Richmond (Surrey) is a town by the River Thames in South West London.

At one time Richmond had 3 large single screen cinemas.

The Ritz, (in Sheen Road). The Gaumont, and the Odeon, Hill Street, only the Odeon survives today from these three.

There was also a popular ice rink just over the river, and the town had 2 dance halls within the Palm Court and the Castle hotels.

The Odeon replaced an earlier cinema which was on almost the same site, you could at one time see the old projection portholes from that cinema by going to the back of the Odeon as the earlier cinema was part demolished and the old auditorium for many years was a car park.

The Odeon was part of a circuit of cinemas that were owned by Joseph Mears. He used to run pleasure boat cruises on the River Thames at Richmond, and expanded into the cinema business. He had built and owned the Odeon East Sheen, Whitton Odeon (Ritz), Gaumont Twickenham (Queens) as well as the Richmond cinema (Odeon). The cinemas would show glass slides advertising his river boat services.

I worked at the Odeon from 1962 to 1964 and also did a few nights at the Gaumont and visited the Ritz as one of our projectionists (Henry) went to work there. We had some good times at the Odeon, in those days there were 5 people working in the box, the Chief, then the 2nd 3rd 4th and rewind boy! Films in those days were shown on 2000ft spools and 2 projectors would be used as each spool would run for about 20 minutes, the the film would be shown reel 1 reel 2
etc. and the projectors would "changeover" for each part, hopeful the audience would be unaware of this happening, but often the colour, light, focus and sound might be different from one reel to the next. In those days carbon arcs were used as the light source and these had 2 carbon rods burning, if the gap between the rods where the arc formed was too wide the light would go a bluish tint, and if the carbons got too close together and the gap became small a brownish light would appear. This would be particularly noticeable on Black and white films, which many were in those days

There was a coke boiler house, and a boilerman- although the projectionists would go and give the boilers a stoke before going home at night and leave them on slow burn overnight if the weather was extra cold. Commissionaires, doormen and a Chief of Staff, a Manager who would wear evening dress and even long tails after about 6pm. Ice cream sales girls who would "visit all parts" carrying trays of ice creams and soft drinks to the patrons while the trailers and advertisements were on, and also during the start of the 2nd feature- yes, you got 2 films for your admission in those days. These girls would be picked out with a carbon arc spotlight from the box during the intervals.( The performances ran continuously, not separate performances as today so patrons could enter and leave when they liked, assuming there was room. Of course there were also usherettes with their torches to check your ticket and show you to your seat.

First cinema to close (after the cinema that Odeon replaced) was the Ritz, which was an ABC cinema and had a Wurlitzer organ.
Each year at Christmas the Rotary Club would put on a Christmas Charity Concert, Roy Castle appeared one year, and the organ would be used for this event.
It was the last programme at the Ritz before it closed.

The Gaumont was given a refurbishment after the Ritz closed and a new large screen was fitted in front of the proscenium arch.
The Gaumont had a small circle the roof of which could be slid open in fine weather so films under the starts!After the Gaumont closed the town was left with just the Odeon, this cinema was then divided into 3 screens, one in the circle and 2 in the stalls.
Later a new single screen cinema opened on part of the site of the old Gaumont, and then Odeon opened more screens in a building not far from the existing Odeon, so the town again has 3 cinema buildings

There is also a traditional theatre (stalls, circle and gallery) in Richmond designed by Frank Matcham-Richmond Theatre, and a theatre-in-the-round built in a converted school -The Orange Tree Theatre.

The Richmond Odeon when a Royal Premiere was held there, the film is "Crime and Misdoneamers"

The Odeon sign is now blue, the shop at the bottom right of Odeon is now part of cinema.