Leeds' Hyde Park Picture House to reopen after £4m restoration

The £4m restoration project will see a second screen opened in the basement

A "gem" of a cinema in Leeds is to reopen at the end of June after a £4m restoration project.

Hyde Park Picture House is more than 100 years old and is believed to be the world's last remaining gas-lit cinema.

The work, funded with a £2.3m National Lottery Heritage Fund grant, will see the building's nine gas lamps lit for every screening.

Other improvements include a second screen in the building's basement and accessible facilities.

Leeds Heritage Theatres chief executive Chris Blythe said when developers began the project in 2015 they had not anticipated it taking so long to complete.

"Nor did we fully appreciate the support and love so many people across the city and nationally would show for our cinema," he said.

"As we stand on the cusp of reopening, we are looking forward to a bright future with this gem of a picture house restored and more accessible than ever before."

The gas lamps were installed to stop people misbehaving

Hyde Park Picture House opened in November 1914, just after the outbreak of World War One, when it broadcast news bulletins and morale-boosting dramas.

The gas lights were installed originally to ensure patrons did not behave inappropriately.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund said the revamp of a "much-loved community hub" was also supported by Leeds City Council and the Garfield Weston Foundation.

Helen Featherstone, director of England North at the National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: "I can't wait for the doors to reopen for the community to enjoy this special place once more and continue to build on that important heritage for future generations."

The cinema first opened in 1914

The cinema will reopen on Friday 30 June, with a new 50-seat screen in the basement opening a month after the main screen.

Other work includes repairs to the building's facade, the restoration of the original terrazzo flooring and the introduction of accessible facilities, including a ramped entrance.

Alan Gay, chair of the Leeds Heritage Theatres board, said: "As we move towards reopening after this extended period of closure, we cannot wait to welcome the people of Leeds back to the Picture House and look forward to showing the cinema to a new generation of film-goers."