Odeon West Hartlepool
81-89 Raby Road,
Hartlepool,
TS24 8DL
81-89 Raby Road,
Hartlepool,
TS24 8DL
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Odeon Theatres Ltd., Rank Organisation, Thompson's Enterprises Ltd.
Architects: Thomas Ridley Milburn, William Milburn
Styles: Art Deco
Previous Names: Majestic Cinema
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Essoldo Hartlepool
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Gaumont West Hartlepool
News About This Theater
- Nov 24, 2010 — Update on former Odeon Cinema Hartlepool
- Jul 30, 2010 — Hartlepool Council to decide on future of Odeon Cinema
- May 19, 2010 — Save the Odeon Cinema Hartlepool
- Mar 29, 2007 — Former Odeon Hartlepool to be finally demolished?
This Art Deco style building has two very attractive bass relief panels on the façade over the entrance. Located close to town centre at the corner of Raby Road and York Road, it was built for independent operators, opening on 27th July 1936 as the Majestic Cinema. It was equipped with a British Thomson-Houston(BTH) sound system. On 22nd November 1943 it was taken over by the Oscar Deutsch chain of Odeon Theatres Ltd. On 2nd April 1945 it was re-named Odeon. It was closed by the Rank Organisation as the Odeon Cinema on 24th October 1981.
It was converted into a bingo club. From the mid-1990’s it became Ceasar’s Palace nightclub and Jo Pools bars and they were closed in around 2002. The building remained, closed and un-used with a ‘For Sale’ notice with development for flats cited. It was destroyed by a massive fire on early-morning 6th October 2024. A 15 years old boy has been charged with arson. The badly damaged building was deemed to be unstable and demolition began at the end of October 2024.
In 1992 the Odeon was designated a Grade II Listed building by English Heritage.
Contributed by
James Nielsen
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Recent comments (view all 28 comments)
I took some photographs of the Odeon today and it’s still in a very sorry state. A friend of mine recently commented that when Caesars Palace was open there was three inches of pigeon excrement on the window ledge of the kitchen where food was being prepared. How did the health department not notice it?
Recently, an engineer from Hartlepool Borough Council has visited the Odeon to carry out an external inspection following reports that part of a wall was showing signs of bulging and loose bricks. Whilst no action has been taken to date, the owners have been advised. The building is still a priority on the council ‘grot-spot’ list of buildings, however problems on agreeing a price have so far put off any offers to redevelop the site. Over 28 years since it ended its cinema life, its deterioration is becoming more evident.
The footpath along the facade of the Odeon has recently been closed off with barriers running the full length of the building and also behind the shops and South west corner (Near fire escape). Further to the post of March 2nd, it appears that some structural problems may be the cause. The exterior walls are showing signs of damp ingress, with mould appearing in various places. Whether the council enforce the owners to carry out remedial repairs will have to be seen.
Hartlepool Borough Council have now boarded off parts of the footpath around the former Odeon building, namely areas at both corners where the large glass tiled windows are located. It has been reported pieces of masonary have been falling, so the council have acted to protect passing members of the public. The owners have been asked to carry out remedial work and find a use for the building. See article below from Hartlepool Mail:
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As of August 2011, the building’s future is looking increasingly bleak. The owners have had a responsibility to ensure the future of this once ‘majestic" building but have chosen to ignore that custodianship. I do feel that Hartlepool council has to shoulder at lest part of the blame for the disgraceful state of the building. Enforcement orders on maintenence and repairs have been slow in being issued.This has allowed time for decay to set in.Ovne cannot help but think that a bunch of five yerar olds could have done a better job of ensuring the future of this leviathon for future generations…….
My apologies for one or two typing errors there….
Hartlepool Council have started emergency repair works to the Odeon, with the Young Street elevation of the building now covered in scaffolding. The council have been forced to act after the owners carried out inadequate work following falling masonry from the windows at top level and the curved windows on the corner of the building. The repairs are expected to cost in the region of £20,000 which the council plans to claim back from its owners. Some of the doorways added to allow fire escape from Joe Pools & Caesars Palace have also been boarded up by the council, as the doors were starting to decay.
Image uploaded.
https://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/politics/council/new-plans-unveiled-to-bulldoze-and-transform-site-of-derelict-hartlepool-cinema-4146563
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/24632811.hartlepool-cinema-fire-live-york-road-odeon-blaze-updates/?ref=ebbn&nid=1458&u=5fb864a2ed1948f0ab961a2efdb9a957&date=061024