Willow Pattern

 

Staying in Queen's Gardens for no other reason than that it is greening up nicely and the first summer visiting birds were singing madly  in the treetops despite the typically chilly (quasi nithering) April easterly breezes. 

I came across a plaque that either I'd never seen before or had completely forgotten that informs the stranger that this place was once a dock built on the outer limits of the town. In my defence I have to say this plaque is in a very silly place on a wall over a pond, almost as if it was not meant to be seen

The place looks fine from a distance but is actually falling to pieces and bits of it are now fenced off for safety. This is the inevitable and unsurprising result of the Council's lack of care and incompetent management ( I moaned about it two years ago here.)

Safety fencing on left of picture

But enough of moaning. Queen's Gardens is still a grand little park .

A welcome improvement

Almost exactly two years ago I posted that the empty police station by Queen's Gardens was for sale. Well someone bought it (for £1.4 million) and wasted little time (for Hull that is) in turning it into something clad in glass and steel. Two extra storeys make the building look less squat. These new apartments will be a  welcome transformation of the depressing 1950's brick and concrete building that marred the neighbourhood of the gardens.

To Build a Bridge v2.0

I may have mentioned from time to time the inconvenience to the folk of this sleepy little town of having a busy dual carriage way split off a good third of the town centre. Well never let it be said that nothing has been done about it. Lots of plans have been drawn up, many words have been spoken on the matter, numerous ideas have been proposed, indeed a whole mountain range of hot air, wasted opportunity, and best intentions has sprung up and been eroded to dust by the passing thirty or so years. But no more! A few months ago the silly EU flags were pulled down (& put in storage, you never know when they might be needed again things being the way they are just now...) JCBs cleared land and cranes and pile drivers appeared. It seems that at long last a footbridge will span the mighty A63/Castle Street so people on foot or in wheel chairs or on segways, bikes or unicycles or what ever can just waltz from one side to the other without waiting for the little green man. The price of all this fancy liberty? A mere £12 million.

Before I get too carried away I would just caution that the last footbridge built in this town took over three years to build with problems involving the contractor. And, right on cue, the contractor building this has recently gone into administration. There are, of course, promises that this will not affect the construction. Hmmm.

I bet you're dying to know what the bridge is going to look like. I can sense your jealousy ....

(Pictured "borrowed" from Hull Daily Mail)

This is not even the begining of the end ...

Here in the recently renamed town of Inertia things have taken a surprisingly active turn. As you see no actual construction is going on but there's active demolition, the breaking of eggs before the cooking of an omelette perhaps (though I wouldn't set the table just yet). Yep down goes the unused, unloved, effectively unoccupied for a mere forty years former Edwin Davis store. This store was a replacement for one damaged by the Germans in WW2 and that store was in its turn a replacement for one damaged by the Germans in WW1 ( I don't know what Edwin did to rile them  but they had his store on speed dial so it seems.) 

The BHS/Coop building behind is also due to tumble with the Council really wanting to keep the mural if at all possible (the proposed development has the mural poking out atop three storeys of glass like an unwanted inheritance ). We shall see.

Speaking of taking a surprisingly active turn I shall be back soon with more startling developments from Van Winkle City.

Je ne regertte riene

This wonderfully misspelt shop on Spring Bank is no longer trading, cannot imagine why ...

The Bike Shop, Spring Bank

Cliff Pratt's have been selling bikes on Spring Bank for donkey's years. They claim to be Hull's leading cyclist specialist since 1934 and I'm not in a position to argue.

(Other cycle shops are available in Hull)

Knife Angel

Freshly arrived in town today, the Knife Angel or National Monument Against Violence and Aggression, made from thousands of knives surrendered to police forces across the country (“Save a Life, Surrender Your Knife” ) , is a memorial to those whose lives have been affected by knife crime.

The statue will be in Hull for a few weeks before going off on its Round Britain journey. There's a lot about how it was made and so on here.