The Tender Trap (Bacup)

The Tender Trap was in Burnley Road, Bacup, Lancashire which opened on Friday, February, 28, 1964 and opened by Screaming Lord Such (1940 - 1999). It was under The Embassy Bingo Hall.

The Tender Trap had opened on Monday, September 7, 1931 as The New Regal Super Cinema with 960 seats split between the stalls and balcony. The cinema’s architect was Bacup architect Harry Cropper. The cinema was built replacing The Bacup Public Hall which was built in 1910. In 1946 the cinema changed its name to The Regal Cinema until in 1959 the cinema was taken over by Star Cinema.  As with most cinemas, the decline led to the cinema closing and in 1966 it, re-opened as a bingo hall renamed The New Embassy Bingo Club.

The owner of The Tender Trap was Mike Carr (b. Michael Joseph Carr, c. 1941 d. March 1968, Stockport, Cheshire, England in a road traffic accident). His parents Pat Carr (b. Patrick Carr) and Mrs. Carr lived in Dewhirst Road, Syke, Rochdale, Lancashire.

Before that Carr owned and ran The Medici Coffee Bar in Rochdale, Lancashire which opened in 1961; The Three Cellars in Newhey, Milnrow, Rochdale, Lancashire which opened in ca. 1964.

He would also own The Masque at 116 Chestergate, Brinksway, Stockport which he opened in 1965 and The Swinging Sinking Ship in Royal Oak Yard off Mersey Square South, Underbank, Stockport, Cheshire which opened in 1966 with Wimple Winch playing the opening night.

Info courtesy John H Warburg April 2025