Hull and Hereabouts

Red and Black

2012-02-12T00:00:00.000Z

Here the business end of a dockside crane neatly frames the tower of Holy Trinity church.

Fixing the drains

2012-02-11T00:00:00.004Z

In June 2007 during a torrential rainstorm this area of Westwood was flooded and a great deal of damage was done to nearby houses. Since then the residents have campaigned for improved drainage and sewers until finally the local water company have agreed to put in better facilities. This explains the activity going on here and the newly laid and hopefully temporary tarmac road that has been laid across the common.

Hotel Oscar 99

2012-02-10T00:00:00.003Z

Humberside police's helicopter costs £1.5 million a year to run, or fly if you will. It carries extremely sensitive cameras and other devices for tracking the bad guys and "protecting the community". Some criticise it as an expensive toy saying that officers on the ground are more effective. Be that as it may, I find it odd that the taxpayer pays for a police helicopter yet air ambulance helicopters have to be funded by charitable donations, that, I feel, shows a distinct warped sense of priorities.

And, of course, this machine has its very own website here. Hotel Oscar 99 is the radio call sign of the helicopter.

Broken

2012-02-09T00:00:00.002Z

Came across this pile of broken sledges on Beverley Westwood. They were clearly not up to the job of sliding down this slippery slope. They've waited all Winter for a bit of snow and then this happens, sad really.

The eye of the beholder

2012-02-08T00:00:00.001Z

The park pond was frozen over which was only to be expected. All the birds thought I had bread to give them, unfortunately I had none but there were others with whole loaves to dispense. If you zoom in on the eye of this goose you might just make out an image of me taking a picture.

Gloomy outlook

2012-02-07T00:00:00.001Z

On my way back from a walk in the snow a bank of fog rolled in and sent temperatures on a downward spiral. It was a bit grey and gloomy but not quite as bad as this photo seems.

Punctual

2012-02-06T00:10:00.003Z

It's February and according to the textbooks Hazel catkins appear right now. This little tree near to my house has obviously been reading the book because it was covered in these pale yellow catkins. These are the male flowers, the female flowers are small red tufts; pollination is by wind.

Icicle

2012-02-05T13:37:00.000Z

The way the TV news has been going on you would think it had never snowed before, ever. Well really; two inches of the white stuff and they're in some kind of national panic. I didn't have to go far to take this picture; this odd icicle was hanging outside my kitchen window (must remember to fix those gutters sometime).

Red, White and Blue

2012-02-04T12:37:00.000Z

What can I say about this block of flats? It's on Barnsley Street in east Hull, it's bigger than anything else around here. Despite appearances it's not built with Lego blocks ...that's about it really.

Blackheaded Gull

2012-02-03T11:45:00.000Z

Took a trip out to Driffield the other day with a view to taking some photos. I managed this one and about half-a-dozen more when the batteries in my camera went flat. I had another camera but the batts had died in that too; so I was not the happiest of bunnies.

Feeding the ducks...

2012-02-02T11:22:00.000Z

....and the geese and the gulls and the pigeons. This man suddenly found himself very popular when he emptied a bag of breadcrumbs.

The building in the background is Malet Lambert school, one of the better educational establishments in Hull which isn't saying much.

Peacock Blues

2012-02-01T11:07:00.000Z

Looking for animals to photograph for today's theme picture I came across these colourful peacocks stoically sitting out the wintry chill in East Park's animal enclosure.

Click here to see what other participants have posted.

Sea of gold ...

2012-01-31T11:00:00.002Z

alas no, just a fancy sunset on the Humber earlier this month.

Steps

2012-01-30T00:00:00.001Z

This is the footbridge over the tracks at Beverley station. This is a posh bridge, it's covered, usually you're open to the elements as you cross.

There's a seat that shapes our ends, rough hewn though it may be...

2012-01-29T00:00:00.000Z

Here an old tree is put to use as a resting place for tired beings in Cottingham Dean.

