Grand Buildings

Across the street from yesterday's offering are these three survivors of the planner's ball and chain and Hitler's bombs. To begin with the middle building since that's the oldest; this was once the White House Hotel built in 1891 but the front was built in 1909. It was a Temperance Hotel, strictly no alcohol. To the right another former hotel, the Waverley Hotel built in 1903, this now houses the Masters Bar pub. Off to the left and featuring splendid stepped gables King Albert Chambers built in 1923 (so that's Albert 1^st of Belgium). So three buildings with differing styles from the exuberant (over-the-top perhaps) Edwardian red brick and cream of the Waverley, the more restrained temperance hotel and finally the Flemish renaissance revival style of the KAC. Contrast that with the modern, no frills, cheap and nasty box across the street.
All buildings now house businesses and apartments and all three are of course Grade 2 listed.

Bland Buildings

Here, stitched together from several shots, is the inappropriately named Grand Buildings on Jameson Street. This block replaced a building that housed the Hull Daily Mail and a few other shops. That old building wasn't much to look at but it was a lot more attractive than this in my humble opinion (see a picture taken just before demolition here). Tomorrow I'll show some grand buildings that still remain on Jameson Street.

The Tannenbaum is deepest red

In town yesterday I came across this. Well now I have no time for superstitions and the follies of Xmas leave me cold but this is just plain wrong. A bright red Xmas tree for heavens sake! And still on display after 12^th night well now that's just so much bad luck, donchaknow. But as this is Barclay's they're probably too busy fixing the financial indices to notice.

One law for them and another law for us

How long do you think this building has been allowed to be like this? 6 months? A year? Two? Nope for over fourteen years this atrocious eyesore and blight to the amenity of the area has stood empty, vandalised and damaged by fire. Strange then that the Council have done nothing to make the owners tidy it up, clear out the weeds and properly board it up. Stranger still that the same Council have pressured a disabled woman whose property is nearby with threats of legal action because she is unable to clear her garden.

This was once Blundell Street Board School opened in 1878. Blundell Street is long gone but the building remains. Twenty-five  or more years ago this building it was a School of Architecture; then it became the University of Humberside Student Union with the fancy name of the Strand (there's a Strand Close nearby). Then that closed in the late nineties and the the fun and games started. The vandals (educated no doubt in Hull's schools) got in and ripped the place apart, there were numerous fires, the back of the building has no roof. Now it's just a festering sore and the people who live nearby have just got put up with it because the Council say "No!" to plans to demolish and build accommodation. One can only hope that one day Hull City Council get what is coming to it.

Silver Street

Here with its seasonal decoration dimly glittering in the late afternoon light is Silver Street. It continues eastwards from Whitefriargate to Lowgate in the distance. It has a mixture of businesses mainly connected with the legal and financial side of life. At each end there are former clearing banks, splendid buildings, that now are taken over with coffee bars and similar. Running off the street is Hepworth's Arcade on the right and a mediaeval passage way to Ye Olde White Hart pub on the left.

All fur coat and no knickers

Taken by Margot K Juby

A few  years ago, (was it really in 1999?) well any way, before the present bankers induced financial mess, Hull City Council decided to sell off half its stake in the local telephone company, Kingston Communications. The sale gave the council a windfall which was spent on various things including sprucing up the city. Everything got a new coat of paint and where possible some gold paint as well which is why even this rubbish bin has gold trimming. 

I was going to make some clever remark about there being eyes peering out of the bin but you're all too grown up to be taken in by that.

Goodfellowship and a little gripe

The Goodfellowship pub is just along the road from my house so would probably classify as my local were I ever to partake of beverages of an alcoholic nature. As pubs go this is big, verging on enormous with an extension off to the left that's out of shot. It's really not my scene.

It seems to be the norm now to ride your bicycle on the pavement. It's illegal, of course, but nothing is ever done about it. When I was young only little kiddies rode on the pavement and we couldn't wait to grow up and ride on the road like proper grown ups. Needless to say there is a proper marked out cycle lane but, hey, it's not cool to use that.