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New roof for bombed cinema, 83 years on

Hull City Council/OctoVision Media A large yellow crane lifts a steel beam into place at the top of a bombed-out cinema in Hull. Workers in hi-vis vests can be seen guiding the beam in place. The site is surrounded by scaffolding.Hull City Council/OctoVision Media
A steel beam has been lifted into place to support a new roof at the National Picture Theatre

A cinema bombed in the Hull Blitz and left unrepaired for 83 years will soon have a new roof.

The National Picture Theatre, on Beverley Road, has been described by Hull City Council as the "last surviving civilian bomb-damaged building" in the city.

A drone captured the moment a new steel beam was installed, which will provide stability for a new roof to be constructed from four tonnes of poured concrete.

A spokesperson for the council said the roof structure had "been repaired by removing rows of old damaged bricks and many years of vegetation", which had caused cracks in the original brickwork.

Hull City Council/OctoVision Media The bombed-out building is covered in scaffolding, with the workers looking at the beam at the very top of the building.Hull City Council/OctoVision Media
Work in the historic building is due to be completed by December

"The next major milestone will be the specialist concrete repairs to the two iconic beams across the gallery, which saved the lives of the 150 people inside the theatre on 18 March, 1941, when it was hit by a bomb," the spokesperson added.

Period bricks, reclaimed from other buildings in Hull, had been "hand selected" to rebuild supporting columns.

Hobson and Porter, the local contractor, is undertaking the restoration, with funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the council and the National Civilian WW2 Memorial Trust.

Hull City Council/OctoVision Media A view of the cinema from the rear, including two concrete beams which survived the blast. The building is overgrown with plants and covered in scaffolding. A yellow crane can be seen in the foreground.Hull City Council/OctoVision Media
The cinema was bombed in 1941, but 150 customers survived

The building was granted Grade II listed status in 2007 and work to stabilise the structure took place in 2020.

The restoration, which is due to be completed in December, will include new windows and lighting, as well as work on the facade.

The cinema will then become an educational facility and a place for residents to remember loved ones.

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