moved his home to Hull. In 1907, he bought out his neighbouring rival in George Street, the Grand Theatre and Opera House, for £26,000 and moved 'W. F.' across to be manager. Despite its name, the theatre, designed by renowned Frank Matcham and first opened in 1893, had been used mainly for drama. The Mortons continued their practice of bringing opera to Hull, including Thomas Beecham's Opera Comique in 1911 with The Tales of Hoffmann, and the Quinlan Opera Company in 1912 with singers from the 'Principal Opera Houses in the World'. In 1912 another highlight was 'Pavlova Week'. The Carl Rosa Opera Company were regular visitors. Theatre Royal attendance suffered from the successes of the Alexandra and the Grand so, in 1909, Morton allowed the lease to expire and it closed. For only the second time in 14 years, Morton spoke from the Royal's stage saying he believed Hull could now sustain only two theatres, but that the Royal had served its day and generation. (It reopened under new management in 1912 as the Tivoli Music Hall.) Prince's Picture Hall Cinematograph was a regular part of the programme at the Alexandra. It had been licensed under the 1909 Cinematograph Act, as had the Palace and Empire theatres. The Act was essentially a health and safety measure though its implementation soon included censorship. George Morton brought in back-screen projection, further improving quality.[3] Morton, convinced that moving pictures were the way forward, entered into partnership with the New Century (Leeds) Circuit and registered a private company, three directors from Morton's and two from New Century, called Prince's Hall (Hull) Ltd. With a capital of £10,000 in £1 shares, they took over the Victoria Hall (previously the George-street Baptist Chapel) demolished it and built the Prince's Picture Hall, opening in July 1910. The work was designed and carried out by local architects, Freeman, Sons, and Gaskell and had 1500 seats. The Prince's was the first purpose-built cinema in Hull. As the number of cinemas increased, so did competition. Managers sought to acquire exclusive features and to exhibit major films as soon as possible after their release. Technical improvements were eagerly pioneered. Holderness Hall Morton next focussed on East Hull and, as Holderness Hall Ltd built a theatre for cinematograph entertainment, opening 16 November 1912. This work was also designed and carried out by Freeman, Sons, and Gaskell. It cost £12,000, seated 2,000