Strand Cinema
24 Strand Road,
Londonderry,
BT48 7PX
24 Strand Road,
Londonderry,
BT48 7PX
No one has favorited this theater yet
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Curran Theatres, Odeon (Ireland) Ltd., Rank Organisation
Architects: W.E. Taylor
Styles: Art Deco
Previous Names: Odeon
Nearby Theaters
Located in Londonderry, County Londonderry. The Strand Cinema was opened on 17th January 1935. It was the luxury cinema of Londonderry, and at the time of opening it had the largest neon sign in the whole of Ireland. The auditorium had troughs of concealed lighting in the ceiling, and seating was provided in stalls and circle levels. There was also a café for the convenience of its patrons.
Soon after opening it was taken over by the Curren Theatres chain. In the 1950’s it was taken over by Odeon Theatres(Ireland) Ltd. part of the Rank Organisation. They gave it a make-over, and it was renamed Odeon.
It was refurbished in 1967, re-opening with “The Sound of Music”, which was presented in 70mm. Rank closed the Odeon on 11th January 1975.
It was re-opened by an independent operator on 1st December 1975, now as a twin-screen cinema, and again sporting the Strand Cinema name. The Strand Cinema was closed on 17th September 1992, and was demolished within weeks. The new 7-screen Strand Cinema (now re-named Derry Omniplex) was built on the site.
Contributed by
Ken Roe
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 2 comments)
The Strand opened on 17 January 1935 and was originally run by Billy James. It was designed by W.E. Taylor and had marble steps leading up to the lobby which was oak-panelled. The cafe doubled as a dancefloor.
Belatedly adding to the comment by popcorn_pete, the Billy James referred to may have been W (for William). L. James who around the same time was the lessee of the Midland Cinema in the Waterside area of the city (see separate entry for Midland Cinema, Londonderry).
If so, then it’s interesting to note that the Strand and the Midland, shortly after James’s involvement with both, became part of the Curran Theatres chain. William L. James in 1939 was a director of Portrush Majestic Cinema Ltd which opened the Majestic Cinema in Portrush that same year. The Majestic (in due course) was also bought over by Curran (see separate entry for Playhouse Cinema, Portrush).