Restored WW2 cinema memorial to 'ordinary lives'

The restoration of a cinema bombed in the Hull Blitz will offer an insight into the experiences of ordinary civilians at the time, campaigners said.

The National Picture Theatre, which was hit during a German air raid on 18 March 1941 and left derelict, is to reopen as a memorial garden and history centre on Wednesday following a restoration project.

Hilary Byers, a trustee of the National Civilian World War II Memorial Trust, said the building was now a lasting reminder of the resilience of people who went about their daily lives as bombs fell around them.

The restored building will be used for organised historical events, educational visits and other public activities.

Byers said: "We realised that this was telling a story that hadn't really been told about civilians during World War Two.

"They were going about their ordinary life, going to the pictures, queuing for food, all that sort of thing, while bombs were dropping around them.

"We thought this was a reflection of what civilians went through during World War Two, not only in Hull but in towns across Britain."

At the time of the air raid, 150 people were inside the cinema watching Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator.

"We learned how people got up and went into the foyer of the cinema and nobody was killed, nobody was injured, amazingly," Byers said.

Their survival was attributed to two beams across the gallery, which prevented greater damage.

The restoration sought to retain authentic features showing the devastating impact of the 1941 bombing, including the surviving concrete columns, foyer and sections of the auditorium.

Joe Booth, from Hull-based Hobson and Porter, who worked on the project, described it as unique.

"It's got that level of authenticity, to structurally retain something and leave behind the lasting impact of what happened here.

"As soon as you walk through the front gate, you get that feeling that such a historic event happened here," he added.

Funding for the restoration was provided by Hull City Council, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the National Civilian World War II Memorial Trust.

In total, about 1,200 people were killed during German bombing raids on Hull, with 3,000 injured and more than 150,000 made homeless.

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