History
The Odeon first opened its doors in 1938 on the 21st of February. The architect behind this Art Deco piece was a man called Harry Weedo who assisted in creating this particular style being typical of the Odeon Theatre chain's buildings at the time. With 1526 seats in total this theatre was a big step for creating the town of Chorley into what it is today, although it supposedly had an uneventful life closing in 1971 it definitely had an impact. After speaking to relatives they all have fond memories about the theatre but none have any interest in bingo; of which became the second and last use for the building. 1973 9th of August - Tudor Bingo Club purchased the building of which later was passed on to Gala Bingo (renamed to Buzz Bingo) of which announced its closedown on the 15th July due to Covid-19.
I particularly like this old photo of when the theatre initially closed displaying the old style cars parked out front.
The Explore
The exploration took place back in the days of The Excursionists (@jtza). Keeping tabs on the building after finding out about its closure it took a few months before a potential entrance became a success. On my first visit with @jtza, after an interesting tightrope entrance we continued to set off sensors and wave at live cameras as we started to explore the bingo converted theatre for all its glory. I then later returned with @UrbandonedTeam and @DustySensorPhotography to start off a night or exploring various locations.
Photos of the main hall.
With power still surging through the place the limited light painting was required but still required longer exposure times.
Low iso film shot making the Excursionists look like they belong in 1938.
Heading around to the front entrance where at all times about 30 cameras would be tracking your every move.
Back in a staff only area, prizes still awaited a winner.
Upstairs in the empty projector room.
Last of all we headed to the roof.
Looking over to a nearby church.
A nice shot looking over the library
Chorley's eventful high street.
Thank you for reading.
The Odeon first opened its doors in 1938 on the 21st of February. The architect behind this Art Deco piece was a man called Harry Weedo who assisted in creating this particular style being typical of the Odeon Theatre chain's buildings at the time. With 1526 seats in total this theatre was a big step for creating the town of Chorley into what it is today, although it supposedly had an uneventful life closing in 1971 it definitely had an impact. After speaking to relatives they all have fond memories about the theatre but none have any interest in bingo; of which became the second and last use for the building. 1973 9th of August - Tudor Bingo Club purchased the building of which later was passed on to Gala Bingo (renamed to Buzz Bingo) of which announced its closedown on the 15th July due to Covid-19.
I particularly like this old photo of when the theatre initially closed displaying the old style cars parked out front.
The Explore
The exploration took place back in the days of The Excursionists (@jtza). Keeping tabs on the building after finding out about its closure it took a few months before a potential entrance became a success. On my first visit with @jtza, after an interesting tightrope entrance we continued to set off sensors and wave at live cameras as we started to explore the bingo converted theatre for all its glory. I then later returned with @UrbandonedTeam and @DustySensorPhotography to start off a night or exploring various locations.
Photos of the main hall.
With power still surging through the place the limited light painting was required but still required longer exposure times.
Low iso film shot making the Excursionists look like they belong in 1938.
Heading around to the front entrance where at all times about 30 cameras would be tracking your every move.
Back in a staff only area, prizes still awaited a winner.
Upstairs in the empty projector room.
Last of all we headed to the roof.
Looking over to a nearby church.
A nice shot looking over the library
Chorley's eventful high street.
Thank you for reading.