Building record 10097 - Odeon Cinema, Northgate Street

The Odeon cinema opened in 1936 on Northgate Street, it had a capacity of 1750 seats. The classical Art Deco style typical of most Odeon cinemas at the time was supposedly toned down given its location in the heart of the city. The cinema was remodelled to include three screens in 1976 and five in 1991. (1)

Built in 1936 to a design by Harry Wheedon and Rober Bullivant and built by built by P. Hamer Ltd of Swinton. Whereas most of the Odeon cinemas being constructed nationwide had cream ceramic tiled facades, the Royal Fine Arts Commission ruled that the Odeon in Chester must be of the more traditional material of handmade brick due to its highly sensitive location (2).

Like most early cinemas, the Odeon was originally constructed as a single auditorium with one screen, which seated up to around 2000 people. The upper stalls were the more desirable seats with an entrance through the elegant main foyer via the elegant staircase. The cheapest seats were available at the front of the cinema with access through a side door on Hunter Street with its own ti cket booth. The interior was decorated out with 'moderne' fittings, making use of fashionable wood veneer and smooth horizontal lines (2).

In 1976 two new smaller screens were added underneath the balcony. The two new screens were accessed from the lower foyer, with the existing auditorium reached at that time only from the upper foyer. A new projection suite was added to serve all three auditoria with a back projection system with mirrors used for the two new screens. This alteration entailed the removal of a number of the lower, 'cheap' seats from the main screen. In 1991 the large screen was subdivided with the upper half being split to form two screens, but with the lower half retaining its original character and proscenium. The original projection room was adapted and reopened to serve the fourth and fifth screens and digital sound was added throughout (2).

The red lit 'Odeon' signs originally positioned at the top of the tower were controversially removed during a 2002 facelift with a new, rebranded blue/sliver sign placed over the canopy (2).

A series of internal and external photographs were taken for Odeon Cinemas in 1936 (4).

Peter de Figueiredo (Independent Consultant), 2014, Odeon Cinema, Northgate Street, Chester. Building Recording, R3657 (Client Report). SCH7671.

<1> Lewis C.P & Thacker A.T. (eds), 2005, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume Vii, The City of Chester - The City of Chester, Culture, Buildings, Institutions (Book). SCH6522.

<2> Donald Insall Associates, 2009, Chester Odeon Cinema Conservation Statement (Client Report). SCH6150.

<3> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

<4> Odeon Cinemas, 1935, Odeon Cinema Collection (Photographic Archive). SCH6794.

<5> Donald Insall Associates, 2006, Plans & Eleveations of the Odeon Cinema, Chester (Graphic Material). SCH6799.

<6> Howe, S, 2012-Present, A Virtual Stroll Around the Walls of Chester, http://www.chesterwalls.info/gallery/cinema6.html (Web Site). SCH6990.