Old Church

2012-01-28T11:30:00.001Z

This is St Mary's on Lowgate which I've shown bits of before( 1 & 2 ); here's the southern side. The original church dates from early 14th century though it's been knocked about a bit by a local lord of the manor who thought it was spoiling his view. To me the tower looks to be out of proportion and it turns out it was added later and built across the pavement.

H & H 500 not out ...

2012-01-27T00:00:00.012Z

Well if you were landing in Hull five hundred or more years ago here is where you would come ashore; Rotenhering Staith. The name is thought to derive, not from old fish as you might have thought, but from a family who went by this unfortunate name and lived nearby and quite possibly owned the staith as well. The sign is at a jaunty angle, typical of the style of so many signs in this town.

Blogger tells me this is the 500th post, when I started I didn't think there could possibly be five hundred things to say about the place. Ah well, 'til tomorrow then ....

Under the bridge

2012-01-26T00:00:00.000Z

This is where the A63 gets lifted up and over High Street and the river Hull. The sloping ground is ideal for skateboarding and other nefarious activities. It also abounds in bollards.

Fetish

2012-01-25T00:05:00.003Z

I think whoever designs the roads and pavements of this town has a unquestioning reverence bordering on an unhealthy fetish for bollards. They seem to crop up in the most unlikely places and appear to serve no purpose; and because one bollard by itself would look a wee bit dumb we get whole lines of them. Maybe they come down at night and play leapfrog.

17

2012-01-24T00:00:00.001Z

... the number of bollards placed in a neat row by the foreshore for no particular reason that I can discern.

North Church Side

2012-01-23T00:05:00.005Z

In 1860 one T J Smith started refining and bottling cod liver oil at 10 North Church Side, later he was joined by his nephew and the business growed like topsy. The company, Smith & Nephew, is now the fifth-largest health care products supplier in a worldwide market worth £5 billion. A Hull success story; there had to be one somewhere.

Not waving but drowning

2012-01-22T00:00:00.001Z

Around the 'water play area' I showed sometime back there are these wavy seats where parents can oversee their 'delightful offspring' having watery fun.

It was all yellow

2012-01-21T00:00:00.001Z

In another lifetime I posted how work had started on building a new bridge across the Hull (here and here). Since then there's been a change of government and as I've mentioned before all things grind to a halt, change their names and then start again under the 'new' management. So it was a pleasant surprise to see that some progress has been made. The bridge when completed (later this year we are 'promised') will allow pedestrians to remain on it whilst it opens for boats to pass under. Below is the 'arm' that will swing and, although it's under wraps now, I can tell you it's all yellow.

King W

2012-01-20T00:00:00.003Z

We don't do military coups in Britain, at least not very often. The last one was in 1688 when a supposed fear of popery and all things Catholic was used as an excuse to bring in a mercenary and his Dutch army to oust the King and his followers. This hired thug was then made king; though the City of London with its financial power was the ultimate ruler of the country and still is to this day. Of course these events are never referred to as a putsch or an invasion, no, this is our 'Glorious Revolution'.

I've shown this adornment to a public urinal before (here) but there's no harm in posting a couple of new shots, is there?

Sunset at the Deep

2012-01-19T02:10:00.001Z

I showed you the Deep some time back with views from across the river Hull. This time it's up close and personal. For those of you who don't know, the Deep is a submarium, in fact the world's only submarium. It's a massive tourist attraction with thousands of visitors every year. Needless to say I've not been inside it, I don't pay to watch fish swim round in circles.

Keep Out!

2012-01-18T00:00:00.001Z

This starburst security featutre adds to the attractions of Hull's marina; well it's better than a plain fence anyway.

Lifeboats

2012-01-17T00:00:00.001Z

Here's what is claimed to be the "finest dockside training facility in the UK" and who am I to argue? These colourful lifeboats are used to practice getting off offshore rigs and drilling platforms as quickly as possible. If you're interested in having a go the company has a website here.

Dockside Sculpture

2012-01-16T00:00:00.003Z

I came across this the other day while I was wandering around the old docks. There's no little plaque to tell what it is or who made it; so if you know anything about do let me know.

