Closed cinemas in Kingston upon Hull

The first purpose-built cinema in Kingston upon Hull was the Prince's Hall which was opened in George Street in 1910 (renamed the Curzon 1955). This form of entertainment became popular and, by 1914, there were 29 cinemas and halls showing films in the city.

Hull embraced the new age of public entertainment. Luxurious cinemas, taking their inspiration from theatres and music halls, were built to accommodate audiences in almost every neighbourhood in the city. A number of old picture houses remain around Kingston upon Hull, one the former National Picture Theatre is a ruin from the Hull Blitz, others have been converted to other uses.

The first building in Hull expressly constructed for the ‘exhibition of animated pictures' was undertaken by William Morton, Hull’s theatre magnate, later known as ‘Grand Old Man of Hull’. Morton entered into partnership with the New Century (Leeds) Circuit and registered a new private company (called Prince's Hall (Hull), Ltd.) with a capital of £10,000 in £1 shares to take over the site of the Victoria Hall, formerly the George Street Baptist Chapel. The picture house, with 1,500 seats, opened in 1910.

Morton’s business life bridged the national and local development from theatre to cinema. In 1895, while still living in Greenwich, he took on the lease of Sefton Parry’s Theatre Royal (built in 1871) on Paragon Street and appointed his son ‘W. F.’ Morton as manager. In 1902, he established Morton's Ltd with two of his sons, George and 'W. F.", and built the Alexandra Theatre in Charlotte Street. George was appointed manager. By 1910, cinematograph had long been part of the entertainment there, but that year George Morton brought in back-screen projection, considerably improving quality.

In 1907, Morton bought out the Grand Opera House in George Street, and put in 'W. F.' as manager. In 1909, he gave up the lease on the Theatre Royal (it later became the Tivoli). Then, in 1910 came the Prince’s, the first purpose-built picture house. His next project, situated at the junction of Holderness Road and New Clarence Street, was the Holderness Hall. It cost £12,000, seated 2,000 people and opened in October 1912. It was sold in 1931. Eventually all the Morton Theatres were, partly or fully, operated as picture houses.

In 1914, Morton and his sons established another company, Morton's Pictures, Ltd. On 1 February 1915, this company opened their Majestic Picture House on the site of the old Empire Variety Hall in George Street. The work was designed and carried out by local architects, Freeman, Sons, and Gaskell, who had also designed the Prince's Hall and the Holderness Hall. The hall had a built-in wide screen and three projectors. A feature of the programme on opening day was 2,000 feet of Kinemacolour, the remainder of the programme completed by 'the highest class of films'. Tom Bogue, artist and Morton's son-in-law, became manager.

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