The Odeon Cinema

The Odeon Cinema

Built in 1936 for Oscar Deutsch's Odeon Cinema chain, this former cinema on Baxter Gate was designed by Arthur J Price of Harry Weedon and Partners. It is now used as a bingo hall, having been converted for that purpose around 1970. The building is constructed in brick with a Modernist style.

The nearly symmetrical main elevation facing Baxtergate is entirely clad in coloured, glazed faience tiles, with the tiling continuing around the curved corners to the start of the side elevations. The ground floor tiling is predominantly black, interrupted by six narrow horizontal bands in green. Above are white tiles laid in a distinctive weave pattern. The top of the elevation features three alternating bands of yellow and green tiles finished with a course of black tiles. Historic photographs confirm that this green banding was not supplemented with neon lighting.

At the centre of the main elevation is a row of five recessed double doors at the top of a wide flight of four steps, with doors separated by narrow pilasters. A simple canopy with curved ends sits above these doors. At the time of survey, only the right hand pair of doors remained in use; the others were blocked by advertising boards. Historic photographs show that the canopy's edge was originally pale coloured and carried signage, but has since been over-clad in black with red fixing strips above and below. Above the canopy are five deep recesses divided by narrow, fluted pilasters that support a shallower canopy. The central three recesses contain large windows that originally lit the balcony foyer, now partly obscured by modern ventilation units. To the left of the main entrance is a secondary entrance with its own flight of steps.

The curved corners of the main elevation each feature three tiers of recessed windows arranged as horizontal slits, thought to light the principal staircases.

The secondary elevation facing Lemyng Street is principally brick, with darker brick used for the ground floor continuing the line of the black tiles from the front elevation. At the centre is a purpose-built advertising hoarding flanked by thin horizontal bands of darker bricks and protected by a shallow canopy. Rising vertically above the canopy is a spine design in darker brickwork.

The cinema auditorium remains undivided and retains its balcony, stage, and rectangular proscenium arch. It also retains its original coved ceiling lights and decorative grills flanking the stage. The entrance foyer is largely undivided and may retain original decorative detail obscured by later linings.

The cinema opened on 21 November 1936 with 1,029 seats in the stalls and 569 in the upper circle. In 1967 it was sold by Odeon to the Classic cinema chain, which used it for bingo until 1969 when it became the Vogue Social Club. It is believed to have last shown films in 1974 but has remained in use for bingo, now operating as the Beacon Bingo Club.