Stepping Up

Blanket Row

This is the oddly named Blanket Row near the Arc buildings. The building with the windows used to be a Post Office, if my memory serves me right, but it's empty now and behind that wall lies an empty space. The rest of the street is made up mainly of parking lots, some of which are no longer in use and at the other end there are a few warehouses. It's a place that could use a bit of regeneration.
If you follow the link on the advertisement you come across a group calling itself Hullbondholders. It's a collection of 190 companies and individuals who have paid to promote Hull and all things Hull. Now I'm sure they do a magnificent job in this respect with their networking and so on. What struck me as odd, however, was the make up of this group; so many law firms, accountants, media types, communications specialists (?), business coaches (???) and businesses that help other businesses find places to do business and so on and so forth. It's a whole eco-sphere of creatures, call them entrepreneurs if you must, making a living from each other's existence but seemingly not actually producing anything tangible at the end of the day. Maybe I'm missing something but whatever it is they are doing none of them seem to want to step up and regenerate Blanket Row any time soon.

Puddle tree

Snuff Mill Lane, Cottingham

The Weekend in Black and White is here.
Weekend Reflections are here.

Priory Cottage

What does word 'cottage' conjur up for you? A small, thatched affair maybe or perhaps some artisan's dwelling; certainly not, I suspect, something like this substantial five bedroomed quasi-mansion that sits on Northgate in Cottingham. Built around 1854 it comes with very large gardens. It's for sale and should you be tempted  the asking price is just a shade under £400,000, but you get a lot of 'cottage' for all that.

Unlimited chips and more ...

Sign at the local pub offers a gastronomic delight ... just wondering what the 'more' tastes like and if there'll  be room left after the french fries...

C word on Vermont Street

I mentioned earlier how the local phone monopoly was painting up their cable cabinets with bits of what it likes to call culture. Here's the Humber Bridge gracing the end of Vermont Street, just next to that church they're demolishing that I showed yesterday. The artist, Katie Spencer, says the bridge represents "the pinnacle of Hull: togetherness and community". I promise not to post any more of these things, if you are remotely interested (and why wouldn't you be) there's a web page with all the current images and a dinky little map here. (There's almost certainly gong to be more, they'll spread like toads).

Acquired on behalf of clients

This is, or rather was, the Newland United Reformed Church on Beverley Road. It had stood empty for as long as I can remember and is now being reformed but in a more disunited way. I don't know what is to become of the site, I'll let it come as a surprise.

Ppick up a penguin

Imagine, if you can, that you're a flightless bird from the Southern hemisphere used to ranging up to 16 miles a day in the ocean for your food and living in groups of dozens  if not hundreds of your fellow birds. OK I know that being a penguin is not everyone's idea of fun but I expect penguins are having a blast. That is until the concerned conservationists get you in their bleeding heart sights. Then they'll whisk you up to be an exhibit in this state of the art animal prison with a new home that "runs over three floors and features a swimming pool, diving pool, beach area, nesting area and the penguins very own outdoor balcony with views overlooking the River Humber". It's been built with your "penguin comforts in mind". Whoop-de-doo!

From March 3 you can, for a not inconsiderable fee, stand and gawp at five unfortunate Gentoo penguins as they 'perform' for your entertainment in a £750,000 exhibit. The place says it's "For Conservation, not profit" well phooey! This is just a vile crowd puller and nothing whatsoever to do with conservation. At a similar venue in Scarborough the penguins are being dosed with anti-depressants probably to stop them drowning themselves ...