Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

A Peek Inside the New Everyman (ex-Odeon) in Muswell Hill

The old Odeon in Muswell Hill was recently bought by Everyman along with three other London cinemas. They've started the process of uncovering the art-deco at the cinema and things are looking good. I'm really looking forward to seeking it when its finished. The original hard floor in the foyer (above) when they've got rid of the old glue and given it a polish should look spectacular. I hope my phone picture does it justice.

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Permalink Reply by Maddy on August 16, 2015 at 14:00

Went a couple of weeks ago - really nice feel, no popcorn crunching underfoot, more art-housey altogether. Particularly like the entrance which is far less cavernous and confusing. The Everyman now own all the 'Screens' as well, so they are becoming something of a force in London cinema.

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Permalink Reply by Colin Marr on August 16, 2015 at 16:26

Yes, Art Deco at its best and thank you Hugh for an impressive photo of the interior. Here’s a photo from the RIBA collection of how the cinema looked in 1937, complete with its illuminated neon ODEON sign.

This building is well recognised as an attractive and important feature in the otherwise mostly Edwardian shopping parades of Muswell Hill Broadway. It is part of the public face and character of Muswell Hill.

The building was listed by English Heritage in 1984 and rated II*, which is the second highest possible grade. The listing description comments on the Art Deco façade (“with the name ODEON in neon affixed to the parapet”) as being restrained in contrast to the most elaborate interior of any Odeon cinema to survive – it goes on to say the result here is “an elegant design of unusual imagination and crispness”.

The whole point of a building being listed is to put limitations on what can and can’t be done by way of alterations to the exterior and interior, and for Grade II* this is a serious matter. Listed Building Consent is required for almost any change to the appearance of the building, but as far as I can find out, no application has yet been made to Haringey Planning for this consent. It is perhaps worrying that some unauthorised changes have already been made including removal of the ODEON sign from the façade and some of what was left of the neon lighting.

While there is every reason to think that the new owners (Everyman) will want to do the right thing for this important building, and Hugh’s photo suggests they have the right approach, they should be encouraged to follow the proper procedure and submit their plans for listed building consent. I will be particularly interested to see how they propose to treat the front elevation, which is very much the public face of a much loved building.

Here’s a photo of how it looked in recent years.