Could be any old street

Mersey Street is just an ordinary East Hull street of neat two-up two-down terraced houses most with their little satellite dishes. It runs off Holderness Road down to a primary school whose tower you can see in the distance. Oh there's the Croda wind powered generator lurking in the distance but other than that it's just a plain old street where nothing dramatic happens except this and sadly this and many, many years ago children from the school were involved in this but apart from all that, as far as I can tell, it's just an ordinary street but who can tell?.

The Bank

I'm guessing this particular bank on Holderness Road didn't suffer too much in the recent financial crises. This old Hull Savings Bank despite no longer taking deposits seems to have no liquidity problems.

James Stuart JP

I've passed this statue on Holderness Road hundreds of times and thought that this guy must at least have been a famous politician, an MP or some such. I mean just look at the size of the pedestal. Turns out he was just some local councillor, president of the East Hull Liberal Association no less. He started a firm producing seed oil which eventually became British Oil & Cake Mills Ltd. So a big fish in a small pond. He is said to have been active in improving education in Hull (a truly sisyphean task). Apart from this I've no idea what he, as opposed to any other local bigwig, did  to merit such a statue, paid for by one Thomas Ferens, he of the art gallery. Normally this chap is adorned with a traffic cone to keep his head warm in the Winter nights but it's been so mild lately he's cast it off.

Half open or half shut?

Cottingham council offices

The latest news is that East Riding Council looks likely to freeze its council tax bills for the next year whilst at the same time cutting spending by £23 million. So we're paying the same but getting less in return, so no change there then. We don't know what little extras the parish council will come up with to pay for the flowers in the street and the increasingly objectionable Cottingham Day extravaganza. If government wanted to find a cut that would meet with almost universal approval then abolishing parish councils would be a sure winner. 

The Simpsons

Not Springfield, I'm afraid, but Spring Bank. 

Silos

Taken by Margot K Juby

These are the flour silos for Jackson's bakery near Spring Bank. If you like the smell of baking bread then you should hang around this spot as there's often a yummy yeasty  aroma to the air. Mind you that is the best part of Jackson's bread which is, like most factory made stuff, tasteless industrial rubber fit only to be thrown to the ducks.

Fool me once ...

I must admit when I first saw this glove I thought someone had left it behind that is until I tried to pick it up. It's made of iron and welded to the arm of the bench. This is in Beverley, the town that brings you hanging jerkins and jester's caps as part of its tourist trail.

The weekend in black and white is here.

Rainbow of sorts

For some reason my camera doesn't do rainbows so well. They turn out pale almost invisible. This is easily the best I've managed. If there's any truth in there being a pot of gold at the end of these things then I know just where to dig.

Yet more trees

Working on the principle that you can't have too many trees here's some more of the mile long stretch of plane trees on Cottingham Road. This bunch are by the entrance to the University. Plane trees are credited with cleaning up air pollutants which get  trapped in the bark which is then shed on the ground. They also shed fine leaf hairs during the Summer which some (that would be me) find irritating causing sneezing.

Danish Buildings

On High Street at the junction with Scale Lane Staithe, Danish Buildings was designed by William Botterill, a leading architect in Victorian Hull. I've no idea what its original purpose was, I could guess trade of some sort or other. Nowadays it has been split into units for the so-called creative industries.

Dockside buildings

As the evening descends on the old dockside buildings the place looks almost attractive.

The Weekend in Black and White is upon us again, here.

And Weekend Reflections is here.

Try again. Fail again. Fail better.

Beckett's encouraging words came to my mind when I read in the local paper the glad tidings (or sad news if you wish) that this beacon of 1960's design on Bond Street is destined to be demolished. This sprawling concrete edifice was meant to be the first part of a much grander scheme involving yet more concrete on the opposite side of the street with the two parts linked via a bridge. But as "half assed" are the first two words learnt round here it was (thankfully, some may say) never completed. For some reason the council has ended up owning it and it stands almost completely empty. The largest tenant is, ironically, the council's very own planning department, I know you're shocked to learn that there is a planning department ... Anyhow the council now wishes to sell it for re-development along with the street itself which could be narrowed as it's "underused". As I mentioned at the start my source for all this is a newspaper so take the above with a large pinch of salt.

