Kettering Odeon Lego model tribute to cinema set to be demolished next year

Rob Smith created the model of the eight-screen complex after he heard that it was due to be bulldozed by developers next year.

It’s Mr Smith’s fourth Lego creation paying tribute to places in the county – he has already used the famous plastic bricks to build Greyfriars Bus Station and Cineworld in Northampton as well as the iconic water chute ride at Wicksteed Park.

Rob, 39, from Daventry, works in the health sector and has been building Lego for about 20 years.

He said: “I chose the Odeon because I heard the sad news that it was closing down in January 2025. I had built the Cineworld at Sixfields, but that was in a different scale, so decided to build a larger version based on the design of the Odeon in Kettering.

“It’s a special place for me. I went numerous times after it opened in 1997 with my late father. I remember watching Tomorrow Never Dies, the Matrix, the first Harry Potter films there."

Rob has included his favourite films in his design with Jurassic Park, The Mummy Returns and Scream 3 all taking a starring role.

He said: “They are all films that I'm personally fond of so felt it appropriate to have the film posters in the cinema.”

Details include a hapless customer dropping popcorn onto the foyer floor, bricks containing famous movie quotes and cinema-style lighting.

Rob said: “The trickiest bit to do was the the lighting, trying to make sure it worked properly and shone through as I wanted it to do without causing a distraction was tricky. But happy I am with the end result.

“I like 90s architecture, it is often ignored and yes it is relatively simple and straightforward in design but it has a certain charm and I think it's a real sadness that it'll be going so I wanted to immortalise it."

Next project for Rob is a museum to add to his ever-growing collection that is ‘way too much to count’.

It looks like the model will last longer than the real Kettering Odeon.

He added: “Most of the models are kept in plastic boxes to keep them free of dust, it is rare for a model to be disassembled if a building is going to be disassembled it'll be kept for about a year usually.”

You can see Rob’s Lego builds on Instagram @chucklesbricks.