Hull cinema reopens as memorial after WWII bombing
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Hull City Council will reopen the National Picture Theatre in England on September 16th as a memorial garden and history centre after an 85-year dereliction.
The cinema sustained heavy damage during a German air raid on March 17, 1941, while 150 patrons watched a film. Though the building suffered extensive damage, those inside survived thanks to structural beams that prevented a total collapse.
The council has designated the site as the last remaining civilian building in the UK damaged by bombing during the Second World War. Restoration efforts began in 2020, and workers used original materials and traditional building methods to preserve the historic facade and rebuild supporting structures. They installed a new steel beam and used reclaimed bricks from other buildings in Hull.
Funding for the project came from several sources including Hull City Council, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and the National Civilian World War II Memorial Trust. The restored space will serve as both an educational facility and a place for community events and remembrance, honouring the roughly 1,200 people killed and 3,000 injured during bombing raids on Hull.
