FOR 57 years the Empire Theatre Swindon stood on a 115ft x 90ft plot at the corner of Groundwell Road and Clarence Street.

And if that space could talk about its memories? Well, it might be a bit startling for patrons of La Dolce Vita, the restaurant occupying the site these days.

From Laurel and Hardy to Leslie Philips, and from Frankie Howerd to our own Diana Dors, the Empire attracted some of the biggest stars of the showbiz eras its lifetime spanned.

In spite of that, no definitive history of the theatre has been penned – until now.

Former Swindon librarian Roger Trayhurn is preparing that history, and he wants to hear from anybody with a story to tell or piece of memorabilia to show.

He said: “If there is anybody out there with programmes or reminiscences, or who worked there or went to the theatre and saw shows that stuck in their memory, I want to hear from them.”

The theatre opened in 1898, having been built in 30 weeks by the local firm of Charles Williams.

Italian Renaissance-style fittings were in green, gold and blue. The first show was Dick Whittington.

It was to remain open until 1955, a period which included a stint as a cinema between 1931 and 1947. It was in 1947 that Laurel and Hardy appeared at the theatre – not on celluloid but in person.

Other big names to appear were George Formby, Tommy Trin-der, Charlie Chester, Max Miller, Norman Wisdom, Gracie Fields, Old Mother Riley (a man called Arthur Lucan who dressed as a little old lady), a very young Julie Andrews and a singer called Betty Driver. Betty would be away from showbusiness and running a pub by the beginning of the 1960s, only to be tempted out of retirement by an offer to appear as a character called Betty Turpin in a newish TV series called Coronation Street.

As well as big musical and comedy stars, the Empire hosted countless other entertainments, from touring versions of popular hits to grand opera.

During a single week in September of 1902, it staged Othello, The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar and Richard III.

Roger, 65, who retired last year after 47 years with the Swindon Library service, has been fascinated by the Empire since for almost all his life.

“I can remember going there as a very small child,” he said. “I just liked going there. Everything seemed so bright and happy.

“I can remember sitting and thinking ‘I like this’. It started a love for the theatre. Then after it closed it was this big building looking very sad. I used to pass it most days.”

When the Reaper came for the Empire, as he did for so many other theatres in the 1950s, he carried not a scythe but a cathode ray tube. Television viewing exploded in the years following the Coronation, and many old playhouses were caught in the blast. The Empire was demolished in 1959, four years after it closed.

Its last show, like its first, had been a pantomime: Robinson Crusoe. At one point during its run, the cast were left without a week’s wages.

Roger visits local history groups with display boards devoted to his project, appealing for material.

“I’ve been very lucky so far. I’ve had a lot of help from people. When I’ve taken these boards to various local history groups I’ve had all sorts of people come in.”

They have ranged from former staff members to the daughter of a theatrical landlady who provided rooms for visiting performers.

Anybody who has information or memorabilia is asked to contact Roger on 01793 525056 or rogert1800@hotmail.co.uk. All help will be acknowledged in his book.