BB is for Brilliant Break
In this series I alliterate a two-word title and then make myself write it. It’s a personal challenge that will get me out of a sticky patch where, while writing my novel, I’m not always coming up with the goods on my blog.
The Break Was In Hull [aka Kingston upon Hull]
Hull lies on the river of the same name, near to the Humber estuary, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. For more about that, go here.
My husband’s two adult children live in Hull with their families. It is a long journey for us and, for health reasons, a while since I had travelled there. Happily, the journey both ways was brilliant and we had a lovely catch-up with children and grandchildren.
That was the more private side of the visit. We also took in some local history. As I recently posted on my Instagram page:
Hull is a proud and friendly city with much to offer, not least flat levels. After hilly Brizzle, it’s a pancake plateau. There’s lots of history too, including maritime and wartime. The food is great, hospitality hearty, and I will be going back before another decade passes us all by, health-willing.
Quotation from my Instagram Page
Hull History
Sadly, a visit to many UK towns and cities these days will result in one of us saying, ‘where are all the shops now?’ Answers range from, ‘closed for business forever,’ to ‘out of town, part of a satellite retail park.’ Both replies apply to Hull. However, the distraction of retail therapy removed, we wandered around and saw more than usual.
Beverley Gate’s Remains
On 23rd April 1642, an event in Hull was the precursor for the outbreak of the English Civil War. Uncovered below the city centre, remains of Beverley Gate are now on display. As you can see on the plaque below, the reigning King Charles 1 was denied entry to fortified Hull by the Governor, Sir John Hotham. Brave man or unwise – history decided!
see https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1430250
Hull Crossing
The regeneration of Hull has produced a marina where once the docks were the main event. Recently, a new footbridge was built to provide pedestrian crossing of Castle Street, thus easing traffic snarls. My stepson has tagged this ‘the sloth bridge’. It broods across the road and even has eye sockets. We did not see it at night but were told a light show within the bridge’s construction is worth seeing – another time!
More photos can be accessed here.
Maritime Hull
Turn back time now. A vestige of Hull’s maritime history can be seen in the form of Trinity House. Isn’t the decoration on the front elevation exquisite? This is very much a working building today, not just an historic monument.
Whilst The House is very much a “working” building, concerned with the day to day running and administering the Charity and Guild, it also contains a wealth of artefacts and memorabilia given by Brethren over the years, so the House is also very much a museum in its own right. The Council Room still has reed straw scattered on the floor, as all the rooms in the building used to have, to gather up the mud and dust from the unpaved streets of the City in years gone by. The Cook Room is dedicated to many of the artefacts about Capt. James Cook and his voyages of exploration, which were financed in part by Wardens and Brethren of The House. And a small Museum contains many rare objects of antiquity and interest.
Quotation from https://www.trinityhousehull.org.uk/house
Personal History
My husband is busy tracing and writing his family history. His extended family came from Hull [via Poland, Russia, Germany or Prussia] although his own parents were living in Oldham by the time he was born. He is definitely a Lancastrian despite having taken both of his own children to live in Hull when they were young.
The two photos below show street signs important to his family history. When the streets were demolished for rebuilding works, the signs were erected along the High Street behind the multi-storey car park. What a lovely idea.
And Finally …the Smallest Window in England is in Hull
The word ‘here’ marks the window itself. The plaque is far larger, Situated beside the coaching door of the George Hotel in the Land of Green Ginger. That location is enough of a thrill but the slotted window was used by the porter to espy the arrival of another stage coach arriving for refuge and refreshment.
A VERTICAL CRACK SLICES THE wall of an old pub, letting in cold drafts and attracting an unusual bit of attention. But the building owners won’t be patching it up anytime soon. According to a plaque beside the slit, the narrow gap is the smallest window in England.
Quotation from https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/englands-smallest-window
A porter once waited inside the building, peering through the crack. It wasn’t a glamorous job, nor was its purpose to gather any secret intel about the happenings on the street. The watcher behind the wall was a dutiful pub employee, keeping a lookout for any stage coaches that may need immediate attention. It was a 17th-century method of ensuring rapid customer service
More writing practice at ABC Alliterative Title Challenge.
