The plans for the Odeon were passed in Council in June of 1936 and the cinema was built in on waste ground between the railway and Gurney's Brook, opening its doors for the first time in May 1938. 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. It differed from most of the other cinemas in the respect that it held a youngsters' Saturday morning film club for many years. In the early 1960s it added fairly popular bingo sessions on Sunday afternoons. It closed in October 1975, and was converted to a nightclub and opened as Busby's in 1976. It subsequently was revamped and renamed Millionaire's in the 1980s and became The British Embassy in 1996. Its' last incarnation as a club was called Liquid & Envy.
The builders were Robert McAlpine & Son.
The first film shown followed the opening ceremony and starred Edmund Lowe in 'The Squeaker'
source: redhill-reigate-history.co.uk
The building's stripped out, internally. Pleasingly its 1930s heritage is still obvious. I actually enjoyed having a mooch around here, and there's some surprising finds to be had, even after all this time - hopefully you won't think it too much of a gash dump.
I had a recce around the back, but was quickly pinged by a curtain-twitcher in the youth club next door; never mind - I'd already clocked my way in.
Round the front it was to be then - as has been discussed before in leads and rumours, it's in a very busy spot, so you just have to be brazen.
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