# Harlow Odeon - Jan 2011



## nelly (Jan 12, 2011)

This was the first new cinema to be built by Rank after WW II

It opened on 1st February 1960 with the film "Follow A Star" starring Norman wisdom and John Le Mesurier.

Designed by T.P.Bennet, it had 1244 seats on a single floor in a sloping stadium style and the projector was suspended above the rear stalls almost level to the screen

In June 1987 it closed and the rear stalls were converted into two smaller cinemas while the main cinema retained the original screen

The cinema struggled to compete with the new six screen multiplex which opened in 1990 and it finally closed its doors in August 2005


The Odeon 1961







and in 1974






_________________________________________________________________________

*Visited with Skeleton Key, thanks mate, another great explore!!!

I know that a few people have been in here but the old access point is now firmly and permanently sealed due to somebody leaving it in a right old state.

Access is now akin to a scene from "The Great Escape". Nuff said 

Oh and the power is now off, so my pics are flash only I'm afraid*











I liked this.......















God these ticket girls are ugly!!!!














































































































I'm begining to realise that no report is complete without a piano!!!






I made friends with cuddly Kenny Everett, yep!!!!










Sorry it was a little on the pic heavy side


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## skeleton key (Jan 12, 2011)

nelly,top man .
Youre pics are huge mate.
But youre hearts bigger, lol
Cheers 
SK


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## cuboard (Jan 12, 2011)

nice pics mate i want to go here so bad, my uncle was telling me in the eightys his best mate worked in the projection room and it still looks in pretty good shape!

nice one


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## BahrainPete (Jan 12, 2011)

I would mooch around in there for hours if I had the chance. A great place by the looks of it - thanks for sharing.


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## nelly (Jan 12, 2011)

cuboard said:


> nice pics mate i want to go here so bad, my uncle was telling me in the eightys his best mate worked in the projection room and it still looks in pretty good shape!
> 
> nice one



If I had known his name I could have checked his personnel file, they were all in there


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## rectory-rat (Jan 12, 2011)

Nice place and pics, I really must go there sometime 
Why are there so many pianos hanging around!!! 

-RR


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## bradleigh1977 (Jan 12, 2011)

brilliant again,...them kenny everet stickers...i remember it being 194!!!

Where did you get those first pictures---its the weirdest feeling ever, seeing nothing built next to it, yet the toer block in the background....that was one of my old haunts in the 90's....had a few birds in their.....LOL...

Brilliant, keep up the good work, any of you fancy doing copthall for me? i'd love to see that place again, aint been there for years, since i nearly got shot in the face...but thats another story!!!

Keep it up people


bradders


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## nelly (Jan 12, 2011)

bradleigh1977 said:


> brilliant again,...them kenny everet stickers...i remember it being 194!!!
> 
> Where did you get those first pictures---its the weirdest feeling ever, seeing nothing built next to it, yet the toer block in the background....that was one of my old haunts in the 90's....had a few birds in their.....LOL...
> 
> ...



Hi Bradders.

The first two photos are from my own collection, before I became addicted to this Urbex stuff I used to collect photos of Harlow. I suppose that I have around 1,700 of them dating from the late 1800's to today.

I'm not too sure on the status of Copped Hall at the moment, why do I think that it has been re-developed??


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## skeleton key (Jan 12, 2011)

Hi bradder hope your well mate 
I dId take peak there back in late october.
There were guys working on the place.
Looked like they were pumping stuff into the walls ?
But im sure we can take another look for you seeing as your away .
take care mate


SK


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## bradleigh1977 (Jan 12, 2011)

i heard that too, but being a builder, i know it would take 20 years to get it back to what it was, i had a book on what it looked like pre-fire. I was down visiting family a few weeks back, and always drive past it through work on the m25 ( as thats the only way in now, as rod has put gates up ).

just wondered about it thats all.

I also--if any ones interested--and if they are true--have some old ghosty stories of this place, to do with the "alleged" tunnels that go to waltham abbey from there--now i was born in 1977, and heard these stories, before i was interested in urbex..
bradleigh


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## skeleton key (Jan 12, 2011)

Sounds interesting mate 
PM it and scare nelly Lol

Hey the hall such a quality building.
At night it looks like a horror movie set.

SK


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## nelly (Jan 12, 2011)

skeleton key said:


> Sounds interesting mate
> PM it and scare nelly
> 
> SK



Oi!!!! You know I don't do tunnels!!!!


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## skeleton key (Jan 12, 2011)

Hey you did the other day mate and im proud of ya big man

SK 

the o


nelly1967 said:


> Oi!!!! You know I don't do tunnels!!!!


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## nelly (Jan 12, 2011)

This is true, but pants were shat!!!!


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## Potter (Jan 14, 2011)

Great work. Love the old Kenny Everett sticker.


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## gjrblt (Jan 14, 2011)

Great stuff! 

One thing which raised an eyebrow was 'Ethnic Origin' being on personnel files in 1996!


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## nelly (Jan 14, 2011)

gjrblt said:


> Great stuff!
> 
> One thing which raised an eyebrow was 'Ethnic Origin' being on personnel files in 1996!



I know, I had noticed it, we think that all of this "PC" shite is new, but we have had it for years!!!


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## bradleigh1977 (Jan 14, 2011)

nelly, i sent skeleton key a pm about a place to go to, get him to check his messages.....



bradleigh


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## nelly (Jan 14, 2011)

I think he may have had a busy night last night as he didn't answer a PM from me either. ill bell him later and check he is still alive


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## TiJayLFS (Jan 15, 2011)

Always good to see more pics of this old place!


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## sidsabbath (Jan 21, 2011)

Lovely report. This looks like a really interesting splore. Great pics


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