The Art Deco Cinemas Of England

~ beetleypete

When I was young, I was captivated by the Modernist and Art Deco styling of the cinemas I went to in London. I thought they were like palaces, inside and out. Once I was old enough to drive around England, I was delighted to discover that they were everywhere. A golden age of architecture, alongside the golden age of cinema.

Here are some examples. They need no captions, they are all fabulous.

Odeon, Liverpool Gardens, Worthing, Sussex

55 thoughts on “The Art Deco Cinemas Of England”

    1. Many of these are considered to be historical now, and have been listed. There is a lot of Art Deco architecture in seaside towns here. When you next visit, you may spot some examples.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. Some of the larger ones still exist with other uses, and a few have been converted into multiplexes. In rare cases, they have remained as a single-cinema, usually in rural towns, or been revamped as a ‘Retro Film Club’.
      Best wishes, Pete. x

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    1. People stopped going to the cinema as much in this country once almost everyone had a TV. So the buildings became Social Clubs, Bingo Halls, Evangelical Meeting Houses, and so on. Once they started to build multiplex cinemas in the 1980s, it was cheaper to build them like warehouses than to construct stylish buildings or convert 1930s cinemas. (Though some were converted, and still exist.)
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  6. I loved “going to the pictures” when I was a kid. It was a treat, especially in England. My brother took me to see Lawrence of Arabia and bought the more expensive seats, I think they were upstairs so the view was perfect. It was somewhere in London but I’ve forgotten where. I think I have never had a better move experience and what passes for a movie theatre these days is sad. Though I will admit it has been over a decade since I went!

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      1. My father was mad keen on films and as a photographer (my birth certificate says he was a film director) he was a great critic. Even as an old man he could remember all those films he saw in London through the 40’s and 50’s. It is an era that has gone, which is a shame.

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  7. Here in Nevada, both Hoover Dam (1936) and The Smith Center for the Performing Arts (2012) are great examples of Art Déco. There are also two Art Déco theaters in Ely, Nevada: Capital Theater (1916) and Central Theater (1941).

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  8. Pingback: The Art Deco Cinemas Of England | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

    1. It wasn’t on my radar for films, too far ‘North-East’ when I was younger. (Though I did go to the Kilburn State frequently.) But I have seen it since as The Rainbow, and then saw it as some kind of church before I left London. Glad to hear they have listed it.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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          1. A short flight isn’t so bad, but it’s all the extra hassle of getting to and from an airport that I can’t be bothered about. It wasn’t too bad when we lived only an hour from Heathrow or Gatwick.

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  16. So many of these lovely pleasure palaces were turned into bingo halls or, worse, demolished for car parks: sacrilege! Do you know the origin of the name Odeon? [I do, but maybe you have to be ‘a certain age’ to know it 😉 ] Cheers, Jon.

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    1. It is from the Greek, for a place where people sing. (A type of theatre)
      Yes, many were demolished, some turned into ‘other uses’ like Bingo. Fortunately, many still exist as cinemas, though they have been turned into ‘multi-screen’ venues. No more sitting in the balcony, or enjoying the huge screen in 70mm.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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      1. Ah, that’s interesting! I always understood it was an initialism of Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation, but Wikipedia confirms what you say. Perhaps my version was in common parlance just because it was a bit of fun?

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    1. The Odeon and The Regal were the two most popular names in London. They eventually became part of different competing chains of cinemas, owned by big companies. Other cinemas were named The Trocadero, or The Empire. There was also ABC, which owned cinemas and also made TV programmes.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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