R38 Disaster Memorial

You'll no doubt have heard of the Hindenberg disaster in which 35 were killed when a hydrogen filled airship caught fire onlanding in New Jersey; I doubt you'll have much awareness of a similar disaster sixteen years earlier that claimed even more lives in the skies near Hull. On August 23^rd 1921 an R38 airship was completing its trials from Howden, when it broke up and crashed into the Humber near Hull's Victoria Pier claiming 44 lives and putting the brakes on the British airship industry. This memorial in the Western Cemetery has two plaques one for the British and one for the US aircrew. Several crew members are interred beneath this memorial.

There similar posts over at Taphophile Tragics.

Under the Beech

So to Beverley Westwood in search of some Autumn colour. Surprisingly most trees were still mainly green and to make matters worse the sky was overcast and dull. So I had to make do with this massive beech.

Sensory Garden

Tucked away on North Bar Within, Beverley is the Coronation Garden. It was formerly the burial ground of St Mary's church across the street and the gravestones still line the edge of the gardens. At the western end a 'Sensory Garden' has been planted where, to quote a nearby sign, "the scent of aromatic plants, shrubs and trees, the stir of the leaves and grasses in the wind, the particular range of colours and textures, the sound and touch of water, all conmbine to make a varied appeal to the senses." I don't know that I'd go that far but it's a nice enough little garden. The garden was created in 2005 and the local paper has news of further extensions and improvements including fixing the fountain which wasn't working when I was there.

I found a brief history of Coronation gardens online here.

Supermarket Forces

There was a livestock market in Beverley from the mid 19th century until 2001. At one time it was the biggest pig market in the country (East Yorkshire is big on pigs). Despite this it became unprofitable and Beverley Corporation sold it off. It continued to decline and eventually was closed; the site was cleared and sold to another sort of market, a supermarket.  This plaque commemorates the market and is by the entrance to Tesco's emporium on New Walkergate.

Foreseeable Consequence

A few years ago the government, not the present austerity mongers but the previous boomsters, wanted to introduce looser controls on the sale of alcohol. Pubs could open twenty-four hours a day if they wanted and there was an easing on conditions of granting licenses. The result was an massive increase in the number of pubs and bars. There were those who warned that this would lead to increased drunkenness but these wise counsels went unheeded, people were supposed to drink responsibly and a 'continental drinks culture' would suddenly burst forth. It didn't work, the city centre became a hell on earth every Friday and Saturday night soaking up massive police and ambulance resources. Something had to be done. This sign is part of the attempt to reduce drunken behaviour; there's also recently been introduced banning orders on drunks, if they're in the city centre they get arrested. Reports in the local paper say these measures seem to be working but it's all a bit repressive and draconian to my way of thinking. And those responsible for this mess drink themselves blind on subsidised booze in the House of Commons' bars. Make mine a double ...

Hammonds of Hull

I've seen this building described as "the best surviving postwar department store" I wonder what that says about the rest. This is House of Fraser or Binns or Hammonds depending on your age. The original Hammonds store was a grand palatial affair destroyed along with several employees in May 1941 by German bombs. What you see here was opened in the early fifties [see photo , health and safety people should not click on this link] and has little appeal to me. I've read that fans of the building fear it may be lost in the redevelopment of the city; shame then that the redevelopment is on hold.

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).