Pop goes the weasel

2012-01-15T00:00:00.003Z

In town the other day I noticed that not one but three pawnbrokers had sprung up on the same street within thirty yards of each other. On another street there were two more 'uncles'. They seem to be like vultures pecking at the rotting corpse of the economy.

Humber Barge

2012-01-14T00:00:00.002Z

The Humber is a mile wide at this point but the navigable channel is tucked up near the foreshore which is handy if you want to see barges passing by. This barge is called the Seagull and for bargephiles there's more pictures here.

Up on the roof

2012-01-13T13:06:00.000Z

There's been a path along the banks of the Humber for hundreds possibly thousands of years so when a warehouse was built on the foreshore at Albert Dock there was only place for the path to go: up on the roof. Whilst it can be a bit nerve wracking if you suffer from vertigo or if there's strong wind blowing the uninterrupted view of Hull and the Humber makes it all worthwhile.

Click to enlarge

Newland Avenue

2012-01-12T00:00:00.003Z

The date on the bridge 1882 is when Hull incorporated the village of Newland and made the road passable to traffic, before then this was known as Mucky Peg Lane. Newland Avenue is a most interesting street whose activities attract people both day and night. There are greengrocers, butchers, a fishmonger, several bakers and other food shops, including Polish, Chinese and Asian ones, hairdressers, florists, various specialist shops, cafés and many charity shops. In the evenings the takeaways, café bars and late-opening convenience stores and the Piper continue to attract people. So you can get many things on Newland Avenue nowadays except mucky pegs.

Got the Blues

2012-01-11T00:00:00.010Z

Taken from the top deck of a bus this is one of the busiest places in Hull. It's Britannia House, home of the Department for Work and Pensions, the dole office. Over a quarter of households in Hull have no one in employment and 30% of children are classified as living in poverty. There is no end in sight to this appalling state of affairs, if anything, it's going to get worse; a lot worse. Without this place and money flowing from it I shudder to think what a state we'd be in.

On a lighter note the blue lumps and phallic pillar are testament to the folly (no other word will do, except perhaps, vanity) of a previous leader of the Council and who now happens to be Lord Mayor. He does like to dress up and make himself a laughing stock providing some comic relief in our dire straits.

Piper

2012-01-10T00:01:00.002Z

The Piper club is on Newland Avenue, the centre of student-land and an excellent old fashioned shopping street. It's website claims to "have something for everyone, across the week, with our eclectic mix of nights, from iconic mid-week mash-ups to established indie nights and retro cocktail nights"; so you have been warned.

If your shoes need mending drop in on Billy at the Heel & Key Bar, he's been there thirty or more years and he's the best in town.

Golden Sun

2012-01-09T00:00:00.000Z

This is a fire insurance mark, high up on the side of a building on High Street. It dates from the 1700s. In those days each insurance company had its own 'fire brigade'. When there was a fire the 'fire brigade' would seek to extinguish the flames in those buildings with the company's markers first. Uninsured buildings would be left, often with disastrous consequences for neighbouring properties. It was similar to the present US health care system. This free market approach to fire fighting was incompatible with protecting property so municipal fire brigades grew up paid for by taxes. I guess it's easier to get people to pay to protect property than to protect health.

Wise Reflections

2012-01-08T00:00:00.001Z

I know nothing of what this building is for so, as a wise man once said, if you have nothing to say, say nothing.

This is the Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation, part of the University of Hull. You'll find it on High Street right next door to Wilberforce's house. There's almost certainly a website but you're all grown up now and know how to use Google™, so I'll leave to your own devices.

University House or what were they on?

2012-01-07T09:30:00.002Z

Now when University House was built it was not this fantasy of glass and steel but a mere functional 'soviet-style' concrete box that you can see in the back. It worked perfectly well as the student union building with cafes and bars and so on. Obviously sometime in the eons since I left the place it became so unbearably ugly that it needed a makeover and what a makeover. It took me a while to realise that the canopy changes colour. It's pretty useless as a canopy but what the heck! In these days of cutbacks to universities this is an obscene monument to conspicuous consumption.

