Odeon Chorley

The Odeon was built for and operated by Oscar Deutsch’s Odeon Theatres Ltd chain. It opened on 21st February 1938 with Jack Buchanan in “The Sky’s the Limit”.

Architect Harry Weedon was assisted by P.J. Price from the Harry Weedon Partnership firm. The Art Deco style was typical of an Odeon Theatre being built at the time. The facade was dominated by a huge slim fin tower feature which was clad in black faience tiles and had the Odeon name on top. Inside the auditoirium, seating was in a semi-stadium plan with no overhanging balcony. There were 1,092 seats in the stalls and 434 in the raised tiered balcony section. Illumination was by concealed cove lighting at a proscenium end and by hanging fixtures above the mid stalls and balcony. On the splay wall on each side of the proscenium there were decorative grilles which were either designed by interior designers Mollo & Egan or were in their style.

The Odeon led an uneventful life and was closed by the Rank Organisation on 6th February 1971 with George Lazenby in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. After laying closed and un-used for over two years it was sold to an independent bingo operator and re-opened on 9th August 1973 as a Tudor Bingo Club. It later became a Gala Bingo Club which remains open today.

Recent comments (view all 3 comments)

KenRoe on February 7, 2006 at 12:29 am

A night view of the Odeon Chorley on opening week in 1938:
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An exterior photograph soon after opening in 1938:
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The auditorium in 1938:
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A current view of the exterior now as a Gala Bingo Club:
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lostmemory on November 5, 2008 at 1:17 pm

The above links no longer work. These might be the same photos.

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

eurotrampbaz on June 16, 2012 at 12:51 am

I worked here as projectionist in 70/71.