A slight change of use

These Victorian offices on Union Street/Albion Street used to be the School Board's Offices but now thanks to the passage of time, progress and what have you this is now a supermarket, in fact it's a Chinese supermarket, Chong Wah, selling all sorts of goodies. It's comes as no surprise to know that back in the day (1898) the Victorians weren't averse to wasting some of the education budget on fancy decoration such as this elaborate window frame. It's a Grade 2 listed property as you might expect.

John Alderson MD

Outside Hull Royal Infirmary on its ashlar pedestal stands this statue of John Alderson MD. And why would such a thing be here I ask myself and after a few minutes on the good ship Google I find that the said Mr Alderson was a very successful physician in Hull in the late 18th and early 19th century indeed he did so well out of his practice that when he was elected Chief Physician at the newly opened Hull Royal Infirmary he gave his services for free. He vaccinated many of poor people of Hull. But that alone wouldn't get a statue. Oh no there's more, much more. He was consultant physician for the Hull Lying-in Charity which provided linen and food for poor reputable married women during pregnancy.  In 1814 he set up a refuge for the insane where it was said “every attempt consistent with humanity will be made to restore the patient”. And then he worked towards the provision of education, was president of the subscription library and the Literary and Philosophical Society. Feeling at a lose end he set up the Hull Mechanics' Institute in 1825. During all this he gave many lectures and wrote several publications. Finally he started the Hull School of Medicine in Kingston Square but died before that was completed. I suppose there's a limit to what one man can do in a lifetime. It is said the fifteen thousand people lined the streets of Hull for his funeral in 1829 ... 

This statue was paid for by public subscription and stood originally outside the Hull Royal Infirmary on Prospect Street before being moved to the Anlaby Road site. Until the smoking ban was enforced more rigorously on the hospital site tobacco fiends (many were patients in pyjamas and dressing gowns with accompanying drip stands, oh it was such a fine sight to see!) would gather around this statue and offer their smoky votive offerings to this remarkable man. At least I'd like to think they did, but most probably they (like me) hadn't the slightest idea who he was.

The Ice House or what's left ...

This is all that remains of the Salvation Army Citadel on Anlaby Road, a crumbling door step. It stood next to the ill famed New York Hotel and was known universally as the Ice House because they had stored ice in it before fridges and what have you. I remember it as a Sally Army charity shop in the mid 1980's and that moved elsewhere in 1989 and demolition quickly followed but not until the obligatory arson attack. (Hull's motto: "Burn in haste, bulldoze at leisure!") The only reasonably good picture I can find of how looked is here though I'm sure there must be many others around. It was registered as a mission hall in 1883 and had seating for 2,500! (Those were the days). During WW2 it became a part-time synagogue for Hull's Old Hebrew Congregation as their place had been bombed as was the custom in those days. The new place is much smaller but the road on which it stands was renamed Ice House Road just to keep the memory going.

Moorhens on Barmy Drain

I post this because it's the first time I've managed to get a moorhen in focus in years of trying.  These birds are fairly common, not particularly shy and hardly quick moving; don't quite know what my problem was ... So, anyway, this little group were on Barmston Drain and I'm pretty sure this is a second brood of the year as another much bigger juvenile was hanging around.

Wellington Street Bridge

This little swing bridge allows you to nip across the entrance to the marina without having to go over the dock gates. For some reason, probably economic, it is often closed (that is open for boats but closed for foot soldiers, you understand) but I guess with the thousands attending the Humber Street Sesh cacophothon on Saturday it was deemed safer to allows folk to cross this way. (But this photo shows I was wrong to think so; this event seals off public streets and charges people to exercise the freedom to pass along the highway. It is in plain words highway robbery! with noise!)
The bridge would have had rail tracks on it originally as part of the Humber Dock rail system. 

There, now you've seen it from both sides, aren't you lucky!.

A different point of view

... sometimes I take a great notion
to jump in the river and drown.

So yes, it's that man again, the statue known for no discernible reason, as Voyage. This thing always puts that old Leadbelly song in my head for some reason but that's just me I guess.

Ice Cream Days

Final stages

Back in February I posted about the construction, in the old dry dock, of a stage for open air performances. Well here it is in all its wooden glory ready for its debut on Saturday with the annual Humber Street Sesh. Looks pretty good to this pilgrim through this barren land. Another welcome development is the opening of a small footbridge (from which the above shot was taken) allowing public access to the stage and buildings. The stage is built from larch so it should weather down to a silvery grey in due time complementing the grey bricks hopefully.

And finally for the truly OCD amongst you; the ancient graffiti Daze is still there though somewhat faded by the passing years, well, aren't we all?

Getting there

I haven't been in this area for a while so it was a pleasant surprise to find that the second set of buildings in this complex by the old dry dock are very nearly completed. If I remember the plans rightly there's another set of buildings to come along the road. It's all looking rather nice I think. Here's how it looked last time.

There's joy in repetition

City Daily Photo's start of the month theme is "My City's Skyline". I've done several skyline shots over the years and after looking through my extensive collection I still think this one is the best I've taken. Only thing is I posted it about six years ago, ah but you won't remember that now, will you?