A TREASURE trove of pictures reveal an actress who became a household name first treading the boards at a long-lost Northwich theatre.

A woman called Patricia Pilkington played the part of Sauci, the Ugly Sister's Maid, in the 1950 to 1951 production of Cinderella at The Pavilion Theatre.

The actress may be better known to readers as Pat Phoenix, who went on to star on the famous cobbles of Coronation Street as Elsie Tanner from 1960 to 1973 and from 1976 to 1984.

Paddy Billows, neé Green, from Norley, sent the photographs in to the Guardian.

"The interesting thing about the panto is that one of the artists, Patricia Pilkington, became Pat Phoenix and became Elsie Tanner.

"I was in it too, we were part of Kitty Oaks' little lot – she supplied the dancers at the time.

"I must have been 12 and it was lovely.

"There will be quite a few people locally that will remember it."

The Pavilion Theatre backed on to the former Regal Cinema.

The site of the theatre became the Regal's car park once it was pulled down.

The site is now home to Waitrose.