Out for a duck

2012-01-06T09:30:00.000Z

Sometimes it gets eerily empty in the old town; just me and a duck have the place to ourselves.

Church and Market

2012-01-05T12:39:00.000Z

I don't think I've shown the front of Holy Trinity church before as until recently it was obscured by two large trees. Unfortunately one of the trees succumbed to disease and was removed. Whilst it's sad to lose a large old tree it does clear a space for me to show you the impresseive windows of the church; now if only that sign wasn't there ....

The tower on the left belongs to the market, why they need a tower? I don't know.

Trinity

2012-01-04T00:51:00.000Z

It's a public house, a place where intoxicating liquors may be sold for consumption on or off the premises. Oh, and it's on Trinity House Lane, hence the name, either that or there's a religious connection and I can't quite see that somehow.

Sunburst

2012-01-03T13:35:00.000Z

This is the back of what used to be part of the University of Lincoln. I showed you the front sometime back (here)

If you want a potted history of how come the Univeristy of Lincoln came to be in Hull read on.

It started out as Hull College of Education and various other educational establishments in Hull. With the passage of time this became Humberside College of Higher Education with colleges in Grimsby as well. Then, not wishing to remain a mere college, it became Humberside Polytechnic. In came a change of government and all polytechnics were now to be called universities, so Humberside University it became. The city of Lincoln was without its own university, so the University of Humberside was approached to develop a new campus to the south west of the city centre. The University of Lincolnshire and Humberside emerged from this. Now a strange thing happened, gradually the business tranferred to Lincoln, bit by bit, courses and departments shifted south of the river; it was called consolidation. And the name changed once again, to the University of Lincoln (hmmm). The last I heard this building is no longer part of the university and just about all buildings in Hull relating to the university have been sold off.

Alleyway

2012-01-02T14:33:00.000Z

Another of the many alleys that make the old town more interesting than the glass and steel new city.

Green

2012-01-01T14:35:00.000Z

It may not be the best photo of 2011 but I like it.

Happy New Year!

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

True Grit

2011-12-31T00:05:00.001Z

This year has been the second warmest on record and this month has been 1C above average. All of which means this place is pretty redundant for the moment. It's the Beverley grit depot for the council's highway department. Last year they nearly ran out of supplies in December. Still there's plenty of Winter left.

Chemistry, boring?

2011-12-30T09:30:00.002Z

They say you should never judge a book by its cover and maybe the same applies to buildings. This drab 1950s brick building is possibly the most boring building in Hull but it has played an important part in the development of the modern world. It's difficult to imagine a world without liquid crystal displays; they're on your phone, your clocks, instrument panels, monitor screens and so on. Without the work of Professor Gray in this building developing liquid crystals that were stable at room temperature we might be living in a very different world. Who said chemistry is boring?

Brynmor Jones Library

2011-12-29T09:30:00.001Z

In the dim distant days of last year I posted about this building (here) so I thought I'd show a different angle. I have to say this is an odd building; the massive cube looks like an aberrant addition to a more modest brick building whose art deco entrance is still in use today.

No Trains

2011-12-28T00:04:00.002Z

I took this on Sunday when, for some reason, there were no trains running, which is just as well if you're going to play about on the tracks.

Sunsets and Puddles

2011-12-27T00:00:00.001Z

Taken by Margot K Juby

Last year's silly cold weather has been followed this year with even sillier weather. Temperatures today(14C/57F) are near a record high for late December. With clear skies we've been having some stunning sunsets; this one captured in the puddles of Snuff Mill Lane.

Creep down the alleyway

2011-12-26T00:00:00.002Z

You never quite know what is waiting for you when you go down the alleyway's of Hull.

Fountain by night

2011-12-25T00:00:00.007Z

Here's the fountain in Queen's Gardens all lit up.

Here it is during daylight.

