REMEMBER WHEN: Northwich's theatrical past

In last week's Remember When we featured a wartime booklet brought in to the Guardian by John Reeney, from Rudheath.

This was just one of a selection of programmes from The Pavilion Theatre, which no longer exists.

It was situated at the back of the Regal Cinema, both of which were owned by the Godfrey family's Cheshire County Cinemas.

The programmes feature 'The Famous Denville Players', run by husband and wife Charles and Lily Denville, who held a record breaking run of 52 weeks at the Pavilion in 1948, performing a different stage production each week.

They also held a two week pantomime of 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears' at Christmas.

Players included Hazel Bainbridge, Muriel North, Timothy Harley, George Boff, Yvonne Ryper, Linda Monk, Denise Harland, Margaret Hosking, Rosemary Hosking, Charles Denville, Donald Nithsdale, Charles Hill, Francis Waddell, Robert Buckland, Francis Stone, Ivor Harries, Howard Layton, Peter Crimmins, Ronald Masters, Peter Dalby, Joseph Evans, David Young, Lily Denville, Vera Johnston and Edith Steele.

Guest artistes in 1948 were Ian Elliot, kay Wilkinson, Pat Grey, Beryl Hunter, Bernard Severn, John Kinsella, Cynthia Michaelis, Cathleen Burk, maisie Carr and Hilda Draper.

Local artistes in that year were Lilian Lowe, Shirley Wood, June Darlington, Barbara Eyres, Doris Robers, Roy Buxton, Peter Thornton and Harry Pemberton.

One of the programmes is for the panto and another is a souvenir programme celebrating the 52nd week of the Denville Players' run.

Other programmes are for the players' productions of A Streetcar Named Desire and Night Must Fall and a grand concert in aid of the Northwich Memorial Hall Fund, which was launched in 1945 and had a fundraising target of £25,000.

By April 17, 1948, it had collected more than £3,770.

Do you remember The Pavilion? Do you know any more about its history? Do you remember the Denville Players? Email gina.bebbington@nqnw.co.uk or ring 01606 813624.