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Regal/Gaumont/Odeon, The Broadway,
Wimbledon. SW19 1QG
Between Southey Road, and Palmerston Road, and directly opposite Stanley Road
Designed by Robert Cromie
Built for the County Cinemas circuit
But the interior design was the work of Eugene Mollo and Michael Egan
Opened November 20th 1933 as the Regal
The films shown were "California Trail" and " Bitter Sweet"
The Regal was built as one of the outer London Super Cinemas and seated 2000
It had a Conacher organ, broken up and removed 1958, and a fully equipped stage,
and many famous actors appeared there
The Regal was renamed the Gaumont in 1949 and renamed again as the Odeon
on September 9th 1962 when the existing Odeon in the town closed
(See 'More Wimbledon Cinemas')
It had a cafe under the circle becoming, in time, a Victor Sylvester dancing school, and then the cinema bar
Was the first Odeon to be tripled on 5th November 1972
The circle became Odeon 1, (702 seats), and Odeons 2 (left side, seating 218) & 3 (right side, seating 130) took up half the old stalls space
The first films shown as a triple were:-
Odeon 1 "Deliverance"
Odeon 2 "Fantasia"
Odeon 3 "Under Milk Wood" and "Charlie Bubbles"
Screens 2 and 3 closed for enlargement 6th January 1979, and reopened 8th April 1979
Two more screens added 1991
One in the bar area, and one in the old front stalls area with the screen placed on the original stage
The screens were now renumbered as:-
Odeon 1..........The old circle. 662 seats
Odeon 2..............The old bar. 91 seats
Odeon 3..........Right side of old stalls space. 190 seats
Odeon 4............Left side of old stalls space. 174 seats
Odeon 5..........Old front stalls & part of original stage area. 226 seats
The cinema front was used for the opening credits for the T.V. series "Goodnight Sweetheart"
It has also been glimpsed numerous times in "The Bill" as this is shot in Wimbledon, and surrounding area
The cinema closed on December 1st 2002 when a new 12 screen Odeon opened in the town centre
For Stage Size Details 1933 Click HERE
For Technical details when this cinema closed click HERE
Please click on photo for larger view
Photographs taken between 1989 to 2002 unless otherwise stated
 Regal Wimbledon
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 Odeon Wimbledon 1970 & 2000
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 A change of colour
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 Architects Name plate
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 Glass measure
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 Safety Curtain
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 Foyer 1990
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 Cash desk 1992
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 Kiosk 1992
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 Foyer February 2001
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 Bar area
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 Odeon 1 Auditorium 1990
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 Odeon 1 2000
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 Construction of Odeon 2
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 Odeon 2 2000
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 Odeon 3 2000
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 Odeon 4 2000
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 Odeon 5 2000
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 No 1 Box
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 No 1 Box again
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 No 2 Box
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 No 3 Box
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 No 4 Box
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 No 5 Box
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 Heating Boilers
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 Secondary lighting batteries
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 Plenum fan
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 Stage Gridfloor
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 Kiss me Kate stage show 1963
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 Odeon box plan
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 Seating Plan 1936
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 Last films shown
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Please click on photo for larger view