Winter sunset

2011-12-24T00:57:00.000Z

They close the park at sunset; that's about two minutes after I took this shot.

Beverley Minster

2011-12-23T00:01:00.001Z

After yesterday's long range shot here's one a bit closer. I know what you're thinking; why didn't I stand a little further back to take this shot? Well I would have but in the 18th century some inconsiderate person built a row of houses right alongside so I couldn't, now if only they'd thought .... This is the western end of the minster and I'm sure you'll agree it's a fine piece of gothic construction.

Minster money pit

2011-12-22T02:35:00.004Z

Here's Beverley Minster taken last Spring, you can just make out the blossom in hedgerow.This is the view from the aptly named Long Lane; I guess this view hasn't changed in many centuries.

This imposing building, built by an old power long gone, is now a tourist attraction with an insatiable demand for money to keep the rain out. I suspect it was ever thus.

The next to arrive at platform 2 ...

2011-12-21T00:00:00.003Z

...is my train home.

christmas in hull dot co dot uk

2011-12-20T00:00:00.002Z

When the early chiristians took over the pagan end of year festivals I suspect they had little idea of their own feast being taken over in turn by pursuit of sales. Still the lights are pretty enough and the crowds a lot thinner than in previous years; after all you can do it all online now.

Side Elevation

2011-12-19T00:00:00.003Z

Here is 'One Humber Quays'; an office block built with taxpayers' money as part of a £17 million pound development in 2006. It stood half empty for five years whilst it housed a branch of the World Trade Centre. Earlier this year the WTC decamped to smaller premises. Under the new government's policy of dismantling anything and everything the old government did the place was sold, in what can only be called a depressed market, for considerably less than cost. This is what happens when you have a 'build it and they'll come' approach to redevelopment; you build it and they come and they take it for a song. It goes without saying that no politician or official was hurt during the making of this flim flam.

The Emigrants

2011-12-18T00:00:00.002Z

This statue on the waterfront near Humber Dock commemorates the more than two million European emigrants who passed through Hull on their way to America in the 19th century until the outbreak of war in 1914. That's a lot of people moving themselves out of Europe and into America; I wonder if America would be so welcoming to another flood if times get tough in Europe.

If you're a Liverpudlian and you think this looks familiar that's because there's an identical copy at the Albert Dock, Liverpool. The sculpture is by Neil Hadlock, Mark DeGraffenried and Taylor Hadlock from Utah and was donated by a Mormon led foundation in 2001, here's a link to more on this.

Fun with the sun

2011-12-17T00:18:00.001Z

The December sun sets early and casts some really long shadows. The mill above I've shown before here. The temptation to take a silly picture was overwhelming so I gave in.

Winter draws on again

2011-12-16T12:09:00.000Z

So to Westwood and another visit to this old chestnut tree that I showed round about this time last year. This year it's mild with no real frosts or snow unlike the deep freeze of last year. It can stay like this as far as I'm concerned.

Tight squeeze

2011-12-15T12:25:00.000Z

Somebody's expensive toy makes its way into the marina.

Bah Bah Humbug

2011-12-14T00:35:00.003Z

Betty Boop and a sheep standing outside a shop can only mean one thing; it's Xmas and the shops are getting desperate for our money.

Closed for the season

2011-12-13T00:00:00.002Z

If you were to stand here anytime between, say, May and the end of September you'd be surrounded by crowds of day trippers and holiday makers stuffing their faces with fish and chips and burgers while gawping at the harbour. There'd be dozens of gulls to help them consume their repast. Come in December, however, and you have the place to yourself; just be sure to wrap up warm.

Rising of the moon

2011-12-12T00:00:00.002Z

I didn't get to see the lunar eclipse yeserday but I did catch this nearly full moon rising over Bridlington on Friday.

Going down of the sun

2011-12-11T00:01:00.000Z

The storm I mentioned yesterday has also meant that the fishing fleet has had to stay in harbour along with a visiting pirate ship.

