Venn Diagram

It is a little known fact that I used to be employed by Hull University (not for long, I hasten to add). In my day this was the Admin Building and the Biochemistry Department, where I was supposed to be working, was housed in what seemed to be the attic. Since then a fashion for naming buildings after famous people has overtaken the place and so this late 1920s building is named after Dr John Venn Sc.D, FRS, FSA and senior President of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. Yes, he of the Venn diagram so beloved of modern logic. He was born in Hull in 1834 but spent precious little time here and died four years before Hull University was opened (lucky man).

Western Cemetery

The Western Cemetery is essentially an extension of the Spring Bank cemetery [1, 2] opened in 1889 and still in use. It is across the railway line from the site of Hull Fair which you can see in the background. Most of the early memorials are showing signs of aging except for this one to Zebedee Scaping. Who he? My searches show he was born in Eton then went to the Royal Hospital School which has connections with the Navy. Later he becomes the headmaster of Trinity House school in Hull, a position he held for fifty-five years and, as this monument says, is  known in "every port and on every sea". I've managed to find a photo of him here , he's the one with the beard. The memorial was restored and regilded a few years ago and looks as it must have done when new.

Zeb married Georgiana Harriette Fury in Dublin in 1859, his occupation as that time is described as "Esquire", those were the days, eh!. From census records I found they had a son, also called Zebedee, well it would have been a shame to lose such a fine name.

If you like wandering round cemeteries why not wander over to Taphophile Tragics and see what others have posted.

Something a bit different

On my way to Hull Fair last week I passed this van which for some reason caught my eye, can't think why ...

Deep Muddy One

The river Hull when it enters the Humber is a completely different beast to the crystal clear chalk stream that rises out of the Wolds. I guess those old Scandinavians and Celts were both right.

Here's the tidal surge barrier's reflection in that deep muddy river Hull.

Before and after

This old dry dock is right at the mouth of the river Hull, opposite the Deep. It used to be home to a Manx steamboat that was used as a nightclub but that sailed off into the sunset ten or more years ago. Unfortunately when it left they couldn't close the dock gates, so for a decade the mud and silt of the Humber has washed in and filled it up completely. The owners of the site are planning to make some kind of tourist attraction out of it so they have cleaned it up with a hosepipe and a pump with the result you now see. The dock gates have now been sealed so they won't have to do it all over again.

Fly in the ointment

Just outside Driffield the river Hull passes round an eyot and at this time of year everything's turning nicely Autmnal. The river is very clear and you can see some really big fish in it. All in all very nice, almost bucolic. 

Shame then that right behind you is Bradshaw's grain mill with its constant noise of turbines driven by the river and deliveries from big lorries.

Hull Fair

It's that time of year again, when Europe's largest travelling fair parks itself in west Hull for a week. It's as popular as ever and as ever there's dozens of food stalls in case the fairgoers should get peckish, choose from burgers, candy floss, chips, donuts and kingsize hotdogs and much else. The big handsome doggy is called Lou and seems to be a regular at the fair.