2026
In October, The Bridgewater temporarily closed for refurbishment and the transfer of ownership to long-serving managers Gary Smith and Kristina Kelly-Wood.
2006
The building was converted into a pub.
2000
The Darwen Live festival was established to carry on the town’s live music tradition into the new millennium.
1971
The Plaza Cinema showed its final film, Soldier Blue (starring Candice Bergen), before closing after approximately five decades of operation. Following the cinema’s closure, the premises were converted into a number of retail shops.
1961
Transitioned to ownership under the Leeds-based Star Cinemas chain.
c. 1955
Equipped with CinemaScope and taken over by Cheshire County Cinemas, renaming it the Plaza Cinema.
c. 1920
The building opened as The Palladium Cinema in Darwen, featuring 1,020 seats and a 24-foot wide proscenium arch. The Palladium became part of the town’s entertainment scene during the early twentieth century.
Images courtesy of Darwen Heritage Centre