The Hyde Park Picture House, in Brudenell Road, is set to reopen on Friday (June 30) after restoration work to the tune of £4.8m. The historic 109-year-old cinema has undergone repairs to the façade, seen its original terrazzo flooring restored and, next month, will see the opening of a brand-new 50-seat second screen in the basement.
With the refurbishment of its nine gas lamps in the auditorium, it will be the last surviving gaslit cinema in the world, as they will be lit for every screening. The Picture House Project received funding from Leeds City Council and the Garfield Weston Foundation, which has allowed the introduction of new accessible facilities, including a ramped entrance, café bar, community room, platform lift and wheelchair accessible toilet.
The project also received £2.6m from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Here are the best pictures inside the picture house ahead of its reopening –
7. Hyde Park Picture House
A brand-new 50-seat second screen, located in the cinema’s basement, will open later in July - allowing the Picture House to expand its programme and bring to Leeds even more award-winning films from around the world. Photo: Simon Hulme
8. Hyde Park Picture House
Wendy Cook, who is heading up the operation, in the freshly renovated screening room. Photo: Simon Hulme
10. Hyde Park Picture House
The renovation has seen many of the building's original features undergo restoration work. Photo: Simon Hulme