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The Greek is on Princes Avenue. This place used to be a fish and chip restaurant for a short while a couple of years ago ...

and before that it was probably the best off licence in the world ...

and there was no before that as far as I am concerned.

(That's three pictures I've finally found a use for.)

Oblique Cut Through

The walls of this old outhouse run not at right angles to the street it's on but to the road behind giving an odd effect. This is Duesberry Street, not the sort place an innocent visitor to Hull would or should wander down by choice; it once led to a railway line that's now a foot/cyclepath. It's a short cut through to Beverley Road from Princes Avenue, the  haunt of ne'er-do-wells and worse much like this blog which has been cutting through stuff at odd angles on and off for eight years now.

Window Pain

I guess an eatery by the name of Roosters Plaice (sic) might not be to everyone's taste and so it came to pass that the business closed several years ago. Since when it's been empty and, as is the style in these parts, it has attracted the attention of those who think creation comes through destruction. I heard of plans for a gym for this building on Princes Avenue but that was some time ago and it's still empty.

Albert

Albert has had to wait six years for his appearance in this blog due to a slight aversion on my part to anything batrachian. It's been three years since my last toady post so allow me a small indulgence while I clear these old photos out of the waiting list. This fine fellow squats (he may have hopped off by now; it's been a while!) by the entrance to the Pearson pub on Princes Avenue. If you have no idea what Hull's Toad fixation was consider yourself lucky and count your blessings.

Airy BnB

The massive influx of visitors to the cultural offerings has led to an extraordinary demand for accommodation. This radical solution offers fine views of Pearson Park and excellent transport facilities.

The Florist

This was taken in December when it seems there was a market for wreaths of holly and mistletoe and other Yuletide paraphernalia; how long ago that seems now. Hollyhocks is on Princes Avenue and seems to be blooming.

Let's have a butchers ...

Here is Princes Avenue's sole remaining butcher's shop, T L Norman. Now it's been called T L Norman for longer than I've lived in Hull but Mr Norman retired a while ago and it's now run by some body else. Looking for something to say about this I found that there used to be six butchers on the avenue, I can only remember two others. They are now either a café or a bar along with just about every other shop that used to trade in this street.

This miserable year appears to have run out of days ... more of the same tomorrow then! Oh and remember; “Better the butcher than the meat.”. 

Over the shoulder shot

Is there some photographic etiquette about these things? The guy with the expensive camera and tripod and all the trimmings seemed to be taking an age to get it just right, whereas yours truly just pops up points the damn thing, checks it's somewhat in focus and click and moves on. Today's image is from yesterday's Vista Festival on Princes Avenue. I'd never heard of it before but it turns out to be a once every two year thing where they close off the road and have poetry readings, singers, pottery stalls, arty stuff, dancing in the street and so on. Not everything was entirely crowd pulling; this poor guy was playing away and no-one seemed to pay him any attention save  a guy with a tripod and a weird guy who just popped up and took a photo and moved on. 

A goodly crowd turned up braving the Bank Holiday Weekend weather of sunshine and heavy showers. 

Artlink

Artlink seems to have been going for as long as I've been living in these parts. It's a sort of community arts thing with a gallery in what was part of the methodist church on Princes Avenue. I'm not much taken with the idea of community art (the two words just don't sit together for me) and I have not set foot in the place. I did read recently they got some money from whoever doles out the stuff these days so they'll be happy for the time being and nicely set up for the culture fest that arrives in two and half years time.

Art work with arty symbols

Arty gates

Pauline Gift's Shop

If you peer closely you can still make out the name Pauline gently fading with the passing years. That would be Pauline Gift, who died two years ago. She ran this shop on Princes Avenue for over 20 years and other shops before that. You see I have a problem with this; when she died they kind of made out she was some sort of eccentric legend, they even made a play about her. Now she seemed pretty ordinary to me, shuffling her stock on a bicycle down Prinny Ave seemed normal to me anyways, she was just a nice lady. And this will always be Pauline's Gift Shop.