Shovette

Nice name for a push tug, Shovette, here moored for some reason by the horse wash.

Lambert

I'm wondering, in that way that means I really don't care either way, whether this is the Lambert that Lambert Street is named after. I'm also mildly puzzled how such a heavy tombstone could get shifted. Either we have very strong vandals or Mr Lambert has been trying to get out ... 

A contender for boring photo of the year award?

I know, I know, another blue plaque, so blue, so boring but the story behind it is far from dull ...

Hull's link with the doomed ship Forfarshire is that it left Hull for Dundee a two days before the captain, John Humble, decided to put up the sails after the engines had failed rather than put into port and wait out the North-easterly gale that was to push the ship onto the rocks with much loss of life. It wasn't the first wreck nor yet the last and is only remembered now for the heroic deeds of young Grace Darling who put out to sea in the raging storm rescue some of the stranded folks. Those of you not familiar with the full story may like to visit this excellent site here.

This plaque, put up on the 150^th anniversary, is close to the old steam packet wharf from where the fated ship departed. The picture of the paddle steamer Forfarshire below appeared on the local paper's site and is of a painting in the Ferens art gallery.

Twitter-light Connections

Taken by Margot K Juby

My thanks to Margot for this, taken while I simply wanted to get home and put my feet up after a trek to Chanterlands Avenue last month and was feeling ever so slightly grumpish. I take responsibility for turning a rosy red sunset into monochrome.

The Weekend in Black and White has more and probably much better monochromes here. 

Twitter-light an old word that needs reviving.

A rare and world-renowned organ

These colourful pipes are part of Holy Trinity's "rare and world-renowned organ", the largest such parish organ in the land, so I'm informed. (I'm tempted to say size isn't everything when dealing with organs, but I rise above juvenile distraction). Don't ask me how it sounds since I've not heard anyone playing it. The church's website does, however, have a rather odd video of someone playing the Star Wars theme; should you be tempted it's here.

Did you know there was a national pipe organ register or that there was a British Institute for Organ Studies? Well you do now and here's all the technical stuff and more that you could possibly want to know on this impressive instrument.

PS. It's just been pointed out to me that this instrument is "reported playable but in poor condition" bit of a shame that. The church is today passing the begging bowl around for funds so if you've a spare bob in your pocket they take it off your hands.

29 Park Street

This used to be the Silhouette Club after it moved from Spring Bank in about 1990 then Spectrum then something to do with hypnosis. Now it's available to let. Behind that gaudy decoration I suspect a fine Victorian villa still lurks.

Last Year's Best

It being the day that it is it's time to chose the best of last year's efforts for City Daily Photo's theme day. I was going to show this one  as some kind of metaphor for being stuck in this place in the fog with the lights on amber but I thought that's way too self-indulgent (even for me) so here's a pretty Morning Glory. This has all the advantages of being bright, colourful and not in Hull.

You can see what other's thought of this theme here.

End of the year

The setting sun going down over Greenwood Avenue. This is one those interminable roads that service the North Hull Estate, a place that seems to have been designed by someone with a penchant for triangles and circles and where the roads seem not to head in any direction you want to go. I was only there to pick up a package from the Post Office ("We close at four, you know"). Took this on the way back with Margot's phone, not bad for a phone I thought.

So that's enough of 2013, not the best of years though any year you can see the end of can't be all bad. Happy New Year to anyone who reads this.

Abandoned Car Wash

As the year drifts off to its wet and windy close I thought a nice cheerful picture of abandonment was in order. The buildings in the background belong to the Reckitt's factory. Reckitt's have been in Hull since 1840 on that site on Dansom Lane, back then it was just a rented starch mill now the company is known as Reckitt Benckiser and produces a vast range of stuff from health and cleaning products to condoms and mustard.  

Another look at Prince Street

I've been going through some old photos since I've not been out and about getting any new ones and came upon these of Prince Street. Don't know why I didn't post them before when I had the chance. With its cobble stones and painted Georgian houses this street has, to me, an slightly unreal feel about it, a bit like a film set. It features in all the tourist 'must see when in Hull' lists and it doesn't disappoint. 

Blistering Barnacles!

Another in the long running non-series of fishy footpath plaques [ 1 ]; this one near the Minerva. Devotees of a well known Belgian cartoon character will no doubt recognise the catchphrase and so identify the fish. Others can look up the Latin.