Stormy weather

2011-12-10T00:04:00.000Z

Yesterday we had the first real storm of the Winter with high winds and some heavy rain. The sea today was still very rough and this wave nearly caught me out.

Reflective Colours

2011-12-09T00:12:00.001Z

Oh no, not another toad! I thought I'd seen the back of these critters until I came across this little dazzling beauty outside the Arc building on Queen Street. It's part of last year's 'Larkin with Toads' ballyhoo. The artist is Sue Kershaw who has a website here.

Before these toads drive me completely mad I must tell you the Larkin with Toads scheme was voted the "Most Remarkable Experience in Hull and East Yorkshire" and was also the winner of the Yorkshire Tourism Event of the Year award. Enough, that's it; no more toads ....

Neptune

2011-12-08T11:50:00.000Z

Built in 1794 the Neptune Hotel in Whitefriargate was supposed to cater to captains and merchants using the newly opened docks. However things didn't quite work out and the building became the Customs House in 1815 until 1912. Nowadays the banqueting hall is the staff canteen of Boots the chemist. This little figure is the keystone of the entrance archway.

Autumn Cemetery

2011-12-07T00:35:00.001Z

By Margot K Juby

This angel is in Spring Bank cemetery, a wonderful place to wander through especially in Autumn.

In memoriam

2011-12-06T02:29:00.000Z

In the Transport Museum gardens there's this tiny memorial to the human cost of the motor industry. It is about a foot tall. Last year 1,850 people were killed on the roads of UK; over the years millions have been killed or injured. If the internal combustion engine were a drug it would have been banned years ago. I see our city streets as a killing field and pedestrians as innocent victims of the drive for profit. And before you ask, no, I don't drive.
If you're of a curious disposition or are just plain morbid the BBC have a page on UK road traffic casualities here.

Missing letter effect

2011-12-05T12:30:00.001Z

Swan Song

2011-12-04T00:00:00.001Z

Here's a mute swan quietly drifting on East Park's boating lake. Mute swans are supposed to be silent until just before they die when they make a beautiful song. I don't know how true that is but someone has composed a tune based on the DNA of a swan! Isn't the internet a wonderful thing?

The Great Visitation of Cholera

2011-12-03T00:00:00.000Z

Lost in the wonderfully overgrown Spring Bank cemetery is this slightly leaning monument to a disastrous cholera outbreak in Hull in 1849. The plaque below gives the chilling numbers of dead; we can only imagine the horrors of those days. Nowadays with our clean drinking water and improved sanitation cholera is practically unknown in the UK but it stills kills over 100,000 mainly in the developing world.

Level Crossing

2011-12-02T00:00:00.003Z

Waiting for the train to pass this little crowd gathered at the crossing on Spring Bank in October during Hull Fair week. I've noticed that there aren't many people in my photos so I'm making up for that with a whole bagful.

Dive, dive, dive

2011-12-01T00:00:00.001Z

The theme for this month's City Daily Photo is 'Action shot'. Well I trawled through my photos and came to the conclusion that my photos are possibly the most inactive on the planet. Then I stumbled on this forgotten image. Here's a red throated diver just about to pounce on some unsuspecting fish in Bridlington harbour.

If you want to see what others have made of this theme just click here.

Hull Interchange

2011-11-30T00:05:00.000Z

If you arrive in Hull by coach this is where you will debus. This is a much fancier place than the old windswept car park that coaches used to arrive at and I suppose it does give a better first impression. This shot shows how the new bus station has taken over part of the rail station; if you go through the station you end up here.

Hepworth's Arcade

2011-11-29T00:01:00.001Z

Tucked away beside the market is this little gem; a Victorian arcade of small shops selling all sorts from jewellery and hi-fi to harmonicas and itching powder! It was built in 1894 for a Leeds tailor called Hepworth. It looks brand new after a sympathetic renovation a few years ago.

Flyover

2011-11-28T00:40:00.000Z

This structure (yet another award winning example of the concrete pourer's art) carries traffic across town; it's that good old A63 that I've mentioned so many times before. Here it's been given a lift over a roundabout on Hessle Road.

