The Victoria Theatre, Salford, is a theatre in the Lower Broughton area of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is situated on Great Clowes Street, on the corner of the Elton Street. The theatre officially opened 10 December 1900 and was last in use as a bingo hall in 2008. The original capacity was 2,000 seated, this was increased to 3,000 in 1910. Palatial Leisure Limited sold the building in September 2018. Background The Victoria Theatre, designed by Bertie Crewe, was built by The Broughton Theatres Syndicate Ltd, the same syndicate which controlled the Regent Theatre, Cross Lane, Salford (destroyed by fire in 1952). The building's foundation stone was laid on 4 October 1899 by the actor Sir Henry Irving. Accompanying Irving was Bram Stoker, also in attendance were Bertie Crewe, the Civic Mayor of Salford Samuel Rudman, Frederick Platt-Higgins (Conservative MP for Salford North), C. V. Haworth (chairman of the syndicate), a large number of the members from the Salford Corporation, and former Civic Mayors of Salford Sir W. H. Bailey and Sir Richard Mottram. Crewe presented Irving with a mallet and a silver trowel. In a short speech Irving remarked, "I have always contended that a well-conducted playhouse is a centre of rational recreation, and without rational recreation no community can pretend to have its facultics in proper order." When the application for the theatre's licence was heard by the town council, Mr. J. Broxap put forward an amendment, "That the resolution of the Watch Committee be approved subject to no application being made to the Excise for the licence to sell intoxicating drink." The amendment was seconded by Mr. Haworth who added, "Persons who went in and out to get drink interrupted the performance, to the annoyance of those who desired to see the piece." The council voted 25 for the amendment to alter the theatre's licence so that alcohol could not be sold, 32 against and 1 abstention. The Mayor declared the amendment lost. The 2,000 seater theatre opened on 10 December 1900 with the play "Sign of the Cross," performed by William Greet's company, with Edward Vincent as the Prefect and Virginia Buckle as the Christian girl Mercia. The front of the theatre was described as "red terra-cotta, divided by Ionic pilasters into five bays" and the foyer was described as "a hall 34 feet long and 18 feet wide, with marble mosaic floor, walls panelled