Closed cinemas in Kingston upon Hull
Encyclopedia
British History Online has published a comprehensive listing of the first 'cinemas' in Hull, which were created by converting many existing buildings (as well as the purpose-built cinemas listed in this article).
The first purpose-built cinema in Kingston upon Hull was the Prince's Hall which was opened in George Street in 1910 (renamed the Curzon 1955). This form of entertainment became popular and, by 1914, there were 29 cinemas and halls showing films in the city.
The shells of old picture houses still lie around Kingston upon Hull
. Their scale, architecture and detail hint at their former grandeur. Hull's former picture houses tell a tale of a bygone age, when once or twice a week people would forego their daily lives for a few hours of opulence, glamour and escapism.
As befits the birthplace of the Rank movie organisation's founders, Hull embraced the new age of public entertainment. Luxurious cinemas, taking their inspiration from music hall theatres, were built to accommodate audiences in almost every neighbourhood in the city.
(ABC) on 8 November 1937. In 1989, amid talks of closure the ABC was renamed Cannon, before finally closing 29 June 1989. The building was demolished in 2004, to make way for the St Stephens
development. The other three ABC cinemas - the Royalty, Rex and Regis - were built in 1935 for City and Suburban Cinemas (Hull) Ltd., before being acquired by the larger national company.
Anlaby Road
had the Cecil, there was the Tower (built 1914) and, opposite, the Regent (built 1910 as Kinemacolour Palace; renamed 1919); further out was the Carlton (built 1928).
Anlaby Road was also home to a short lived open air cinema. The Garden Cinema lasted just four months, between July and October 1912. Managed by Arthur Graham, it was situated on open land to the west of the Emigrants Station. The Pavilion Picture Palace opened on the same site in the summer of 1915. It closed in 1917.
The original Cecil opened in 1911 on a site on the opposite side of the road to the present Cecil and was called the Theatre De Luxe, being renamed Cecil in 1925. That theatre was destroyed during a night of air raids on 8 May 1941 but the remains were not cleared until 1953. Work on the new Cecil was begun in April 1955 and it was opened on 28 November 1955 with 1374 seats in the stalls and 678 in the balcony. The cinema operation was closed on 26 March 1992. Part of the building is currently used for bingo.
Heading east, there were no cinemas on Hedon Road, although there had been the short-lived Picture Palace of 1912-1914.
On George Street were the Dorchester (renamed from the Grand in 1935); Princes Hall/Curzon and the Majestic (built 1915), which was renamed the Criterion after renovation in 1935. (The lions which originally guarded the approach steps to the cinema are now in Hornsea Memorial Gardens), Continuing on to Witham, there was the Gaumont (renamed from the Holderness Hall 1950). On Holderness Road there was the Savoy (built 1923); off on Southcoates Lane was the ABC Royalty; further out on Holderness Road was the Astoria and on Bilton Grange's Greenwich Road, stood the Berkeley. which was opened in 1956.
The Astoria Cinema opened on 30 July 1934. Designed by architect James E. Adamson of London and Hull and constructed by Messrs Markwell, Holmes and Hayter Ltd. Seating was 1,000 in the stalls and 500 in the single balcony above which was a large saucer dome with concealed lighting. In 1935 it was taken over by the County Cinemas circuit, but returned to a independent operator a year later. It closed on 7 June 1963 and immediately reopened as the Astoria Bingo Club and continues to this day. Film composer, John Barry
, performed here in the late 1950s, leading his band The John Barry Seven
.
Cleveland Street had one cinema - the Cleveland, built 1914, damaged and re-opened 1941 and finally closed in 1960.
The Waterloo, of 1920 - 1959, was in Waterloo Street.
Beverley Road
had the Strand (built 1914, closed 1960 and demolished after a 1965 fire). The National had been opened as the Coliseum in 1912, renamed the Rialto in 1920, before finally becoming the National in 1960.(It took its name from the blitzed and destroyed National Picture Theatre on the opposite side of the road). The Mayfair was a cinema from 1929 to 1964; from 1965 it has been used as a bingo hall.
The Monica (built 1914) was on Newland Avenue, closing in 1961, and since 1965 has been the Piper Club. On North Hull Estate's Quadrant was the ABC Rex.
On Spring Bank West was a large cinema - the Priory, from 1938 to 1959, since used as retail premises.
The Londesborough was situated on Wenlock Street. Built in 1926, it closed in 1959.
