Fight goes on to save ruins of Hull's 'Blitz' cinema

Hull’s National Picture Theatre was left in ruins after it was attacked by enemy aircraft on the night of March 17 1941 – when it was showing Charlie Chaplin’s satire The Great Dictator.

Unable to get to shelters because of the severity of the raid, 150 people crammed into the foyer, but remarkably all survived when an airborne mine landed at the rear of premises, destroying the screen and gutting the building.

Others were less fortunate and 96 died as a result of the seven-hour raid.

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For the past 20 years campaigners have been fighting to save the remains of the theatre, hidden behind hoardings on Beverley Road, and reopen it to visitors as a tribute to the resilience of ordinary citizens.

Assistant project manager Tracy Toner on the site of the National Picture Theatre on Beverley Road in HullAssistant project manager Tracy Toner on the site of the National Picture Theatre on Beverley Road in Hull
Assistant project manager Tracy Toner on the site of the National Picture Theatre on Beverley Road in Hull

Only a handful of ruined Second World War buildings remain in England, most of them churches or military structures. The Hull cinema is the only blitzed civilian building left standing, and the least altered.

Now the final push is on, with architects working on the final drawings for plans for work including reinstating the front entrance doors and a new platform on the auditorium.

A second stage bid for funding is also due to go in within weeks to the National Heritage Lottery Fund for £289,000, with a result expected in the spring.

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The total cost of the project will be around £450,000, with some £300,000 spent on permanent repairs and the rest on interpretation and activities.

The cinema after being bombed in 1941The cinema after being bombed in 1941
The cinema after being bombed in 1941

Meanwhile a call has also gone out for volunteers to get on board.

Hilary Byers, from the National Civilian WWII Memorial Trust, said: “The kind of thing they might want to volunteer for is helping at events, helping people come in and find their way around and talking to people.

“They might be interested in keeping the site tidy and making sure weeds don’t grow again. They may have their own ideas or events they would like to put on at the site.

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“We’ve already had people quite interested in putting on re-enactments. We can look at how we fit in with other people’s ideas.”

The National Picture Theatre as it todayThe National Picture Theatre as it today
The National Picture Theatre as it today

Mrs Byers said they expect to be doing a few activities on site with volunteers from March.

As the year progresses they are planning to hold re-enactments, and in May will be holding a 1940s’ VE Day picnic in Pearson Park, the 75th anniversary event having been cancelled this year due to the pandemic.

An incredible 94 per cent of homes suffered damage during WW2.

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But the city’s devastation was kept hidden, with news bulletins referring to it as a North East town.

In Hull 94 per cent of people's houses were damaged in raids during WW2In Hull 94 per cent of people's houses were damaged in raids during WW2
In Hull 94 per cent of people's houses were damaged in raids during WW2

Mrs Byers said: “Because of that Hull tended to get under-rated (in terms of damage) and possibly still does. People talk about the start of the Blitz being in September 1940, which it was in London. But in Hull they’d already had bombing raids in June and July and they went on longer than anywhere else. The last was in 1945.”

Anyone interested in volunteering should contact [email protected] or call 01482 445747.

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