The plans for the Odeon were passed in Council in June of 1936 and the cinema was built in on waste ground opposite Redhill Railway Station.
The Odeon opened its doors for the first time on 23rd May 1938. It was designed by architect Andrew Mather for the Oscar Deutsch chain of Odeon Theatres Ltd. There were 1,000 seats in the stalls and 474 in the circle.
Its roof was painted in camouflage colours during the war but still got an enemy cannon shell through it that was probably intended for the railway station.
The Odeon closed on 18th October 1975 It was converted to a nightclub and opened as Busby’s in 1976. It subsequently was revamped and renamed Millionaire’s in the 1980’s and became the British Embassy Rock Bar in 1996. Since 2002, it traded as Liquid/Envy. The nightclub was closed around 2011. In August 2013, it was announced that the building was to be demolished (retaining the locally listed façade) and to build 61 apartments, a Tesco store and parking garage on the site of the auditorium.
With the impending arrival of the mighty Tesco giving the good people of Redhill the chance to shop 24 hours a day in a place the size of an aircraft hangar I thought I best get down and have a look. Despite its many changes over the years a few remnants of its original intended use remain.
The Odeon opened its doors for the first time on 23rd May 1938. It was designed by architect Andrew Mather for the Oscar Deutsch chain of Odeon Theatres Ltd. There were 1,000 seats in the stalls and 474 in the circle.
Its roof was painted in camouflage colours during the war but still got an enemy cannon shell through it that was probably intended for the railway station.
The Odeon closed on 18th October 1975 It was converted to a nightclub and opened as Busby’s in 1976. It subsequently was revamped and renamed Millionaire’s in the 1980’s and became the British Embassy Rock Bar in 1996. Since 2002, it traded as Liquid/Envy. The nightclub was closed around 2011. In August 2013, it was announced that the building was to be demolished (retaining the locally listed façade) and to build 61 apartments, a Tesco store and parking garage on the site of the auditorium.
With the impending arrival of the mighty Tesco giving the good people of Redhill the chance to shop 24 hours a day in a place the size of an aircraft hangar I thought I best get down and have a look. Despite its many changes over the years a few remnants of its original intended use remain.
