Hyde Park Picture house, a Grade II-listed building that dates back to 1914, is the country's only surviving gas-lit cinema.
It is currently undergoing a multi-million renovation to safeguard the cinema’s nationally significant heritage, including repair and conservation of its unique gas lamps, Burmantofts-tiled facade, original terrazzo flooring and Grade II listed exterior lamppost.
Accessibility at the cinema will be improved and there will be an entirely new screen with 52 seats in the basement to increase capacity.
It was awarded a £285,600 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Culture Recovery Fund to allow much-needed redevelopment to continue despite extended closures during the pandemic and reduced income.
It is due to reopen in April 2023 but before the cinema closed for renovation, Otley-based digital marketing experts Apollo3D created a 3D virtual tour to captures a unique moment in history. It takes the viewer in past reception and inside the movie theatre before heading behind the scenes into the projection room.
