The former Hippodrome site fetched almost double its guide price at auction.

Bids had been expected in the region of £50,000 when the vacant site in Henblas Street, Wrexham, went up for sale at the AJ Bell Stadium in Manchester from midday on Tuesday.

The land, at the heart of Wrexham town centre, had been listed at £50,000 by Pugh Auctions but sold for £98,000 on the day.

It is not yet known who has bought the site.

The Hippodrome was the last of Wrexham’s five music halls, which also included the Majestic, now the Elihu Yale, and the Empire on Chester Street, which is now the Saith Seren.

The theatre was built on the site of a former public hall which burnt down in 1909, and Wrexham Hippodrome Ltd was formed in 1913.

The death knell was sadly sounded for the Hippodrome with the opening of the Odeon on Plas Coch back in 1997 with it closing in the autumn of that year, re-opening briefly over the Christmas season.

The building then stood empty for more than 10 years, while campaigners, including legendary Liverpool comic Ken Dodd, pushed for it to be given listed building status.

Despite the high profile backing the bid to secure listed status, saving the building from future demolition, was unsuccessful.

On June 16, 2008, a huge fire ripped through the building – just three days after the funeral of Barry Flanagan, the cinema and theatre’s final manager.

In 2004, the building was purchased by property group HMG who unveiled proposals to transform the old theatre into new retail space.

Planning permission for the construction of retail units on the site was granted in 2006 but the permission from Wrexham Council has now lapsed.

Any new development on the site will be required to go through the planning process again.

An adjacent lot at 6-8 Henblas Street, which was listed with a guide price of £110,000 plus, went unsold at the auction.