Odeon Surbiton

Located in Surbiton, Surrey in what today is a district of southwest Greater London. The Odeon Theatre was one of the original Odeon’s operated by the Oscar Deutsch chain of Odeon Theatres Ltd. It was possibly a take-over of an existing scheme, as it had Joseph Hill as its architect, who was not known for other Odeon theatres, and the interior decoration was by Mollo & Egan, who also were not noted for working for Odeon. It opened on 14th April 1934 with Errol Flynn in "Captain Blood".

The facade and entrance was set back slightly from the road, and was abutted by a parade of shops on each side. Faced in cream faiance tiles, there were two tall corner windows which contained the exit stairwells from the rear of the circle. The name ‘ODEON’ was mounted on the top of the canopy in 9 feet high letters. The foyer had abstract painted murals by Mollo & Egan on its walls. Inside the auditorium there were bands along the side-walls and in the ceiling containing lighting. Seating was provided for 974 in the stalls and 528 in the circle. The Odeon was equipped with a 12 feet deep stage and several dressing rooms, plus a band room and a lift in the orchestra pit.

After leading an uneventful life, the Odeon was closed by the Rank Organisation on 8th February 1975 with James Caan in "Cinderella Liberty" and Alan Alda in "To Kill a Clown".

The building was converted into the Sapphire Carpet & Furniture Centre, which closed in 1977. It was then converted into a B&Q DIY hardware store. This continued for many years, but was eventually closed and the building was demolished in July 1998, and a Waitrose supermarket was built on the site.

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