Saturday, 28 March 2015

À la recherche du temps perdu or whatever


For no particular reason here is the Anlaby Road end of Midland Street from the station car park. The place hasn't changed much, if at all, in the time I've known it. Joynson's have been in that building since the 1890's selling kitchen equipment. I have to admit to a certain, possibly irrational, disliking of this street, indeed in an another post I called it seedy. When I first came to this town I was looking for digs and a B&B was recommended to me on Midland Street. I don't think I'd ever seen a more run down Dickensian flea-pit in all my then young life. It's not often I run away but that day I ran. Always a slight shudder when going past this place.

Weekend reflections are here.

Friday, 27 March 2015

Floreat GB

Humber Street, Hull
What does this GB stand for? Gor Blimey, Gordon Bennett, Geoffrey Boycott, gigabyte, George Bush, Great Britain, girl's blouse, gallactic bloodshed, gorgeous brute ... Well I don't know. I do know that this is the former warehouse of GB Flowers on Humber Street. Along with the rest of the fruit, veg and flower market GB moved their show out to the west of town and as far as I know they are blooming nicely.
I had a feeling I'd posted about this place before (there's only so much you can do before you start repeating yourself) and indeed here's what it looked like in May 2013.

The weekend in black and white is here.

Thursday, 26 March 2015

Wednesday, 25 March 2015

→?


I've often thought our world is run on the sound principle of your guess is as good as mine ...

Tuesday, 24 March 2015

Pig Alley


I have sung the praises of Martin's Alley before and such is the constantly evolving array of its attractions a repeat visit is certainly merited. Three new public paintings have been thoughtfully provided to please the passer-by. These combine well with an ongoing installation on the theme of the transitory nature of existence which is both a visual and olfactory delight. 
Martin's Alley was once called Pig Alley due to nearby slaughter houses, I do not know who Martin was nor quite what  he did  to deserve having this heavenly place named after him.






Monday, 23 March 2015

Footprint

"Our purpose is to promote quality in placemaking 
and the built environment in the Hull and Humber region" 
                                                                                          From Arc-online

And so the great wind powered wigwam that was the Arc has gone and in so doing left a large concrete legacy. The place was set up to develop a sense of 'Hullness' (I kid you not) and with this bankrupt mess they've certainly attained Hullness of the highest order. I wonder if environmentalists do irony or do they just look for next subsidy? 

Sunday, 22 March 2015

What a carillon!

Holy Trinity, Hull

This place, this wannabe restaurant, has installed a carillon that plays tunes on the hour. Somehow in all my comings and goings I'd missed this musical offering that is until the other day. With you in mind I caught the end of it on video. You'll note an odd thing about this building that one end is built of brick and the other of stone. That's because a) there were no local stone quarries and b) Hull had a big brick making business owned by the de la Poles (the Dukes of Suffolk) who just happened to be paying for the building (the faint whiff of mediaeval sleeze drifts in as I write). Hull had the distinction of being the one brick-built town of the Middle Ages in England and this building is the sole survivor of that period.