SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I have just found out about the old Odeon cinema in the Merrion Centre and the fact that it remains untouched since the last showing of Gone With The Wind in 1977. I know that I may be asking the impossible- but does anyone know if any tours still run inside? I have checked out the Heritage Days website to no avail!Thanks

hi...there's one or two threads about this on SL already but you need to hunt a bit. possibly under 'days out'?sadly its been ripped out now and noone has any idea what TCS (the merrion centre bods) are going to do with the space

see http://www.secretleeds.com/forum/Messag ... Light=1and also http://www.flickr.com/photos/rikj/sets/ ... 550990196/

I was up there this afternoon trying to look for it on the balcony and I saw the sign for the Car Park and looked a little....Where exactly is it?Thanks

Just before the car park, there are some doors. These are the doors to the cinema. Also where the cash machines are to the right of Woolies used to be an entrance. they blocked it off and put the cash machines there instread.In fact if you look closeley two of the cash machines are look more "suited" to being there and are close together. These ate the two that were added. I think that there are some doors there to get to the back of them. Go upstairs again and then the first window you get to look in. These steps are the ones that lead to behind the cash machines.

If you work it out, the red highlighted area is the cinema. Its quite a big area really when you look at it in the scale of the merrion centre.Don't forget, at one time this part of the centre was uncovered and the entry to the cinema was in the open air.

try these links for some info re the mc odeonhttp://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?resourceIde ... html?1hope this is of some usePaul

Gubbsnask wrote: I have just found out about the old Odeon cinema in the Merrion Centre and the fact that it remains untouched since the last showing of Gone With The Wind in 1977. I know that I may be asking the impossible- but does anyone know if any tours still run inside? I have checked out the Heritage Days website to no avail!Thanks WHAT a shame - a couple of years ago it was open on Heritage Day - I had a very nostalgic hour in there looking around - it is actually largely intact, apart from all the seats are gone, and the beautiful full depth orange drapes, carpets, and the screen are still there. I took some photos (poor because of the lack of lighting) and will try to find and put them on when I havee time.

i cant believe i never knew there was a cinema in there, i must have, but just forgot, it closed the year i was born, i think i remember the doors before they put the wall there and i must have just thought it was office space or something anyway it seems tailor made space for a night club, im suprised to hear its been closed up all this time and never renovated, does anyone know why? is there a problem with the space so that no one has ever done anything with it and also forgive my ignorance, but when was that section of the merrion centre covered its always been that way in my life time ( as far as i can remember) so can ayone tell me when the roof was put on

Here's a picture circa 1965 when the Odeon was in use and outdoors. The shops on the lower level in the center of the pic are about where Superdrug is now. Morrisons would be out of shot to the lower right hand corner.