Gaumont Hull
Holderness Road and Clarence Street,
Witham,
Hull,
HU8
Holderness Road and Clarence Street,
Witham,
Hull,
HU8
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[Revised] There is the potential for confusion here. The Holderness Hall was built for William Morton who acquired, built and managed theatres and picturedromes in Hull from 1895 to 1935. (see ‘closed cinemas in Kingston upon Hull’ on Wikipedia, references sourced from contemporary Hull Daily Mail). The work was designed and carried out by local architects, ‘Freeman, Sons, and Gaskell’. Morton generally used local businesses for all aspects of his work. However, in 1910, Morton did enter into partnership with the New Century (Leeds) Circuit and registered a new private company (called Prince’s Hall (Hull), Ltd. (3 directors from Morton’s, 2 from New Century) This was the first purpose built cinema in Hull. Holderness Hall (Hull) Ltd was another company of which Morton was chairman. it is probable that this was also a partnership with New Century Pictures. (Morton was also a member of their board.)
The Holderness Hall opened exactly two months after Liverpool’s Lime Street Picture House (later the Futurist), both being owned by the Bradford based New Century Pictures. The Liverpool cinema was designed by the company’s resident architects, C.C. Chadwick & Wm. Watson, of Albion Street, Leeds, but I can’t confirm that they also designed the Holderness Hall.
Two scanned images, one of each of the two facades, here:–
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stagedoor/4804322276/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stagedoor/4803691439/
A friend of mine had an interesting recollection of seeing the Beatles at the Majestic in February 1963. You can read his recollections at my weblog View link
The former Majestic / Gaumont / Holderness Hall has been demolished in the early part of 2004.