Odeon Exeter , Lovely Old Building

The Odeon in Sidwell Street is the oldest cinema, still running, in Exeter, and has been entertaining Exonians since 1937. Part of the Odeon chain from the beginning, the architect was Harry W Weedon who employed Robert Bullivant as a designer. Messrs Hewitt and Cherry of Exeter, were employed to negotiate the purchase of the site. Mr W P Wilkins was the builder of the cinema. At the time, much comment was made, that the new cinema was at the wrong end of Sidwell Street, and that a more central site should have been acquired. The exterior is immediately recognised as an Odeon cinema, with its three vertical windows between four ribbed columns. The modern facade still has flashing blue neon lighting running up the front of the building.
With 1,176 seats in the stalls, and 744 in the circle, the interior was decorated with ribbed plaster work and fluted columns. The cost of the cinema was £70,000, a large amount for the time with the construction taking 36 weeks.
The Odeon offered an advanced sound system for the time, by British Thompson Houston of Rugby. In 1929, they were the first British company to manufacture 'talkie' projectors, at their Coventry factory. The company also supplied a system of earphones for the deaf, for which there was no charge.
The first show
The first film to be shown was the black and white 'Charge of the Light Brigade' starring Errol Flynn and Olivia De Havilland, which opened on 30th August 1937. A large crowd gathered in Sidwell Street to watch the 200 guests arrive for the opening night.
The National Anthem was performed before the cinema was declared open by A C Reed, accompanied on stage by Sir Edgar and Lady Plummer. The band of the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards entertained in the interval. During the performance a collection was made for the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital. This was all a little over a year since the ABC at the other end of Sidwell Street had opened.
As a new cinema, special events would be staged for publicity - when the Technicolor Mikado opened in January 1939, Jean Colin, the star attended the first showing, and was presented with flowers on the front steps for the local paper to photograph.
From the 1940's to 1964, the lounge area above the entrance hall was used as a restaurant.
Bomb damage
The cinema suffered bomb damage from the air raid on 4 May 1942, which closed it until temporary repairs could be made. The opposite side of Sidwell Street was totally destroyed. The Odeon was lucky to survive as Sylvia Hart remembers 'Exeter was not Exeter anymore. You could stand by the Guildhall and see the Odeon Cinema.' This was a distance of almost ¾ of a mile of devastated High Street and Sidwell Street. The cinema was not fully repaired until 1954. The steps in the front entrance of the cinema still show damage from a bomb blast that scattered shrapnel across Sidwell Street.
In November 1942, Cliff Gwilliam was appointed as manager, replacing Harry Clare. In 1945, Gwilliam would become the manager of the Theatre Royal, a position he would hold until it closed in 1962.
Supporting the troops
The Odeon also put on talent shows, in the interval, between the B and main feature, for locals and servicemen to perform on the stage. The cinema would routinely entertain twenty wounded service men every Saturday, free of charge.
Devon's Home Guard had training films screened at the Odeon. The cinema was also used by the Battalion for Church Parade, presumably because the Cathedral was undertaking repairs. In fact, the Odeon was also used for a Special Concert, when the Band of the Devonshire Regiment played a programme of music, raising £60 for the Battalion Commander's Fund.
On Sunday 16 May 1943, the City Council presented the Battalion Flag to the 1st (Loyal City of Exeter) Battalion, Home Guard at the County Ground. The event was filmed by British Gaumont News who quickly edited it for showing the next week at the Odeon.
After five years of war, the Odeon, along with other cinemas, opened their lighting onto the street, as the blackout was eased in September 1944.
Post war
The rebuilding of Exeter after the war did not affect the Odeon. However, Thomas Sharp the town planner mentioned the Odeon in his Exeter Phoenix plan for the city. He wrote -
"A deplorable example of a complete lack of consideration in this is shown in the way the new Odeon Cinema has been allowed to dominate the city by piling its great hump-backed mass on the summit of the Sidwell Street ridge - a shapeless lump of a building which rides the city like a totalitarian mammonite cathedral".
What he would think of the Debenhams (John Lewis) building is probably unprintable!
The Mickey Mouse Club
The Odeon ran a Saturday morning picture show for children.

[@lilynorthover8378]

Nothing screams Art Deco like symmetrical curves and potted palms. Wonderful!

[@exeterrider]

Boom! exactly what I like about it👍

[@BlakesPipes]

I love old theaters, but I know see stairs all the time. And don't like elevators. Thank you for show and tell today, love it

[@exeterrider]

A break from the normal bike reviews....Its nice filming different things.

