people and had three cafes. The two large entrance halls on Holderness Road and New Clarence Street meant no more queuing in the cold and rain. A projecting balcony had been built to support a grand piano (costing 175 guineas) that enabled the player to observe the film. Morton promised pictures of the highest standard, depicting 'Scenes of Travel, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Education and Current Events', and that 'the working classes' would hear quality music they had never heard before. In 1913 the Holderness Hall introduced Kinetophone Talking Pictures. The following year the Prince's Hall also experimented with sound though 'talkies' would not be significant for another 15 years. Majestic Picture House In the darkening days of 1914, Morton and his sons established another company, Morton's Pictures, Ltd, to build the Majestic Picture House on the site of the old Empire Variety Hall in George Street. Again, Freeman, Sons, and Gaskell, designed and carried out the work. Two stone lions (now in Hornsea Memorial Gardens.) guarded its entrance. The Majestic, completed six months after the outbreak of war, opened on 1 February 1915 and had a built-in wide screen and three projectors. Challenging their nearby rivals, the Kinemacolour Palace (which had displayed colour films since 1910), it featured 2,000 feet of exclusive Kinemacolour film (as shown at London's Scala Theatre) including "Grape vineyards in Piedmont, Italy." The programme was completed with 'the highest class of films'. Morton explained to the audience that the magnificent building was not just for the current days of darkened streets, but for future brighter days. A string orchestra played throughout the programme. Son-in-law, Tom Bogue became manager. Although 29 venues were now giving regular film shows in Hull, Morton's was the largest and most influential cinema chain. Morton also put together a concert party of professionals and amateurs to entertain troops while waiting for deportation to engage in the Great War. Assembly Rooms The Assembly Rooms on Kingston Square had had a long and varied history. On 30 September 1919, Morton realised his final venture, purchasing the Rooms and converting the larger hall into a picture house. As with all his projects, Morton supervised the building on a daily basis. Improvements included music provided by an eight-piece orchestra, special performances on the updated organ and a new booking system that would abolish queues. The main film for opening week was Quinneys, the popular English romantic