In 2011 Coventry University re-opened the now prestigious Ellen Terry Building – the revamped School of Art and Design.
The school opened on the 22nd November, showcasing over £450,000 worth of new specialised equipment. The University initially took over the building, which in 1998 was an old cinema, before refurbishing and developing it into the multi-media learning environment it is today. As part of its development, the building was renamed the ‘Ellen Terry Arts and Media Building’ after leading Shakespearian actress and Coventrian Dame Ellen Terry.
Coventry University have produced this illuminating article about the buildings previous life as the glamorous Gaumont Palace; a 2,500+ seat cinema complex including a ballroom, theatrical stage, grand organ and opulent restaurant. The Palace opened in 1931, running as the city’s largest entertainment venue until it was seriously damaged in WWII. The bombing completely destroyed the ballroom and forced the Palace to close. After extensive repairs the Palace reopened as a cinema, eventually being taken over by Odeon cinemas, before closing in 1999 after the Coventry Skydome complex was built. Coventry University have since owned and developed the site.
As a Coventry child, I have vivid memories of the Odeon cinema: I remember how the film titles used to appear over the entrance overnight. Each black plastic letter clipped onto the cladding to spell out the film title, and how one or two letters would often fallen off, making seemingly inconspicuous films sound very suspect – if only we’d had camera phones and Twitter back then! My earliest memory is going to see Beauty and the Beast in 1991; I was five years old and completely entranced by the moving screen before me. My last memory of the Odeon is in 1997, when my eleven-year-old friends and I had to pretend we were twelve to see Titanic. It was shown on the largest screen, a 716-seat theatre, filled with hundreds of crying teenagers desperate for Leo to survive. I’ve never since sat in such a huge cinema audience, or witnessed the same amount of emotion and drama caused by a film – although Les Misérables did come close…
The fascinating photomontage below provides an incredible insight into the glamorous life of the Gaumont Palace in its heyday. It includes glimpses of many original features that are still visible today; the Art Deco mouldings, the restaurant – which many students will recognise as room ET101 – and of course, that unmistakable dome which once held a majestic chandelier.
Do you hold any fond memories of this artistic building, or of any other Coventry City landmarks? Let us know in the comments section below!