Green Bricks

2011-11-27T14:10:00.000Z

Sometimes it pretty obvious how a pub gets its name. This one is by the Humber Dock.

Hairy Horse

2011-11-26T03:01:00.000Z

There's a real problem with horses in Hull. It's quite common to find horses tethered on strips of grass beside roadways or on grassy areas in housing estates even school playing fields. The Council are now confiscating the horses and their owners have to pay a fee to get them back. I can't understand why people would own up to a dozen or more horse and have no land on which to graze them.

The friendly fellow is quite safe though; he's in a field near my house

Rose and Crown

2011-11-25T10:27:00.001Z

You might imagine that this is a fine olde English pub out of the Elizabethan age and , in a way , you'd be right. There's been a pub of sorts here for over 400 years but the building you see here is fine old mock Tudor from the 1930s. Never mind, if you fancy a day at Beverley Races then the Rose and Crown is but a short walk from the racecourse.

Heads on back to front

2011-11-24T10:39:00.001Z

I suppose for some a grave vandalised is a bit sickening; in Hull it's par for the course. This little statue is lucky to have been put back together even if it is somewhat wrongly oriented.

Princes Quay

2011-11-23T10:30:00.002Z

When you've climbed to the rooftop car park of the shopping centre there's a helpful sign to tell you where you are.

Bring on the naked ladies ...

2011-11-22T10:30:00.010Z

I've mentioned the lengths to which Beverley has gone to attract visitors with its ancient crafts and guilds trail; well here's yet another trail. Sadly not a trail of unclad ladies but of paintings by a local artist Frederick Elwell (who?). Dotted around the town are many reproductions of his work and those of his sister and for those who are interested (and there must be some, surely?) you get to walk around and cross them off your list. Here's another to whet your appetite or put you off completely.

Speed Limit

2011-11-21T10:33:00.000Z

Speed limits are a custom more honour'd in the breach than the observance. There are reports that the maximum speed limit should be raised from 70 to 80 mph. It's said to be in the interest of putting "Britain back in the fast lane of global economies". It's crazy, I know, but this government is reduced to trying anything.

This is the approach to Beverley from the Westwood. There's a tight little bend ahead so obeying the limit is advisable.

Newbegin again

2011-11-20T02:40:00.000Z

The name Newbegin comes from old English meaning 'new building'. In the 14th century I suppose they were new; nowadays all those 'new' buildings have been replaced by Georgian town houses and look quite old.

By the Canal

2011-11-19T12:20:00.001Z

The Drayman

2011-11-18T10:58:00.000Z

When I first came to Hull 30 years ago most of the local pubs were supplied by the Hull Brewery Company and I recall that the beers so supplied were of the highest quality; I should know I supped enough of it. However it seems that others did not share my tastes and sales gradually dropped off (despite my best efforts). The brewery was sold and then in 1985 the sad and fateful day arrived when the brewing stopped and the poor souls of Hull had to drink beer from Mansfield!

But what to do with the old brewery itself? It stood empty for a while but in the early 90s they converted the place into offices and renamed it 'The Maltings' . This sculpture by Kevin Storch and is called 'The Drayman' and stands in the courtyard of the old brewery. It's cast in bronze and I think it's meant to be a fountain but it was turned off when I was there.

The Earl de Grey

2011-11-17T09:39:00.002Z

No blog about Hull could fail to mention the infamous Earl de Grey. This now closed drinking establishment is situated close to the docks. It had a reputation for a certain type of clientele; that is to say sailors with money and women who were all too willing to make them part with it. It was, in short, a knocking shop. Its renown was worldwide among the sailing fraternity.
A flavour of the place can be gleaned from the following story printed in the local paper when the pub closed. "Until 15 years ago, two parrots lived in the pub mimicking the drunken revellers who propped up the bar. Cha Cha and Ringo were popular regulars until the pub was burgled in 1985. The thieves, fearing the chatty parrots would reveal their identities, stabbed Cha Cha to death. Legend has it the bird was later buried under Castle Street during the road's construction. Lonely Ringo pined for his mate and never spoke again."

