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Report - - Bradford Odeon - November 19 | Theatres and Cinemas | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - Bradford Odeon - November 19

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UrbanDoll

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
History


The Bradford Odeon, previously known as The New Victoria Theatre
The New Victoria Theatre in Princes Way, Bradford was built by William Illingworth on the site of William Whittaker's Brewery which closed in 1928. The Theatre was built as a vast ciné-variety Theatre with 3,318 seats on three levels, Stalls, Circle and Balcony, and opened on Monday the 22nd of September 1930. The Theatre had a very large stage with a proscenium opening of 50 foot and a depth of 45 foot, and a moving platform which could deliver an entire orchestra from the back of the stage to the front, and the orchestra pit itself included a Wurlitzer pipe organ on a rising platform. The Theatre also had twelve Dressing Rooms and was capable of staging very large live productions quite apart from its use as a Cinema. The New Victoria also incorporated two flats for management, a restaurant seating over 200 people, and a large and elegant ballroom.


In 1950 the Theatre had a change of name to Gaumont and in 1954 it was fitted for CinemaScope, the first of its kind in Bradford.

In 1969 the Theatre was renamed the Odeon Film Centre when it was subdivided into two large Cinemas, built in the former Circles, and a 1,000 seat Bingo Hall in the former Stalls.

In 1997 the Bingo Hall closed down and the three Cinemas followed suit in 2000 leaving the vast building unoccupied and under threat of demolition. It is now well underway into its restoration.

The main room has now been put back into its natural state and the 2 rooms have now finally become one again, showing the beauty of the original theatre features.


NewVicAuditorium2.jpg


(image taken from google)


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Ojay

Admin
Staff member
Admin
Nice to see some update from here, been a good number of years since any of us set foot in here now, appears they have ripped loads out too.

What they even doing with this place these days's as all previous plans have ended up dead in the water ? @Squirrell 911
 

UrbanDoll

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Nice to see some update from here, been a good number of years since any of us set foot in here now, appears they have ripped loads out too.

What they even doing with this place these days's as all previous plans have ended up dead in the water ? @Squirrell 911

They’ve ripped out the 2 cinemas they built and I’m pretty sure they’re trying to make it a heritage site?

Last time I drove past was about 6 months ago and there was workers on site
 

Ojay

Admin
Staff member
Admin
They’ve ripped out the 2 cinemas they built and I’m pretty sure they’re trying to make it a heritage site?

Last time I drove past was about 6 months ago and there was workers on site

Yeah they have been saying for years they are going to re-purpose it, but other than hoarding and scaffold for almost the last decade and some 'stripping out' more recently, bugger all useful has materialised
 

UrbanDoll

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Considering how much original plasterwork was hidden behind the later additions its disappointing to see it pretty much a shell. Might as well not bother saving it now the hidden elements of the interior have been ripped out!

Upon closer look, it appears the building has just decayed behind the plaster. At first I assumed the builders had pulled parts down, but now I believe it’s just an unfortunate case of not looking after the building properly , just covering it up
 

HughieD

28DL Regular User
Regular User
Some great pics there, especally that 2nd one. Looks like they've ripped loads out sadly.
 

Speed

Got Epic?
Regular User
Considering how much original plasterwork was hidden behind the later additions its disappointing to see it pretty much a shell. Might as well not bother saving it now the hidden elements of the interior have been ripped out!

They've kept everything we saw!
 

Calamity Jane

i see beauty in the unloved, places & things
Regular User
Still makes for a nice report. Some great features still in there. looks like restoration is taking place, I do hope it does become a heritage site. Such a lovely build. :thumb
 

tumbles

Drama Queen
Staff member
Moderator
Yeah they have been saying for years they are going to re-purpose it, but other than hoarding and scaffold for almost the last decade and some 'stripping out' more recently, bugger all useful has materialised

The Bradford Live project has been going for at least 5-6 years now. It's all fully funded and granted planning permission back in March. They've been working to strip it back to its original layout for last 12 months and also making it completely watertight - have replaced everything including the copper domes on the top etc. I think its due to open in 2022 something like that, has operator to run it and everything

 

host

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Greet update mate. We missed the dance hall when we went some years ago. What a noob.
 

tumbles

Drama Queen
Staff member
Moderator
Cheers. The place is a right maze so it doesn’t surprise me that you missed it haha

Great pics btw, far better than BORG/Bradford Live put up recently when the stripping back to original layout finished!
 

UrbanDoll

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Great pics btw, far better than BORG/Bradford Live put up recently when the stripping back to original layout finished!

Thank you, it was hard to shoot as it was pitch black in places and the main hall sucked all the light out.
 
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