and the local MP, Hazel Blears while issuing press releases to the local newspapers. Meetings were held, and promises were made, but ultimately, the financial interests of big business prevailed, and in February 2004, the demolition of the Ambassador began.
Facing the Final Curtain
On a cold, dismal February morning in 2004, the stage was set for the Ambassador’s final curtain call. As the demolition began, Mary Ferrer and Cath Connett made a stand, tying themselves to the railings with scarves and adorning the area with flowers, ribbons, and posters proclaiming, "We love the Ambassador" and "Save the Ambassador." Despite their heartfelt protest, it wasn’t enough to change the course of events, as the workmen, bound by orders from powerful interests, pressed on with the demolition.
It took the demolition team nearly three months to bring down and clear the site of the Ambassador Super Cinema, a testament to architect John Knight’s robust design and the craftsmanship of P. Hamer Ltd of Swinton. By April 19th, 2004, however, the Ambassador was no more.
This marked the end of an era for a remarkable structure that had served the people of Salford for nearly 70 years.
The auditorium and the first tower are already gone
The remaining tower is about to be demolished
The Ambassador’s Legacy - the final insult
Today, in its place, a less inspiring residential development ironically named 'Cinema House' and 'ODEON House'. Adding to the disappointment the name "ODEON" has no connection whatsoever to the Ambassador or its rich history and is seen by many as a final insult, erasing the memory of this beloved cinema.
Rather than honouring its legacy, the name symbolises a further detachment from the heritage the Ambassador once represented.
Will the block of bland flats that replaced the Ambassador still stand 70 years from now? I very much doubt it. We traded grandeur for mediocrity, all in the name of progress and profit
The map above shows the approximate location where the Ambassador Super Cinema once stood.
RIP The Ambassador Super Cinema 1928-2004 you deserved better!