Odeon Merrion Centre Leeds

Leeds, West Yorkshire, England

Merrion Centre

, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom

(map)

Status:	Closed
Screens:	Single Screen
Style:	Unknown

Function:	Unknown
Seats:	900
Chain:	Unknown

Architect:	Unknown
Firm:	Unknown

Exterior view of the Odeon Merrion, 25 years after its closure

Photo courtesy of Ian Grundy

The Odeon Merrion Centre Leeds was the first cinema built in Leeds since the 1930's and had the shortest life. It cost £100,000 and was notable in that an induction loop for the hard of hearing was part of the design.

It opened August 17, 1964 and was designed by Gillinson and Barnett. The auditorium was externally a very plain brick box hidden from view in the Merrion Shopping Mall service area. It had a stadium plan with a well raked auditorium entered at 1st floor level with seats above and below entry level. The entrance (seen after closure in the photo) was inside the Merrion Centre at 1st floor level.

The display panel is now mirrored but behind the entrance doors the cinema remains intact. It closed on October 1, 1977 with a revival of "Gone With The Wind" in 70mm. This was after the Odeon Headrow had been twinned and just before the 3rd screen was added there.

A waste of a fine modern and comfortable cinema which has not been used for anything useful since.

Contributed by Ian Grundy

YOUR COMMENTS

this was a fine modern cinema for its time.I remember going to this cinema when I was younger than I am now. It is hard to understand why such a fine odeon cinema never proved a success. I feel sure even today the right company with the right programing could make this cinema work. what a waste of a fine cinema.

derek atkins(public relations officer mercia cinema society).

posted by film fanatic on Oct 15, 2003 at 6:23am

An interior view of the stripped-out auditorium, looks in good condition considering it closed 28 years ago:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikj/41719533/in/pool-cinemasignage/

posted by KenRoe on Oct 18, 2005 at 12:17pm

Always a favourite cinema, it has now stood empty for twice as long as its use as a cinema. Its final years seemed to be obscure new films and 70mm re-runs to fill the Cinerama screen that was installed in 1969. Even when open it seemed to be Leeds' forgotten cinema, people either didn;t know it existed or they knew of a cinema in the Merrion Centre but had no idea it was an Odeon.

posted by chriso on Apr 29, 2008 at 1:21am

Special BBC Leeds 2006 feature here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/leeds/content/articles/2006/08/10/local_history_odeon_merrion_feature.shtml

posted by smoothie on Apr 29, 2008 at 5:19am

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Odeon Merrion Centre Leeds

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