The White House

It's coming to something when a conversion of a pair of old railway cottages to a taxi office is looked on as some sort of 'good' thing. This newly painted up pair were destined to be converted into yet another restaurant to go along with the dozen or so others on Princes Avenue. A steel and glass extension was to have been clagged onto the side to "combine the best features of the period dwellings with high quality, sustainable design" (judge for yourself  here). The owners now feel there is "an over-provision of restaurants in the area" oh really? Surely not ...

Silly Cow

On Princes Avenue

Probably best to say as little as possible about this ...

Linnet and Lark

"Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters."

The Linnet and Lark on Princes Avenue was once a second hand car dealers and from appearances hasn't changed much, out with the rusting cut-and-shuts and in with fizzy beer pumps add a bit of what is called entertainment  from 'up and coming  local talent' (this goes by the soubriquet of 'The Sesh'; session being too difficult a word to remember) and leave the rest to your imagination. Oh I forgot to mention the large TV showing football matches, which apparently attracts the sort of crowd you might expect it to attract.

The church lurking in the background dates from the time (1897ish) when there were no pubs at all on Princes Avenue, yes I know that is difficult to believe when it seems every building on the street is now in the refreshment trade. It was built as a Pentecostal church but now belongs to the Elim Pentecostals, the difference is no doubt as great as that between selling cars or beer ...

Get stuck in!

At the end of a busy day the working man deserves nothing less than a hearty meal and an ice cold pint of the amber nectar. He might also like a little privacy and not have some prying person point a camera at him from a passing bus but, hey, you can't have everything.

The months just fly by these days and here's another one starting up which can only mean one thing: theme day at City Daily Photo where for want of anything better 'zest' was plucked out of the dictionary and flung down as a challenge. See who has been bold (or stupid) enough to take it up here.

Capital P

At the corner of Princes Avenue and Spring Bank the newly painted and recently relaunched Pearsons pub is all that it appears to be. A late 1990's attempt at the 1870's Victorian look that fails miserably; so that what was an attempt to blend in becomes quite an eyesore. Better to have built something modern than this throwback. The pub originally opened as the Old Zoological which was also a bit cheeky considering the original Zoological built in about 1840/50 (and a right old dive if ever there was one) was demolished several years before this newcomer.

The Weekend in Black and White begins here.

The naughty knicker shop

Pause and sigh at the passing of Gwenap; Britain's (possibly the World's) longest established 'adult' store on Princes Avenue. Gwenap opened in 1903 selling dresses and hats but with the advent of the 70's it specialised in selling titillating underwear and, erm, other items. It was then run, I'm told, by a pair of elderly ladies who would shout, in quavering voices, questions such as "Where are the crotchless panties, dear?". It was famous for it's cheeky messages and signs. When local MP and Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott was found to be in a relationship with his secretary a sign appeared saying "Politicians Welcome!" Well, times change and fashions as well and the shop is now a boutique but not for much longer, for today it closes. You can, of course, still get your frills  and thrills on-line.

View from the top

Perhaps I should take more photos from the top deck of the bus; the main drawbacks are the dirty windows and thr reflections. Still, with a little practice, it might be worth the effort. Here's Princes Avenue where yesterday's shot was also taken on the way into town.

Pave

Pave is one of the many cafés and bars that have opened in the Avenues area. It's name is an abbreviation of P(rinces) Ave(nue). It's website claims "By day, this is the place to meet, chat and enjoy the papers. By night, Pave buzzes."

Licenced to chill

I admire the understated modesty of this store. 

Blame It on the Bossa Nova

There will be no more salsa nights at Pier Luigi's since it closed in October last year, a victim of the recession and the banksters' greed. I passed it the other day and this was the only sign of the once thriving Italian restaurant on Princes Avenue. The builders had moved in and were busy 'doing up' the place.