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.

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? 

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.

Now don't rush into anything ...

Corporation Pier, Hull

A year and three months after it was damaged by an extraordinary high tide there appears at long last to be some movement towards a repair to Corporation Pier (or Victoria Pier if you like). Some very large beams have appeared. Maybe they've been waiting for the trees to grow.

Those who like watching paint dry might like these two previous posts here and here.

The weekend in black and white is here.

Jobsworth

St Mary, Lowgate, Hull

jobsworth
ˈdʒɒbzwəːθ/
noun BRITISH informal
an official who upholds petty rules even at the expense of humanity or common sense.

Imagine how it might be then after feeding hot food to poor people who would otherwise be looking in dumpsters and bins for cast-offs, to be told that you cannot do this because of some regulation about food safety. So it was with St Mary's, Lowgate where the Council shot itself in the foot once again by denying a charitable organisation permission to serve hot meals to the homeless and poor because the food was prepared in unregistered homes and then brought to the church to be served. The vicar was threatened with prosecution for carrying out charitable works!

These days you cannot even give hot food away now without being registered by the Council no doubt with a fee to pay annually and with inspections. The so-called customers (no money is involved) might get food poisoning it is claimed, it goes without saying the Council does nothing about the hygiene of dumpsters. So it was to be sandwiches and cups of tea until proper facilities could be found which, given the flood of outrage this caused amongst the good folk of Hull, was not too long. A nearby café has offered the use of its kitchen so normal service has been resumed.
Meanwhile, and here the C of E really does not do irony, just a hundred yards or so down the road £4.5 million is being sought to build a restaurant in Holy Trinity church.

Further development

And while we're in the vicinity of Paragon Street I suppose I'd better mention the opening of this Nisa store in what had been a long vacant shop that I posted about sometime ago. There's a trend for smaller supermarkets in town these days, Tesco opened one in the Summer and Sainsburys are making a comeback as I mentioned the other day and I've heard yet another discount "pound" shop is to open as well. So it's no longer exactly all doom and gloom in town anymore but I wouldn't go so far as to say we have a full recovery, let's say the patient is still seriously ill but stable...

Change of use

Paragon Street, Hull

In what appears to be a remarkable outbreak of common sense Lloyd's Bank is moving from its position on Paragon Street to a new place round the corner on Jameson Street. Yeah wow, I know, exciting (not). But bear with me, the old place along with the empty former Job Centre next door is being converted into apartments with affordable rents. Bringing people to live in the town centre, occupying these large empty shops and offices has got to be a 'good thing'. If the scheme succeeds there are plenty of similar buildings that could be used in this way. Whisper it gently though, this is social housing (if by proxy), with a not-for-profit trust and the Council owned builders firm involved under a Government project to bring empty buildings back into use. And it only tickles the surface of the massive housing shortage crisis in this green and pleasant land, still the journey of a thousand miles begins by putting your shoes on as someone once said.

Jameson Street, Hull