[@lensmann100]

Just love these old cinemas, long may they remain untouched by the developers' bulldozers.

[@exeterrider]

Ohh yes, there are very few decent old buildings like this around now. Quite sad how boring and mundane the new buildings look

[@BeansOnToast_YT]

Excellent video, yes art deco has to be the most succulent of all the deco styles. Please do more of these, like maybe how the old ABC cinema disappeared overnight, the next day it was a bookshop. Shocking stuff and a great Exeter mystery.

[@exeterrider]

Thanks yes, I like doing something different like you but I have already had the people asking please stick to reviews ha! but for us filming different stuff is the spice isn't it. The ABC was a cute little place. To my memory I only saw E.T at the ABC but had to leave due to the bloke in front chain smoking and I was only a nipper then . The buildings were so much more than blocks and cladding back then... Also the Royal theatre will be on my list to film as well... views figures make it hardly worthwhile getting out of bed but still I and a few others will enjoy it.

[@BeansOnToast_YT]

@@exeterrider Well I do what I like with my channel as I am not attempting to build a channel. If I were then yes I would stick to a niche as that's what seems to do best. That's not to say I don't listen to criticism, I've had helpful pointers on sound and picture quality and of course I've had tons of 'pointers' on how to ride, what I should say, how I should think and what I'm wearing, and it would seem I just can't get anything right 🤣

[@exeterrider]

@@BeansOnToast_YT 😂👍, yes your right it's important to do what you want with it or what's the point.

[@quinnpeaksbiker]

Beautiful building and so many memories, they definitely dont build them like that anymore, thing's that were made to last! Thanks for sharing 🙏🙏🍨

[@exeterrider]

I totally agree! its a lovely piece of architecture.

[@nealeburgess6756]

Very interesting ER. Thank you. I remember seeing films there when I was a boy in the 60s. (I left the area in 1971 aged 16). Of course, in those days it wasn't a multi screen cinema. Fascinating to see the changes over the years.

[@exeterrider]

where abouts did you live Neale , near by? My old man is the same age as you and he went to the Saturday morning cinema with his twin brother. I bet it is intresting to see if you haven't been around here for years.

[@NooBiker]

Beautiful art deco building, very nice indeed. Thanks for showing us nice bits of Exeter. I do like a nice art deco building.

[@exeterrider]

Exeter is a nice city. Like most places these days ,there are parts that are going a bit down hill but plenty of little gems here.

[@davidhawkins120]

Nice one ER, good to see the place still going strong👍

[@exeterrider]

Sure is, for a long time yet I hope Dave

[@simonchilli2088]

That was an interesting change from the bike reviews etc. Very nice. I had visions of you doing a vlog thruout the film. 😂

[@exeterrider]

Ha, I reviewed the film and thats coming next week (Don't panic,not really) .......infact !?!?!?ummmmm

[@RodKrisBisdakMotovlog0627]

That's really cool and interesting vidz my friend. Keep it up and more vidz to come brother.

[@exeterrider]

Thank you, I will👍

[@MrThegazzagy]

Motorcycles and architecture, Love it! Had a couple of similar cinemas in Grimsby/Cleethorpes area (not as grand though) but no longer. Enjoyable content

[@exeterrider]

Ahh good to see someone watched it lol...not been a big video this one. Thanks

[@Saddlebags73]

Very interesting! Love old buildings. The old cinema in Lanson got skat down to build flats. Shame because it was quite unique in its design, and I have fond memories of watching ET there 🤪

[@exeterrider]

Tower cinema ,yes just looked it up. Lanson has some nice ole buildings and even a train station, pretty cool place. I also went to see E.T , I guess I was about 5 but we had to leave because the bloke in front was smoking and it was making me feel sick so we went home. I also had to leave when watching planet of the apes when I was tiny after I got a bit sad when the policeman shot the monkey and he fell off the boat. I've been OK since though

[@Saddlebags73]

Ah Tower Cinema, yes! Crazy to think that people could smoke in a place like that. I got sad when they killed King Kong (re-run of the original of course) 🤣 When you say you’re ok now, that’s a matter of opinion 😋

[@AndyGSATractor]

Most old cinimas around here are now weatherspoons. Love a old building the theater in clacton was old and full of features.

