The Owners

G ,B. Snape Circuit 1956 - 1988

Brian Snape

By 1956, Harold Ward had parted ways with the Snape & Ward Circuit, leaving it in the hands of the remaining shareholders with Brian Snape as Chairman. The resulting company was renamed the G.B. Snape Circuit, the G being Brian's proper first name George. Brian had not only followed his father in the field of the entertainment industry but was also a Chartered Accountant like his father before him. He had also served in the RAF druring the war and he brought the same discipline and sense of purpose to his role in both Snape & Ward and now the new G.B. Snape Circuits.

With acquisitions and new builds, the company became the largest it had ever been, with a total of 29 cinemas under its ownership. By 1959, its portfolio of cinemas included:

1. Ambassador, Pendleton*
2. Carlton Super, Clayton
3. Coventry, Broughton
4. Crown Eccles
5. Devonshire, Broughton
6. Electra, Cheadle
7. Ellesmere, Swinton
8. Empire, Blackley
9. Four Ways, Moston
10. Grand, Bournemouth

11. Greenhill, Cheetham Road**
12. Imperial Brooks Bar
13. Magnet, Newton Heath
14. Majestic, Leigh
15. New Curzon, Flixton
16. Palace, Levenshulme
17. Palace, Middleton
18. Plaza, Stockport
19. Queens Longsight**
20. Ritz Bolton

21. Roxy Hollinwood
22. Roxy, Rochdale
23. Sams, Leigh
24. Savoy, Irlam
25. Temple, Cheetham Hill
26. Theatre Royal, Hyde
27. Trocadero, Rusholme**
28. The Warwick Sale
29. Windsor, Bolton

NOTE: Note: Four of these cinemas were designed by John Knight. The Ambassador, in particular, was a constant of the Snape family legacy, being part of the three different cinema circuits they were connected to. The other three cinemas** were later acquired by the family as part of their expansion within the industry.*

Ambassador

Greenhill

Queens

Trocadero

It's worth noting that many of the newly acquired cinemas were facing declining patronage and economic challenges, particularly the smaller ones. Whilst it was evident that G.B. Snape was making efforts to salvage some of these venues, the writing was literally on the wall, (or should that be the screen?) Several factors contributed to their decline, with the proliferation of television, particularly after mass sales or rentals that had begun around 1952/3, coinciding with Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation, being one of the most significant factors.

However, several other factors, including increased competition for people's disposable income, like the ease of hire purchase for luxury goods despite high purchase tax rates, as well as the availability of paid holidays and improved travel options, impacted the frequency of cinema visits. With the decline in the habit of going to the cinema two or three times a week, audiences became more selective in their film choices, and some studios focused on catering to niche audiences, such as horror or adult films, neglecting family-oriented content.

Even the once-popular Cinemascope technology, introduced at great expense in the mid-1950s, lost its appeal. Due to these various factors, numerous cinemas began closing down in the late 1950s many became bingo halls capitalising on the Bingo craze sweeping the nation.

The Ambassador, for instance, initiated Sunday bingo sessions in 1961. By November 1964, the final film screened at the Ambassador was a Hitchcock thriller, "Marnie," featuring Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery. The cinema was subsequently sold to Mecca Ltd and transformed into a full-time Casino and bingo hall. Thus ended 36 years of cinema and theatre use of the Ambassador Super Cinema.

The G.B. Snape circuit would continue to run an ever decreasing cinema circuit, until the sale of their last two remaining cinemas , the Curzon Cinema in Urmston and the twinned Palace Cinema in Middleton in 1988. And so ended a cinema dynasty of 62 years spanning two generations of the Snape family, over three companies from 1926 to 1988.

Hitchcock' Thriller, "Marnie" was the last ever film to be shown in the Ambassador

Manchester Evening News

Tuesday 19 November 1946

Brian Snape's business ventures extended well beyond the cinema circuit that his father had built. Unlike Alfred Snape, who focused primarily on the cinema business, Brian diversified into the broader entertainment and hospitality sectors. One of his notable ventures was the Stannylands Hotel, Restaurant and catering chain, which became a renowned name in the region. He also repurposed several ex-cinema buildings into bingo halls, capitalizing on the shift in entertainment preferences.

Perhaps one of Brian’s most significant contributions was his role as Chairman of Salford Reds Rugby Club and susiquently the Rugby League. Brian had a first-class knowledge of rugby, a keen rugby player in his youth, having captained Broughton Park became chairman in 1964. During his tenure, he introduced innovative ideas to enhance the matchday experience. Not only did he bring in the Stannylands brand to the club’s catering operations, but he also introduced the famous Willows Suite, an entertainment venue at the Willows Rugby Ground. This addition made the ground not just a sporting hub, but a social and entertainment hotspot as well, reinforcing Brian’s influence in Salford's entertainment and sports scene.

Through these ventures, Brian demonstrated a forward-thinking approach to business, leveraging his expertise in entertainment and hospitality to expand his portfolio and ensure the continued relevance of his family’s legacy in the region. His contributions left a lasting impact not only on the cinema industry but also on local sports and hospitality.

Stanneylands Hotel and Restaurant chain

The Rex Bingo Hall one of many