This is the National Picture Theatre on Beverley Road, Hull, built in 1914. It is the last remaining civilian bomb ruin still in existence. It was hit in a raid on the nearby docks in March 1941 and has remained derelict ever since. It is now Grade II listed in memory of all the civilians killed in the blitz.
The air raid took place on the night of March 17th/18th 1941. The film showing at the time was Charlie Chaplin's 'The Great Dictator'. Thankfully all 150 people escaped and there were no casualties. The interior of the building was completely destroyed but the facade still survives to this day, including fragments of the foyer and vestibule behind it.
There is now a campaign to have the remains of the cinema and the Swan Inn next door, saved as part of a National Civilian WW2 Home Front tribute to all those who endured the blitz in 1939 to 1945 in Britain.
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