St Stephen's Day

St Stephen's Day, the day after Christmas, signals the start of a rush to the shops to buy all those things you don't need with money you haven't got. At least that is the dream of the retailers. It is also known as Boxing Day presumably for the number of spontaneous boxing matches held in the overcrowded car parks of the area. Other odd things that happen on this day include hundreds of otherwise sane people splashing about in the cold sea (for charity, we are told), near where I was brought up they have sword-dancing and in some parts of Ireland wrens go in peril ... I feel sure there are lots more silly things going on in the world; as for me I shall be having my Christmas dinner today since I didn't feel like having it yesterday.   So Season's Greetings to one and all.

Weakest Link

Exceptional conditions show up the vulnerable spots in any defense. So it was earlier this month when the highest tide ever recorded breached Hull's defenses at this spot by the Albert Dock. There's local dispute as to whether or not the dock gates failed but what is known is that the dock quay was overtopped by a couple of feet and water rushed across town as far as Ferensway. There's another predicted spring tide round about New Year's Day, let's hope there's no low pressure system wandering down the North Sea at that time.

Use Alternative Routes

Those that make these sort of decisions chose the week before Christmas to suture one of the already sclerotic arteries that feed and drain the cyanotic city of Hull. As a result there have been daily thromboses in the western approaches. Radical surgery may be needed to by-pass the whole gangrenous mess. The patient remains in intensive care ...

The season of goodwill to all men ...

...with some exceptions, perhaps.

Collateral Damage

In that continuation of politics by other means that went by the name of World War Two a bomb dropped by a German aircraft landed here on Beverley Road and neatly destroyed a house leaving this gap. I don't know if there were any casualties in this case though many hundreds did die in the air raids. It's an all too common sight in Hull to see a row of houses with an odd gap often grassed over or filled with a modern building, where a home has been wiped out by war. This just one of thousands in Hull destroyed or damaged and Hull just one of the hundreds of towns and cities across the world blighted by the failure of politicians to do their job without recourse to high explosive. Only today I read that  this destruction goes on in dirty little wars in far away places that we now fight by remote control from airbases in Lincolnshire. 

Red Sky at Night

Ever had an afternoon hunting for the unobtainable in the shops, well I've just had one of those. I took this as I wended my weary way home this evening. Those old plane trees on Cottingham Road make impressive silhouettes now they've finally lost their leaves. Oh and forget that saying about a red sky at night being a shepherd's delight because the forecast for tomorrow is wet and windy. 

J R R Tolkien: who he?

I've got to admit to a guilty secret; I've never read anything written by J R R Tolkien. Just about everyone I know has read LOTR and/or the Hobbit but somehow tales of hobbits, elves, Middle Earth and whatnot just left me cold. Anyhow I've heard he's big box-office these days with a new piece just released, needless to say I haven't seen the films either, I'm truly an uncultured yob. This new blue plaque was put in place on the Dennison Centre, Cottingham Road,  part of the University, after someone did a bit of detective work and figured that was the building where he convalesced. Quite how that is significant I can't imagine. No doubt this tenuous link will play part in the upcoming Year of Culture. Speaking of which there's a charming tale of Hull City football fans taunting visiting supporters with chant's of "You're only here for the culture". What a fine city!

Smiles all round

A year ago I posted about this shop. It was empty, had been for quite some time and, well given the rents asked, looked likely to stay that way. Well look at it now, all spruced up and open for business. I had to smile to see it so and I smiled even more when I found out what 'Šypsena' means. 

A stroll in the park

Paid an end of year visit to East Park partly to check if the goosanders have arrived (they have) and partly because East Park is never dull even on a damp and dreary December afternoon. And so it was that my progress was halted by a long file of greylags taking their evening promenade in such an orderly fashion along this tree lined avenue.

Price of petrol

Chanterlands Avenue

There was a time when petrol was sold by the good old imperial gallon. I remember my father moaning many, many years ago that the price of a gallon was threatening to rise to five shillings (25p in the new money)! Now we've all supposedly gone metric but just about the only things sold by litres are wine and petrol. So the price you see here is 130.9p for a litre of the smelly stuff. How they pay that 0.9p is a mystery known only to accountants. A quick back of the packet of cigarettes calculation makes that £6.26 a gallon. I shudder to think what the Aged P would make of that. As you all know I don't drive so I don't care.

