Odeon Kensington

263 High Street,
London, W8 6NA

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Showing 1 - 25 of 28 comments

Joshua Bilmes
Joshua Bilmes on March 8, 2024 at 10:18 am

they been building away! Added photo of what’s there now.

d8rren
d8rren on January 4, 2022 at 5:50 pm

the facade has now been demolished

rivest266
rivest266 on May 29, 2021 at 11:10 am

Grand opening ad as Kensington from January 1st, 1926 posted.

rivest266
rivest266 on May 21, 2021 at 5:07 pm

April 23rd, 1976 grand opening ad posted.

Ken Roe
Ken Roe on September 20, 2018 at 7:30 am

It’s been 3 years since the Odeon Kensington closed and now over 18 months since it was demolished and the site is still an empty lot, with no sign of any construction beginning. The facade stands deteriorating, shored up with scaffold.

Ian
Ian on October 12, 2016 at 2:16 am

Demolition now underway – some photos from October 2016:–

FACADE

SIDE VIEW

Buffer
Buffer on August 27, 2015 at 11:48 am

Final closure was due on Monday 31st August, staff told me on a visit on 27th. This was the day a petitions to save the building was handed in at the Dept of Culture, Media and Sport, containing over 25,000 signatures from the 38 Group.

Paul Stephenson
Paul Stephenson on July 24, 2015 at 1:34 pm

A further article in tonight’s Evening Standard newspaper commenting on the changing scene for London’s cinemas including this one.

Evening Standard comment

Paul Stephenson
Paul Stephenson on July 22, 2015 at 12:59 pm

Oh dear, the local council have approved the redevelopment plans, with the cinema likely to close on 11 September 2015 for demolition, and replacement by flats and a basement cinema operated by Picturehouse in 2018..

Evening Standard article

FanaticalAboutOdeon
FanaticalAboutOdeon on May 4, 2013 at 4:15 pm

The curtains are blue (though partly lit magenta) and yes, blue is the circuit colour for screen curtains. The Odeon, Leicester Square has blue satin screen curtains and silver satin house curtains but in the majority of Odeons, curtains are no longer used, the screens simply having a blue LED surround which definitely is not a “good look”!

woody
woody on March 4, 2009 at 6:12 am

photo of the frontage and box office at dusk september 2008
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/3327694647/

Sapho
Sapho on January 2, 2009 at 6:02 pm

I love this cinema, such great memories of skiving school and spending warm comfy afternoons here. I saw so many great movies here in the late 80s (before I got to ten), and I even enjoyed going here through the 90s. I live in East London, so it is hard to get there, and in spite of it being turned into a Multiplex, I love this building, it has such great atmosphere, and if they demolish this it will be a very sad day indeed.

JohnHolloway
JohnHolloway on September 12, 2008 at 5:35 am

HowardBHaas’s photo of the curtain brings back memories of my visit to London last year when I caught a movie at the Tottenham Court Road Odeon. One can only guess that these purple house tabs are now the Odeon “style”. Auditorium at Tottenham Court was pitch black save for a spotlight centred on the curtain (as above). NOT a good look.

SethLewis
SethLewis on August 2, 2008 at 11:15 am

Add to the above A History of Violence, Reign of Fire (running out every few minutes to negociate a job offer), Bedazzled, The Life Aquatic

SethLewis
SethLewis on August 2, 2008 at 2:44 am

Am fully expecting that this theater will be demolished and replaced with residential sooner than later…the good news is that the internal / underground screens that Odeon has created aren’t the worst and that in x years a modern 5 screener will be better than the 1 great 2 ok 2 frankly small screens we’ve got now will be an improvement…Some fun times over the years here from Breaking Away with my mom in 1980 when it was a 4 screener to Silence of the Lambs and Sleeping with the Enemy and 4 Weddings in the big screen in the 90s to The Departed last year (Nigel Havers and I in a tizzy for the length of the queue), Fun with Dick and Jane, a preview of Moulin Rouge, and in smaller screens In Her Shoes, Adaptation, Black Hawk Down and despite my respect for Anthony Minghella Cold Mountain which I found endless…always a pretty well run moviegoing experience

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas on March 1, 2008 at 6:06 am

1999 Time Out (count about the same in more recent versions) of Time Out London says 520 seats in Aud 1; 2: 66, 3: 91, 4: 265, 5:171, 6: 204 and that (in 1999)screens 2 & 3 were air conditioned.

How was the theater divided up, in terms of which screens were placed in Stalls and in Circle and anywhere else? Where’s the 520 seat auditorium & what’s it like? (how big is the screen)

porterfaulkner
porterfaulkner on March 1, 2008 at 12:42 am

The local council have approved demolition imminently but retention of the facade. This in spite of there being whole sections of the theatre in their original state. These are mostly out of view to public or behind modern walls.This is a great loss for the community, a complete turnaround by Odeon who were recently premiereing films here as an alternative to Leicester Square.It was always considered by Odeon as one of the prestige venues.

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas on January 1, 2008 at 9:16 am

Those last 2 photos show ornate, original details. Shame if the interior is going to be demolished!

Ian
Ian on January 1, 2008 at 9:00 am

More pictures taken in 1988 (mainly interiors) here:–

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HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas on August 21, 2007 at 3:51 pm

This website says the theater has been sold for redevelopment:
http://users.aber.ac.uk/jwp/cinemas/cinlondon.html

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas on April 21, 2007 at 7:06 am

My exterior photo taken this month:
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