The Langham was the first cinema reached when travelling west on Hessle Road. Built 1929, it was on the sites of both the Magnet (in West Dock Avenue) and the Hessle Road Picture Palace (both of 1912). Next reached was the Eureka of 1912, then ABC Regis and finally the Plaza at Hessle Square.
after London in the Second World War, suffering horrendous damage. With 86,715 buildings damaged and 95 percent of houses damaged or destroyed, Hull's cinemas did not escape this destruction.
During heavy raids on the night of 17/18 March 1941, the National Picture Theatre fell victim. At approximately 10 pm, the cinema suffered a direct hit to the rear of the auditorium from an air-borne-mine. This caused destruction to a large part of the building and the collapse of the roof. Fortunately the audience on that night, who had been enjoying Charlie Chaplin’s ‘The Great Dictator’, had heard the air-raid warning and gathered in the cinema’s foyer. Unable to safely leave the building, remarkably, the 150 people sheltering escaped with their lives.
The site has never been redeveloped and the remains of the building still stand. What is left now is a grand classical façade, behind which are the stark remains of the foyer, ticket booth, stairways and the rear section of the gallery. The site of the auditorium to the rear, which was reduced to rubble by the bombing, is still recognisable within the low remains of its walls. The ruins of the building provide a particularly good, clear and dramatic display of the effects of bomb-damage.
The National Picture Theatre is the last surviving ruin of a blitzed civilian building left standing in Britain. Due to its national significance, the site has been awarded grade II listed status by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, on the recommendation of English Heritage in 2007.
There is a campaign by the National Civilian WW2 Memorial Trust, to have the remains of the Cinema saved, as part of a home front tribute to all those who endured the Blitz in Britain from 1939 to 1945
The first purpose-built cinema in Kingston upon Hull was the Prince's Hall which was opened in George Street in 1910 (renamed the Curzon 1955). This form of entertainment became popular and, by 1914, there were 29 cinemas and halls showing films in the city.
The shells of old picture houses still lie around Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
. Their scale, architecture and detail hint at their former grandeur. Hull's former picture houses tell a tale of a bygone age, when once or twice a week people would forego their daily lives for a few hours of opulence, glamour and escapism.
As befits the birthplace of the Rank movie organisation's founders, Hull embraced the new age of public entertainment. Luxurious cinemas, taking their inspiration from music hall theatres, were built to accommodate audiences in almost every neighbourhood in the city.
Lost cinemas
By Paragon railway station stood the ABC Regal. Completed 6 weeks ahead of schedule and opening on 26 January 1934, the vast Regal Cinema with 2,553 seats in stalls and single balcony, was the centrepiece of a £95,000 development mixing leisure, retail and office units. Three years after opening it was acquired by Associated British CinemasAssociated British Cinemas
ABC Cinemas was a cinema chain in the United Kingdom. A wholly owned subsidiary of Associated British Picture Corporation , it operated between the 1930s and the late 1960s...
(ABC) on 8 November 1937. In 1989, amid talks of closure the ABC was renamed Cannon, before finally closing 29 June 1989. The building was demolished in 2004, to make way for the St Stephens
St. Stephen's Hull
St. Stephen's shopping centre, Hull opened on 20 September 2007 and today it attracts more than 10 million visitors a year. The shopping centre is a brownfield site development in the city centre of Kingston upon Hull, England. It cost £200 million to build and was a key development in the...
development. The other three ABC cinemas - the Royalty, Rex and Regis - were built in 1935 for City and Suburban Cinemas (Hull) Ltd., before being acquired by the larger national company.
Anlaby Road
Anlaby Road, Hull
Anlaby Road is a major arterial road and residential district in west Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire in the north of England. It runs west from the city centre to the city boundary, designated A1105 to its junction with Boothferry Road and then B1231 from there to the city boundary.Anlaby Road is...
had the Cecil, there was the Tower (built 1914) and, opposite, the Regent (built 1910 as Kinemacolour Palace; renamed 1919); further out was the Carlton (built 1928).
Anlaby Road was also home to a short lived open air cinema. The Garden Cinema lasted just four months, between July and October 1912. Managed by Arthur Graham, it was situated on open land to the west of the Emigrants Station. The Pavilion Picture Palace opened on the same site in the summer of 1915. It closed in 1917.
The original Cecil opened in 1911 on a site on the opposite side of the road to the present Cecil and was called the Theatre De Luxe, being renamed Cecil in 1925. That theatre was destroyed during a night of air raids on 8 May 1941 but the remains were not cleared until 1953. Work on the new Cecil was begun in April 1955 and it was opened on 28 November 1955 with 1374 seats in the stalls and 678 in the balcony. The cinema operation was closed on 26 March 1992. Part of the building is currently used for bingo.
Heading east, there were no cinemas on Hedon Road, although there had been the short-lived Picture Palace of 1912-1914.
