Blitz-damaged Hull cinema's restoration to begin in 2024

Councillor Rob Pritchard said the work "will not only protect its future, but raise awareness of its significance"

A council has begun the search for a contractor to restore a derelict Grade II listed cinema which still bears the scars of a World War Two bombing raid.

The National Picture Theatre in Hull has been unused since it was badly damaged during the Blitz in 1941.

Hull City Council said it wants to turn the site into an educational facility and memorial area, while also restoring its period windows and signage.

Major works are scheduled to begin on the building in 2024.

Councillor Rob Pritchard, portfolio holder for culture and leisure, said the former cinema, which was granted listed status in 2007, would "remain a bomb site", but the work would see it also become a place of reflection and learning.

"This is an untouched site, and this work will not only protect its future, but raise awareness of its significance as a rare surviving bomb-damaged building from the Second World War," he said.

The council said the cinema was the "last surviving civilian bomb-damaged building" from the period

The cinema, which was designed by architects Runton and Barry for the De-Luxe Theatre Company and built in 1914, was hit during a raid on 18 March 1941.

At the time, more than 150 people were inside, but no-one was killed or seriously injured.

The council said Hull was one of the worst-affected cities in the country during the Blitz and had to face air raids for longer than any other place in Britain.

By the end of the bombardment, only 5,945 91,660 houses survived undamaged.

The authority added that the cinema was the "last surviving civilian bomb-damaged building" from the period.

Remedial work to stabilise the site took place in 2020 and the restoration and renovation due to begin in 2024 will be funded by the council and National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Once complete, the site will feature a flexible space for community events and education as well as offer a place of reflection, similar to St Luke's Church in Liverpool, which is also known as the bombed-out church due to it also being permanently damaged in the Blitz.

Structural elements, including two large concrete beams, will also be preserved.

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