Four weeks to go

Here's a sample of Cottingham's seasonal lights which are generally admitted to be far superior to those of the neighbouring big town.

What a waste

OK this is another rubbish post ... I liked the peeling paint and dribbling rust on the pillar. This is somewhere off Clough Road in the back of beyond.

The Adelphi Club

A few days ago I casually posted a massive bomb atop the Adelphi Club without saying anything about the actual club. This was remiss of me as the Adelphi is one of Hull's cultural hotspots. The Adelphi Club on De Grey Street looks like a terraced house that's because it is or was a terraced house. It opened twenty-six years ago because the owner wanted to go downstairs in his home and see a band play. Over the years it has grown the reputation as a premier underground music club. Its charm has to be its small size and the Bus bar (don't ask).

Meet the new bank, same as the old bank.

A few months ago this Lloyds bank turned overnight into a TSB. This, I've read, was to increase competition among the retail banks (no, I couldn't believe that either). I doubt it'll make much difference to one man and his dog.

Looking good

My what a difference a coat of paint makes (along with hours and hours of hard work). Here is what was the Dorchester Hotel on Beverley Road. It closed a few years ago and was subjected to the now usual attacks from vandals and metal thieves (for a peek inside click here) and was left for long enough boarded up and looking pretty grim as you can see from a pic taken two years ago. (Would it be churlish to mention at this point that there is a police station directly opposite this building and still the destruction went on? Humberside Police "Protect, Help, Reassure", yeah right!)

The building is actually three Victorian villas built in the 1860's after Pearson Park opened just behind them. They were cobbled together to make what at one time was a 58 bedroom hotel later reduced to 25 after renovation in 2002. Even adding a nightclub couldn't save it. I think its position on the run down slummed down end of Beverley Road couldn't have helped. This year, however, it has been taken in hand and is looking good. I not quite sure what the plans are for it but I suspect it is returning to private accommodation. 

Who stole Xmas?

Taken by Margot K Juby

This year it seems that Christmas on Newie Ave¹ has been cancelled, or rather the Chriggy lights have been cancelled due to lack of interest or funds or maybe the Grinch stole them. We are promised they'll be back next year and you must never break a promise to a child ... All is not lost though as there's going to be a Christmas 'event' next Wednesday when the road will be closed for the evening and there'll fairground rides and stalls and maybe Santa will pop in for a glass of sherry. Ho! Ho! Ho!

1 Newland Avenue, someone is going to have to compose a glossary of local terms for all those cultural visitors.

The C word

I suspect there may be a few sore heads this morning in Hull after the announcement that the city was to be awarded the City of Culture thingy. Never being one to shy away from pouring cold water on things it occurs to me that with one hand the Government has taken away from the city over £40 million in cuts to grants (things are so bad that the Council cannot afford to run elections next year) while with the other it (via various agencies see below) doles out a special "treat" of £12 million to be paid three years hence. The old phrase to lose a shilling and find a penny springs to mind.

Today's picture shows an overnight installation that appeared on the Adelphi Club (a place that will no doubt gain from this Culture dosh). It's meant to be a culture bomb about to explode and no doubt shower us all in the C word. Expect three more years of this c...

I like many others assumed that this money was to come from the government. Not a bit of it. In the next three years the city of culture people have to raise £12 million (or is it £15 million? the figure keeps changing) from sponsorship and national lottery money. This being the case the presence of a government minister in all this becomes even stranger.