On George Street were the Dorchester (renamed from the Grand in 1935); Princes Hall/Curzon and the Majestic (built 1915), which was renamed the Criterion after renovation in 1935. (The lions which originally guarded the approach steps to the cinema are now in Hornsea Memorial Gardens), Continuing on to Witham, there was the Gaumont (renamed from the Holderness Hall 1950). On Holderness Road there was the Savoy (built 1923); off on Southcoates Lane was the ABC Royalty; further out on Holderness Road was the Astoria and on Bilton Grange's Greenwich Road, stood the Berkeley. which was opened in 1956.
The Astoria Cinema opened on 30 July 1934. Designed by architect James E. Adamson of London and Hull and constructed by Messrs Markwell, Holmes and Hayter Ltd. Seating was 1,000 in the stalls and 500 in the single balcony above which was a large saucer dome with concealed lighting. In 1935 it was taken over by the County Cinemas circuit, but returned to a independent operator a year later. It closed on 7 June 1963 and immediately reopened as the Astoria Bingo Club and continues to this day. Film composer, John Barry
John Barry (composer)
John Barry Prendergast, OBE was an English conductor and composer of film music. He is best known for composing the soundtracks for 12 of the James Bond films between 1962 and 1987...
, performed here in the late 1950s, leading his band The John Barry Seven
The John Barry Seven
The John Barry Seven was a band formed by John Barry in 1957, after he abandoned his original career path of arranging for big bands.-Origins:...
.
Cleveland Street had one cinema - the Cleveland, built 1914, damaged and re-opened 1941 and finally closed in 1960.
The Waterloo, of 1920 - 1959, was in Waterloo Street.
Beverley Road
Beverley Road
Beverley Road is one of several major roads that run out of the city of Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It runs North from Hull city centre and carries the designation of A1079. Upon leaving the city boundaries, Beverley Road continues north towards the town of Beverley becoming the...
had the Strand (built 1914, closed 1960 and demolished after a 1965 fire). The National had been opened as the Coliseum in 1912, renamed the Rialto in 1920, before finally becoming the National in 1960.(It took its name from the blitzed and destroyed National Picture Theatre on the opposite side of the road). The Mayfair was a cinema from 1929 to 1964; from 1965 it has been used as a bingo hall.
The Monica (built 1914) was on Newland Avenue, closing in 1961, and since 1965 has been the Piper Club. On North Hull Estate's Quadrant was the ABC Rex.
On Spring Bank West was a large cinema - the Priory, from 1938 to 1959, since used as retail premises.
The Londesborough was situated on Wenlock Street. Built in 1926, it closed in 1959.
The Langham was the first cinema reached when travelling west on Hessle Road. Built 1929, it was on the sites of both the Magnet (in West Dock Avenue) and the Hessle Road Picture Palace (both of 1912). Next reached was the Eureka of 1912, then ABC Regis and finally the Plaza at Hessle Square.
The Hull blitz
Hull was the most heavily bombed British cityHull blitz
The Hull Blitz was the Nazi German strategic bombing campaign targeted on the Northern English port city of Kingston upon Hull, almost invariably referred to as Hull, during the Second World War...
after London in the Second World War, suffering horrendous damage. With 86,715 buildings damaged and 95 percent of houses damaged or destroyed, Hull's cinemas did not escape this destruction.
The National Picture Theatre
During heavy raids on the night of 17/18 March 1941, the National Picture Theatre fell victim. At approximately 10 pm, the cinema suffered a direct hit to the rear of the auditorium from an air-borne-mine. This caused destruction to a large part of the building and the collapse of the roof. Fortunately the audience on that night, who had been enjoying Charlie Chaplin’s ‘The Great Dictator’, had heard the air-raid warning and gathered in the cinema’s foyer. Unable to safely leave the building, remarkably, the 150 people sheltering escaped with their lives.
The site has never been redeveloped and the remains of the building still stand. What is left now is a grand classical façade, behind which are the stark remains of the foyer, ticket booth, stairways and the rear section of the gallery. The site of the auditorium to the rear, which was reduced to rubble by the bombing, is still recognisable within the low remains of its walls. The ruins of the building provide a particularly good, clear and dramatic display of the effects of bomb-damage.
The National Picture Theatre is the last surviving ruin of a blitzed civilian building left standing in Britain. Due to its national significance, the site has been awarded grade II listed status by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, on the recommendation of English Heritage in 2007.
There is a campaign by the National Civilian WW2 Memorial Trust, to have the remains of the Cinema saved, as part of a home front tribute to all those who endured the Blitz in Britain from 1939 to 1945