Tre Kronor

Guildhall, Hull

It's a little known fact the Hull was once a Swedish city and that there was much trade with that Baltic country in medieval times that continues to this day. This explains the accent of native born Hull folk and also how Hull's coat of arms has three crowns on it exactly like the Swedish coat of arms and the ever so similar the three crowns over the stadshus of Stockholm. Sweden's ice hockey team wear three crowns on their shirts as do Hull's two Rugby League sides. It's all very sub rosa and embarrassing as the English like to think the king in Kingston upon Hull was an English King when in fact it was one of the Gustavs or maybe a Magnus I forget for the moment. Sadly, or more likely stupidly, wars have been fought over these three damned crowns. Hull's three crowns are even protected by an Act of Parliament. All this hidden history is so little appreciated that you could say I just made it all up. It's the heat, Carruthers, the damned heat....

The weekend in black and white is here.

Real history people have little or no idea about these three crowns either as you can find out here.

Say it with padlocks

As the Parisian Pont des Arts padlock affair came to a close the other week so a new one springs up here at the Victoria Pier. These, as far as I can tell, are unlike the French version not symbols of undying love but acts of remembrance to lost family members, not so much matched as dispatched shall we say. There are wreaths and little cards with those sickly doggerel verses that accompany death notices in newspapers. This is a most unwelcome development and symptomatic of the increasing desire for public displays of 'grief'. The place, which attracts many visitors for its views across and along the Humber, is in danger of becoming a morbid eyesore. 

Hanging around

This poor girl has been hanging around with the blood going to her head for over a year now and by rights I should have posted this last year with all the others from the day given over to celebrate Hull's selection as the City of Culture (here). But I didn't and so luckily for me (and for you, my joyful reader!) I can post it for this month's collection of all things upside down by the people at City Daily Photo.

Cranky

I think the heat may be getting to me and it's only the first day of what is billed (by weather people with big smiles you would love to hit with a wet fish) as a heatwave. Well I know 28°C is hardly going to cook your brains but I do NOT do hot. I'll probably aestivate if it carries on much longer... 

It seems I spoke too soon

The non-going drama of the repairs to Victoria Pier continues to enthral spectators. It's been eighteen months now of non-stop inactivity. In March I wondered whether the arrival of these large beams meant that the end of the road was in sight. I need not have worried. 

Don't ask me ....

..'cos I haven't a clue. This fragile rusting thing attached to some boards hangs in an alley off Humber Street. I can make out the words 'The Monitor Loops' or perhaps 'The Loops Monitor'. It obviously meant something to someone at some time.

Big Lifter

The mess that is Humber Street clearly requires some heavy lifting and in a narrow street a big crane has to go up and over both sides to get the new metal work in place. Even with this machine the street will no doubt still be an array of scaffolding and supports by the time of the Humber Street Sesh in August when thousands will descend upon it in search of entertainment.