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About ODEON Harrogate
There’s more to Harrogate than missing authors and Bettys Tea Room.
The ODEON cinema on East Parade is a premier example of Streamline Modernist architecture, designed by the Harry Weedon partnership with lead design by Cecil Clavering. Its bold geometric forms, sweeping curved frontage, vertical fins, and horizontal tile banding are quintessential hallmarks of ODEON’s golden age.
Opening on 28th September 1936, the cinema debuted with the British comedy Where's Sally? starring Claude Hulbert, alongside The Lone Wolf Returns starring Melvyn Douglas. Its original single auditorium seated 1,647 patrons, offering escapism and glamour during a transformative era.
Although the auditorium was subdivided in 1972 and again in 1989 to accommodate multiple screens, the exterior façade and tower have been meticulously preserved. Unlike the vast majority of 1930s picture palaces, it continues to operate as an ODEON to this day, making it a remarkably rare survivor still fulfilling its original purpose nearly a century later.
My illustration is a tribute to all who contributed to the building's story - from the architects and the original construction team to the local communities who have supported its preservation. This is probably my most accurate restoration to date. Thanks to Historic England’s archives, I was able to source original photographs taken near the end of construction and in the weeks following its grand opening, capturing every detail as Clavering and Weedon intended.
Name: ODEON Harrogate
Architect: Cecil Clavering
Opened: September 28th 1936
First Films: Where's Sally? & The Lone Wolf Returns
Original Capacity: 1,647
Style: Art Deco, Streamline Moderne
All prints are presented on Hahnemühle German etching Giclée paper. Frames are solid wood from sustainable sources, manufactured to high standards.
Sizes available:
A4 - 21×30cm, 8×12"
A3 - 30×42cm, 12×17"
A2 - 42×59cm, 17×23"
A1 - 59×84cm, 23×33"