The Polar Bear

There is a legend on this ship
That taking down the head he keeps
Displayed above the fruit machine,
At times of need the Polar Bear
Will pass among us with a hat,
And taking the only course open, set sail
For the land of the takeout, that serves after time.
(From Those in Peril, Sean O'Brien The Indoor Park, Bloodaxe 1983)

Nostalgia ain't what it used to be or so the saying goes. The Polar Bear on Spring Bank used to be my watering hole. Five minutes walk from my rather dreadful bedsit I'd spend many hours in here supping the delicious Hull Brewery bitter, encountering, amid the smoke filled fug, some seriously daft people from Hull poets (Margot Virago, red hot from Chicago!) to delivery drivers, separatist feminists and a very strange man who departed for a commune in Angelsey... and not forgetting, as if I could, A.L the stereotypical Glaswegian drunk who would bore on loudly in the snug about Rabbie Burns and the meaning of 'Comin' Thro' the Rye' ("It's aall aboot feckin!") ...and when Martin Bormann (aka the landlord) called 'Time' there was often a bottle of cider to take out to keep the party going.

And then, well, then they had to go and 'do it up'. Take out all the old wooden panelling, remove the snug, rearrange the doors and, peccatum mortale, change the beer. They even sold off the polar bear head that used to be in the back room. They banned Staggering Ken, a man who would drink pints of Barley Wine and sway from side to side but never quite fall over while swearing and muttering abuse. No, it was never the same again. Now I've moved on and  I don't go into pubs any more I just take pictures of them.

You can, if you're interested, read the history of this pub which dates back to about 1850 here (scroll down a bit). Inside they've kept the ceramic semi-circular bar and the domed ceiling under which I played many a game of nine spot dominoes. Thanks to a campaign by CAMRA  the building is now Grade 2 listed.

From a sedentary position

Whilst sitting on a bench waiting for someone to turn up the other day I decided to take a few lucky shots; just set the timer on,  plonk the camera down on the bench, point it up the street, press the shutter button and see what happens. This was the best of the bunch. We're looking here along Jameson Street. I'd like to thank the guy with the green hat for his perfect timing.

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.

Then and Now

King Edward Street, January 2013

I've been asked to consider how has my photography changed over the life of this blog? Well there are  fewer 'touristy' shots although they still appear from time to time. I think my composition has improved and my pictures are more vibrant. I take far fewer pictures now than I used to (better fewer but better, as somebody once said). I don't worry too much about the photography to be honest, I think that the picture is only half the blog, the writing is often more interesting to me than the image. Anyhow, above a recent photo of some street furniture and below the very first image in the blog. There's a difference but is it an improvement?

This post is part of City Daily Photo's Festival of  the Belly Button, a possibly pointless exercise in navel gazing.

St Stephen's Shopping Mall, April 2010

A little splash of colour

A shop wall off Spring Bank has been given a graffiti makeover.

"You has eaten some Hull cheese"

There's been an inn on this site since the late 18th century, this is the former Paragon Hotel now named the Hull Cheese. The Paragon Hotel gave its name to Paragon Street and Hull's Paragon Station. Hull cheese is not made from milk, oh no sir. It's described by a poet in 1622 as "... composed of two simples, mault and water, in one compound, and is cousin-germane to the mightest ale in England". This gave rise to an old saying "You has eaten some Hull cheese" meaning you're drunk. Hull was famous for its brewing of strong ales. The Corporation would send the town's MP a barrel or two when the House was sitting which may explain the actions of Parliament at this time. Peregrine Pelham, M.P., for Hull, in 1640, writing to the Corporation says : - " I am much importuned for Hull ale, both by Lords and Commons, who are willing to further me in anything that concerns your towne. . . .If it please you to send me a tonne of Hull ale, and leave it to my disposeing, it will not be lost," and in another letter he tells them that the Speaker had asked for "some Hull ale." ( 1 )

Scroll forward a few centuries and this Hull Cheese has a troubled reputation. It was the scene of  a drunken brawl a few years back that saw five men jailed and a man in hospital. It was renovated last year so let's hope that's all in the past.

For more monochrome posts go to The Weekend in Black & White.

Grand Buildings

Across the street from yesterday's offering are these three survivors of the planner's ball and chain and Hitler's bombs. To begin with the middle building since that's the oldest; this was once the White House Hotel built in 1891 but the front was built in 1909. It was a Temperance Hotel, strictly no alcohol. To the right another former hotel, the Waverley Hotel built in 1903, this now houses the Masters Bar pub. Off to the left and featuring splendid stepped gables King Albert Chambers built in 1923 (so that's Albert 1^st of Belgium). So three buildings with differing styles from the exuberant (over-the-top perhaps) Edwardian red brick and cream of the Waverley, the more restrained temperance hotel and finally the Flemish renaissance revival style of the KAC. Contrast that with the modern, no frills, cheap and nasty box across the street.
All buildings now house businesses and apartments and all three are of course Grade 2 listed.