[@exeterrider]

Ahh really, I'm trying to imagine that but cant get my head around it...we have a couple of old churches here that are spoons now....I dont like them though....too churchy

[@AndyGSATractor]

@@exeterrider 🤣

[@TheRhythmicBiker]

Man you can just tell that cinema building is old school, was that little building to the side at one point like the ticket office? The old and new photos together are crazy, shows how far we have moved on (perhaps not the better)👀 Not sure if you've ever been but you'd love The Point in Milton Keynes, it was the UK's first multiplex cinema, before my time Red tells me it was very flush and proper inside, a bit like what this used to look like. Great video mate, nice to have something different and a bit of history. Very fascinating. Hope you're well bud

[@exeterrider]

I just loked the point up - yes that looks great RB, the few old pics i found look brill as well. I like old buildings like that. cheers RB

[@jimsadler8704]

How interesting, ER, especially as so many cinemas have succumbed to the wrecker's ball. In my younger days I got 9 pennies (just under 4 new pence) pocket money with 3 pennies for sweets and 6 pennies for Saturday morning cinema at the Odeon in Coldharbour Lane, Camberwell, South East London. That cinema was pulled down many, many years ago and replaced with tasteless looking flats. I could be wrong but I believe the Odeon chain of cinemas was owned by the Rank Organisation.

[@exeterrider]

Seems to be the case everywhere now Jim, Exeter used to have a skyline but its going quickly with the prefab student lets. I hope they keep this piece of art deco.

[@Banditmanuk]

Glad old buildings like this are being preserved and used. Last film we watched was Oppenheimer, we really enjoyed it. Did you manage to blag a pirate copy with the Gopro? 😂

[@exeterrider]

No Richard, I don't condone anyone breaking the law. (inbox me if you want a copy, I also have a full season of Eldorado you can buy real cheap)

[@Banditmanuk]

@@exeterrider 😂😂

[@kenbrooks7794]

@ 5.48.... Just to the right of centre in the photo, the guy with the white helmet, Is that you doing one of your famous city scooter reviews? A friend of mine wanted to know, is all...... 😉

[@exeterrider]

😂I never saw that, wow that is some helmet, or is it a model boat up side down.

[@kenbrooks7794]

@@exeterrider 🤣🤣 Ah! so you don't use it anymore then.... 🤪

[@Saddlebags73]

🤣 Only Ken…

[@kenbrooks7794]

@@Saddlebags73 😁😇

[@exeterrider]

Not anymore Ken, it was cramping my style....This face I have is the "product"😂

[@economicalrides]

Nice vid Steve. Enjoyed the comprehensive video description too. What I did notice is that over the years the curvy ribbed cladding over the concrete bits has disappeared . Bit of a shame that. Externally a bit of the art deco charm has been lost. The interior is pretty original though. Love a bit of art deco design myself. Something about those clean lines and curves. Art deco fonts are pretty awesome too. An interesting little video mate. Was it Sidwell Street where you mentioned your possible purchase of a "bedroom costume" that time ? It looks like the same road to me 😛 Cheers you rascal, El Outro and Roby

[@exeterrider]

Copy & pasted de3scription mate, I would stand no chance with my writing skills of writering such a thig. Yes your spot on , my costume shop is just over the traffic lights, I was just going to pop in to see whats new . El outro

[@economicalrides]

@@exeterrider 😂 Sounds like Mrs Exmouth is in for a treat then Steve 😛 Good luck, hope she likes it 🤞

[@exeterrider]

Sadly not, the gladiator costumes had been bought by the local theatre

[@economicalrides]

@@exeterrider 😭😢

[@PhilipKerry]

That building is 18 years older than me 😊

[@exeterrider]

Ha, is a strange thought looking at it like that. It's not that old after all then 😉👍

[@RhegedRideOuts]

Brilliant mate. I don’t know how you do it, walking around in public talking to the camera, always makes me feel so uncomfortable.

[@exeterrider]

I get on and off days with it mate, that day I was just passionate about sharing the building with people so that over ran the nerves👍

[@EpicAdamMotovlogs]

There was an old cinema in Braunton but it's now a fruit and veg shop. It's still a cool looking building though. They would have used the cinema to show people propaganda & news during the war.

[@exeterrider]

ahh cool, I'd like to see that next time I'm up that way.

[@simongilbert2704]

that is a big ol building ;;; can get a lot of motorbikes in there ;;;; tell saddle et has just phoned home because there is no cinema in lanson

[@exeterrider]

ET only went home when he visited Lanson, that was the end of his trip!

[@simongilbert2704]

don't blame him ;;;@@exeterrider

[@exeterrider]

@@simongilbert2704 😂👍

[@Paul-67]

Okay I guess ER. Please do more motorcycle reviews though.

[@exeterrider]

Yes don't worry they will still be coming, Wednesday videos are just something different but the main Sunday videos will always be bike related. Its nice to break it up a bit and fully understand if something like this comes up and you don't want to watch...no worries mate.