Odeon Cinema

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 9 December 2024 to amend the architect's name and text reformated to display correctly on NHLE.

TA 0388 3/401

WESTBOROUGH The Stephen Joseph Theatre

(Formerly listed as Odeon Cinema)

II Incorporates Nos 4-12 even, Northway. Cinema with cafe and shops. 1936 by J Cecil Clavering and Robert Bullivant of Harry Weedon and Partners for Oscar Deutsch and the Odeon group of companies. Brick with ceramic tile facings to ground floor, cafe and projection end. Flat roof not visible. Modernist streamlined style based on German examples. Quadrant corner entrance has four glazed doors with overlights under a fascia and flat canopy extended to left. Quadrant-shaped cafe above entrance has a completely glazed wall, with steel uprights and close horizontals, under a tall cream tiled parapet. The Westborough front to left has a black-tiled ground floor with display frames and inset left doorway. Above the extended canopy rises a six-storey tower sandwiching a red-striped cream glazed fin which rises above the tower roof to hold the legend CINEMA (now removed). Left of the fin a fully-glazed stairshaft. To left of tower a five-storey four-bay section, cream-tiled above the ground floor, has large first-floor and small second-floor windows with close-set steel glazing bars. Upper floors blank but for legend ODEON in free-standing letters (now removed) and green tile bands above. Quadrant left angle in brick. Northway front shows a three-storey five-bay block with shops below (most retaining some original glazing) and horizontally-barred windows above. Behind this the body of the auditorium descends in three wide steps from the tower to the north end.

Interior: all the architectural features and most-of the fittings remain including doors, architraves and skirtings, panelling, handrails, much of the seating, some floor coverings including original carpets; light fittings anti original house telephones. Wide, uncluttered austere auditorium relies for its effect on subtle shifts of lines but has bands and panels of cast leafy ornament around the screen area.

Historical note: this cinema is of interest as a good example of the Odeon "house style" mainly developed by Harry Weedon's firm, and instantly recognisable. It is now of special importance as the only remaining major Odeon with its auditorium in the original, undivided state.

Listing NGR: TA0389488369