Now the building is Grade2 listed but boarded up with only this fading sign to remind us of its interesting if insalubrious past.

Man, if you gotta ask you'll never know.

2011-11-16T11:30:00.001Z

Ok I'll tell you; it's a restaurant in a converted warehouse by Princes Quay. It's part of a chain of Italian restaurants and if you want to know more ask someone else. Over a year ago I showed one of the windows on the other side of the building here; by next year I might show the whole building.

Lights, Camera, Action ....

2011-11-15T12:02:00.002Z

With these lights and cameras your car will be safely looked after in the Albion Street car park.

Fenced in

2011-11-14T11:45:00.001Z

City Daily Photo's theme this month was fences and I wish now that I had remembered this shot that I took in June last year; still better late than never. This footbridge carries you over a main rail line and Clive Sullivan Way, actually the A63. Clive Sullivan was a famous rugby league player who played for both Hull teams and died at the age of 42.

Gazebo

2011-11-13T13:30:00.001Z

The British weather is known to be fickle and the need for a some protection from the elements led to the building of this ornate shelter that looks out on to Bridlington's Harbour and bay. The view in this direction gives no clue to the tower block lurking directly behind; the views from those windows must be spectacular.

More tea, anyone?

2011-11-12T12:49:00.001Z

Here on Bridlington's South Marine Drive is a device whereby parents can spin their little darlings round and round in a giant teacup. I'm told the mental scars from this wear off over time so grin and bear it; it's meant to be fun!

Spurn

2011-11-11T11:11:00.003Z

Many moons ago I posted a picture of this lightship from the other side of the dock. Here it is again a bit closer.

The ship helped mariners enter the Humber for nearly fifty years until it was decommissioned and turned into a museum by the council. If you're thinking of visiting you will have to wait till March and go on a weekend on the other hand it is free like all our museums and art galleries. There are a few links to the ship the best in my opinion are here and here.

View from the top

2011-11-10T11:33:00.001Z

Perhaps I should take more photos from the top deck of the bus; the main drawbacks are the dirty windows and thr reflections. Still, with a little practice, it might be worth the effort. Here's Princes Avenue where yesterday's shot was also taken on the way into town.

Pave

2011-11-09T12:17:00.002Z

Pave is one of the many cafés and bars that have opened in the Avenues area. It's name is an abbreviation of P(rinces) Ave(nue). It's website claims "By day, this is the place to meet, chat and enjoy the papers. By night, Pave buzzes."

Water Play Area

2011-11-08T12:24:00.002Z

Ok, you've got to use a little imagination here. This device is part of an area in East Park recently given over as a 'Water Play Area' and ordinarily there'd be water gushing through this thing and filling a large shallow pool. In the words of a nearby notice it's "a wonderful area for children to have fun and create new memories"; just so long as they don't break the numerous rules that are also posted nearby. The area is drained in Autumn, you can't have all year round fun; that would be against the rules.

East Park Gates

2011-11-07T13:21:00.000Z

A further testament to the concrete pourer's art is to be found adorning the entrance to East Park. They are so horrible that I could find nothing on the net to indicate who designed them, shame is a powerful motive for reticence. So here they stand to welcome the visitor; after this the actual park couldn't be any worse.

Le Quartier Latin

2011-11-06T12:47:00.000Z

In Beverley there are two market places, Saturday Market and this one Wednesday Market (no prizes for guessing what day the market is held). Until a couple of years ago Wednesday Market was just an ugly little car park for most of the week then it got given a remodelling into a 'continental style' eating place with outdoor tables and so on; you can imagine. I've seen it descibed as "Beverley's very own Latin Quarter" (do try not to smirk). I don't think it's been a successful transformation and I've never seen anyone sitting out enjoying the ambience. At the heart of this sits the Queen's Head which looks old but I am reliably informed it has been modernised.

Market Cross, Beverley

2011-11-05T12:38:00.000Z