The Stadium Church

Sitting at the junction of the Boulevard and Anlaby Road this is St Matthew's church. It was built in 1870 to accommodate the expanding city's spiritual needs. Whether or not it managed that I don't know but it's still open for business after all these years unlike many other Victorian churches built at that time. The church's website informs me that it has a special ministry for sport and also for the annual Hull Fair. The church has taken to calling itself the Stadium Church due its closeness to the KC Stadium though the latter has far bigger (all paying) congregations.

Shopping Arcade Blues

I have posted before about the two Victorian arcades in the town centre, Hepworth Arcade and Paragon Arcade. They are cosy little places with small independent retailers and built on a human scale. That was the style at the time and things are different now. In St Stephens nothing is on a human scale and there seems to be no small independent shops; they're all national or international stores from Next to H&M to the biggest Tesco's imaginable. It's all bit cold, soulless and dispiriting, a bit like those floating daleks pretending to be Christmas trees.

Flooding

All today the news has been about an expected storm surge down the east coast. Tonight though the Tidal Surge Barrier has done its job and kept out the surge in other areas the Humber has come over the defenses and flooded parts of the city. The levels peaked at the highest ever recorded. As I write (8.30pm) areas to the west of the city, Hessle Road and Hessle itself are under water and suffering power cuts. Ferensway is under water along with the A63/Castle Street. People have been evacuated from around Victoria Dock. I've heard that the traffic lights are out of action and there's gridlock in town. It's a big mess really though the buses are still running so civilisation has not ground to a halt. High tide has passed but there two more high tides tomorrow that are a cause for concern. Meanwhile the surge carries on down the coast with evacuations in progress and the real prospect of considerable damage but hopefully no loss of life.

Twinkle twinkle

The stars are out at St Stephen's shopping arcade. Something to do with an upcoming event at the end of the month I fear.

Wellington Boot

Just passed this pub on Russell Street and noticed the interesting sign. I once entered this pub more than thirty years ago and left pretty pronto as the place stank like an open latrine. I can only hope it has improved since then. A local historian has written a piece about this place and you can read it here.

Looking Out Again

I could have used this for yesterday's theme day of 'Looking Out'. This is another shot of the Voyage that sits gazing out at the Humber opposite the Deep. I hadn't seen it lit up for the night before and I rather like the green glow.

You can catch up with the theme day here.

Looking out

Here's our Jack who was just idling staring as cats are wont to do when a racing pigeon landed on the windowsill. I don't know who was more surprised. Pigeons are supposed to fly straight home aren't they? This one stopped around for a few days before going on its way (at least I hope it did and the cat didn't catch up with it!). It's not a particularly good shot of either the cat or the pigeon but it does show what a jungle the garden gets in Summer and the windows could do with a clean.

It's the first of the month and the City Daily Photo theme is 'Looking Out'. You can see what others have done with this here.

Princes Dock after dark

With these early sunsets I suppose I'd better practice taking shots at night but I won't be carrying a tripod round with me, too much faffing about. Here's a few from around Princes Dock, I don't think they're too shaky, a little grainy maybe but I'm sure there's a cure for that. Change the ISO I'm thinking. Maybe if I read the manual I'd know all the tricks of the camera ...

Never Yawn

It's been a while (in May actually, who knows where that old time goes?) since I've been round the Humber Street area so coming across this artwork/graffiti on Martin's Alley was a pleasant surprise. It's just about all that remains now of this year's Hull Sesh a Summer festival that attracts thousands to this part of town. If the picture looks a bit dull that's because taking photos at four pm on a late November day is probably not a good idea as the sunsets at about quarter to four ....

Xmas and all that jazz

After yesterday's village illuminations here's how the big town lights up. Above is Whitefriargate with its canopy of  glittery delight. The tree in Queen Victoria Square this year changes colour every few seconds and I must admit is probably the best tree for many years, someone had the bright idea of turning off the nearby street lights so it shows off better. I remember one year the tree was so puny it had to be replaced and on the whole the trees have been a bit of a disappointment. Not that I'm that much into Xmas and all that jazz, you understand, but if you're going to do it at all you may as do it well..