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The Tower Cinema, a Grade II listed building, opened in June 1914 on Anlaby Road in Hull, tells the story of the role cinema played during World War One.

Wartime audiences would have walked into a venue holding 1,200 seats across stalls and a single balcony with a café that overlooked the street outside. In its hey-day a ‘picture palace’ such as the Tower not only entertained cinema-goers with the latest silent movie but offered audiences a window on news in Europe, showcased events for recruitment and presented patriotic films produced to raise money for the local war fund.

During WW1, Tower played a host of patriotic films including ‘The Heroine of Mons’ and even a live concert in 1915.

Cinema not only changed the public perception of war but turned the experience of going to the cinema into a desirable, class-free commodity that is still much-loved today.

Location: Tower Cinema, Anlaby Road, Hull HU3 2EW
Image: Tower Cinema