25/09/2026
In June the Mecca Bingo in Kingstanding closed its doors for the last time. Estate agents Siddall Jones set midday today as the deadline for ‘best and final’ offers on this ‘substantial leisure premises’, occupying a prominent position on the area’s main roundabout.
Why is this a big deal? Because in its previous incarnation the building was the Odeon Kingstanding, a flagship venue in Oscar Deutsch’s rapidly expanding cinema circuit. Not only was Deutsch himself from Birmingham (the son of a Hungarian scrap merchant from Balsall Heath), but he commissioned Harry Weedon’s local practice to design many of his cinemas.
Throughout the 1930s Odeon developed a reputation for striking, streamlined buildings with a continental ‘moderne’ influence. As a 24 year-old architect fresh out of college, Cecil Clavering was given dimensions, seating capacity and budget for the proposed Kingstanding cinema, and had a fairly free hand when developing the plans. ‘I designed the thing first because it looked pretty, and then had to figure out how the hell to construct it.’
Opened in 1935 as the housing estate around it was still taking shape, the neon fins and faience tiling of the Odeon Kingstanding created a huge visual impact. During a tour of the building a couple of weeks ago it was clear that locals are still deeply attached to the place. It was a bingo hall for over sixty years, and although many of the 1930s fittings are long gone Mecca were pretty good custodians and you can still get a sense of the original auditorium – particularly when you stand on the balcony, lined with original Odeon seats.
The building is Grade II listed, and the land is currently owned by Birmingham City Council. Whoever buys it will be responsible for a vital chapter in the history of cinema design.
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Odeon by night (John Maltby, 1935)
Flatpack Festival flyer (Dave Gaskarth, 2010)
Odeon Bus Tour (led by Chris Upton, 2010)
+ 3 pics of the interior from earlier this month
