Picture Houses

This view has two of Hull's old cinemas. The Tower which I showed you a few days ago and the Regent which was built in 1910 and was open until 1978. The Regent is now a pub called Horners.
The archway is a side entrance to Paragon station. After taking this picture I noticed lots of signs threatening prosecution for trespassing on railway property so I left. 

Albert Hall, Midland Street, Hull

In a seedy little street behind Hull's Paragon station stands this ruin of a building. Hull's very own Albert Hall once entertained up to 800 patrons with music hall variety acts. The days of music hall passed and the place became a straightforward public house and later a bingo hall called the Fair and Square Club. It's been closed for nearly forty years and is heavily vandalised. There were rumours of demolition and redevelopment but as I've said before these rumours amount to very little. If something isn't done about it soon I guess gravity, the weather and the thriving buddleias will have the final say.

There's an excellent web page on this building's history here.

Hull First

Railway enthusiasts (aka train spotters) will no doubt be able to tell that this is a Class 180 Adelante unit, used by First Hull Trains to run its direct Hull to London service. Here it stands at Paragon station waiting its passengers who have grown weary of the delights of this fair city.

The Royal Hotel

Sometimes called the Station Hotel, the Royal sits in front of Paragon Station on Ferensway. It was built in 1851. In 1990 I watched as one of the biggest fires in Hull destroyed the inside of the building. No-one was killed or seriously injured and within two years the place had been rebuilt.

If you're interested there's a website here 

Larkin Statue

Recently installed in Hull's Paragon Station this larger than life statue of Philip Larkin completes a far too long jamboree of arty celebrations of the death 25 years ago of this somewhat overrated wordsmith.