Odeon (Paramount)

One of seven Paramount Theatres built in UK cities in the 1930s. Brick façade with stone dressings. Divided into five bays, each containing windows at first floor level, the three central bays also having small balconies at first floor level and smaller windows at second floor. The brick bays were surmounted by a plain frieze and cornice capped by a parapet. At street level a canopy extended the full width of the front elevation. Originally the interior was lavishly decorated in Art-Deco style designed by Charles M Fox (interior designer of the Paramount in Aurora, Illinois). It also contained a Wurlitzer organ, which rose on a power-operated lift, stage right, and the orchestra pit also had a lift which could be operated independently of the organ. Live performances ceased in 1936 giving way completely to cinema presentations. In 1975 it was converted to three screens and in 1980 a fourth screen was added in the space originally occupied by the stage. Although the Paramount was listed Grade II in 1999, by 2001 Odeon Theatres Ltd were building a new multiplex in the city, and applied for the building to be de-listed (to maximise possibilities for redevelopment). The cinema closed in 2002 and was demolished in 2017.