Victims of the recessions

Even when times were good Hull has always had its pockets of economic failure. Somehow the benefits of growth never seemed to trickle down this far, mysteriously drying up on the way. Bond Street is one particular island of gloom. I showed you one side of the street a while back. The building across the street is a victim of the recession. Not the present one nor yet the last one; no, this building has been empty for  years. It once was a department store built just after WW2 to replace a bombed out store.  In the 30 years or so that I've lived in Hull I've only known this building open for a few months as an amusement arcade. In 2008 plans were drawn up to convert to flats but we all know happened in 2008 ...

Next door is the old Co-operative store, this has been shut for almost as long as the other building. The front half of this building is the BHS store I showed you sometime back and that seems to be doing fine. I really can't see much of a future for these buildings, not as stores anyway, given that there is a brand new glass and steel shopping centre just around the corner and if they failed in the good times how are they going to make in the bad?  

Orb

Call me an old cynic if you like but when a construction firm donates a 'sculpture' to the council I smell that old rotten haddock odour gently wafting through the corridors of power. To avoid litigaton I will draw no conclusions from the coincidence of the erection of this thing and the construction in 1984 of the new Freetown Way alongside. I know not who made this but it does make an excellent ramp for skateboarders. It has the name 'Orb'; I suppose 'Backhander' was too hard to spell.

Gloomy Outlook

When the sky has that eerie glow in it you just know it doesn't mean you well. 

Music while you walk

On the first cool day of Autumn my spirits were lifted by this quartet playing Latin American music to the passing crowds as they made their way home. While many were impresed and left a little something for the band I don't think this lady was in the mood.

Zebras Crossing

Recruitment agency advert; does it work for you?

Autumn is over the long leaves that love us

Parliament Street

This is Parliament Street an elegant collection of fine Georgian houses. The construction of this street required an act of Parliament (hence the name) and was the start of the end of the old mediaeval layout of Hull as it cut through old buildings and alleyways to the town walls which were in the process of being demolished to make way for a new dock. Nowadays the street houses law firms and recruitment agencies.