George Edward Tonge was born in Westhoughton, Lancashire on 8 December 1876 and was articled to Walter R. Haworth in Bolton, Lancashire from 1893 to 1899. He also attended Manchester School of Art, Bolton Technical School and Manchester Technical School. After working as an assistant to C. Sydney Ingham in Southport, Lancashire from 1900 to 1902 [or 1901], he commenced independent practice as an architect in Southport in 1902 [or 1901 - sources differ], From 1903 to 1907 he was in partnership with Henry Halsall * and Fred Campbell (1875-?) as Halsall, Tonge & Campbell. Tonge subsequently worked alone. His practice designed numerous theatres and cinemas in Lancashire.
Tonge was elected a Licentiate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (LRIBA) in 1911 and a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA) in 1934. He was also a Fellow of the Manchester Society of Artists, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), and a member of the Southport Society of Artists. He died in Liverpool on 12 March 1956.
* Note: Architects of Greater Manchester 1800-1940 and other sources gives the partner's name as Francis Peter Halsall (?-1923), however, in the announcement of the dissolution of the partnership in The London Gazette on 5 February 1907 it is given as Henry Halsall:
"NOTICE is hereby given, that the Partnership heretofore subsisting between us the undersigned, Henry Halsall, George Edward Tonge, and Fred Campbell, carrying on business as Architects, at St. George's-place, Southport, under the style or firm of 'HALSALL, TONGE, AND CAMPBELL', has been dissolved"
In collaboration with Halsall and Campbell: Public Carnegie Library, Westhoughton, Bolton, Lancashire (1904); Congregational Church in Birkdale, Lancashire (1904); and the Wesleyan Church, Westhoughton, Lancashire.
Following the dissolution of his partnership with Halsall and Campbell, Tonge designed numerous theatres, cinemas and dance and music venues, mainly in in Lancashire and Cheshire, including The Empire Theatre in Southport (1908); The Picturedrome in Radcliffe (1911); The Picture Palace in Southport (1911); The Picture Palace in Bootle (1912); the The Picturedrome in Stretford (1914); The Palladium in Southport (1914); Imperial Palace in Moston, Manchester (1920); the Stella Picture House in Seaforth (1920-21); The Scala Picture House in Southport (1921); The Grosvenor Cinema in Oldham (1921); Palais de Danse in Southport (1925, reconstructed as the Trocadero Cinema in 1929); Bedford Cinema in Southport (1929); the Garrick Theatre, in Southport (1930-32); Plaza Cinema in Preson (1932); the New Super Cinema in Blackpool (1933); Odeon Cinema in Blackpool (1934); Savoy Picture House in St. Helens (1934-35); Lyric Theatre in Everton, Liverpool (1936); the Ritz Cinema in Preston (1937-38); and the Grand Cinema in Southport (1938). Non-entertainment buildings designed by Tonge included the United Methodist Church and School in Salford (1908); a factory for Dunn, Halliwell & Company Ltd. Southport (1933); and the Royal Birkdale Golf Club clubhouse in Birkdale, Southport (1934-35).
Directory of British Architects 1834-1914. Compiled by Antonia Brodie, et al. Volume 2: L-Z. London; New York: British Architectural Library, Royal Institute of British Architects/Continuum, 2001
‘Obituary’. RIBA Journal vol. 64, November 1956 p. 47