Went last night with the wife, really enjoyed all the installations, particularly Viccy Square. Busier than I was anticipating and a good buzz around the Pier and Fruit Market, lots of people seemed to be using the bars and restaurants. Given how busy it was, I thought it was a bit rubbish that the park and ride hadn't been extended to cover the full period of the showings.
To be honest, I much preferred Taylor's Bitter to Landlord but you never seem to find it around East Yorks. I think it's called Boltmaker these days.
Much better article in the Sun today about Hull........ If a city is judged on the welcome of its people then Hull is indeed a world-class destination. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2546878/after-hull-becoming-uks-city-of-culture-we-take-tour-with-apprentice-winner-michelle-dewberry/ 'I WOULDN'T LIVE ANYWHERE ELSE' After Hull becoming UK’s City of Culture, we take tour with Apprentice winner Michelle Dewberry It may have a chequered history when it comes to attracting tourists but there's more than one reason to visit the heart of Humberside WHEN Hull was announced as Britain’s new City of Culture in 2013, cricketer Andrew Flintoff tweeted: “It’s not April Fool’s today, is it?” Lancastrian Flintoff was far from the only one scoffing. This tough Yorkshire port was once more famous for reeking of fish, bleak weather and industrial decline than as a haven for culture vultures. Even when Hull’s 12 months as the nation’s cultural flagship dawned on New Year’s Day, it was not high arts that appeared centre stage. The city centre was experiencing what chief supt Darren Downs described on his Twitter page as “alcohol-fuelled violence”. In the early hours of New Year’s Day he added: “It’s still coming in thick and fast.” The Sun duly printed the story with pictures of boozed-up revellers under the headline “Scrapital of Culture”. After our story appeared, Michelle Dewberry — winner of TV’s The Apprentice in 2006 — indignantly fired off a tweet inviting The Sun on a guided tour of what Britain’s new cultural flagship really had to offer. We were only too happy to oblige. We arrived on Humberside yesterday with a bitterly cold wind blowing up the Humber Estuary to be met by Michelle’s warm and welcoming smile. She suggests the best way to discover her home town’s charms is on foot. “We’ve taken a lot of stick in Hull and we just want people to come and see the city for themselves. We think they will be pleasantly surprised,” she insists. The East Yorkshire city has indeed taken a bucketload down the years. In 2003, it came top in the book Crap Towns: The 50 Worst Places To Live In The UK. Then, in 2012, author Tim Moore labelled Hull “the grand old man of sad old dumps”. Moore, author of You Are Awful (But I Like You): Travels Through Unloved Britain, added: “It’s been dubbed Britain’s obesity capital and has seen both its police force and education authority rated the worst in the land. “Hull is almost synonymous with unloveliness, deprivation and failure.” Rhyming with “dull” and sounding a bit like “hell”, Hull has been manna from heaven for headline writers. In 2013 respected magazine The Economist named Hull one of “Britain’s decaying towns” that should not be rescued by the Government. Instead, the mag said, it should help residents “commute or move to places where there are jobs”. Even grumpy poet Philip Larkin, who made the city his home for 30 years, branded it a “dump”. For the people of Hull, it is like being continually slapped in the face with a dead haddock. In truth, Hull’s reputation as the poster child for post-industrial decline is long out of date. Hull City Council says more than £1billion has poured into the city since 2013 creating thousands of jobs. Siemens’ £310million wind turbine blade factory is the biggest investment in Hull since Victorian times. In 2016 the Rough Guide travel books trumpeted it as the eighth top city to visit in the world. And Michelle’s rosy view of Hull was last month backed by US ambassador Matthew Barzun, who named it as his favourite British city. Hull-born Mathematician John Venn, — who created the Venn diagram — and the city’s anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce are his heroes. Other famous Hullensians include actress Maureen Lipman, actor John Alderton, comedian Norman Collier and Fatboy Slim’s old band, the 1980s chart act The Housemartins. But can ’Ull — as locals pronounce it — really surpass Florence, Venice, Berlin and Paris? Animated Michelle, 36, is going to have a good go at convincing us. In black thigh-length boots, jeans and leather jacket, she marches us straight off to the Hull Truck Theatre. Jonathan Creek star Caroline Quentin and Game Of Thrones’ Mark Addy will star in Hull playwright Richard Bean’s The Hypocrite in a joint production with the Royal Shakespeare Company here in February. Executive director Janthi Mills-Ward, 36, tells us: “When I moved here three years ago from Coventry, the initial response was, ‘Why Hull?’ “But it’s a really exciting, vibrant city with a cultural underground. It’s got a real spark and now we want to show what we’re about.” Michelle then leads us off to Queen Victoria Square where this week a 15-minute sound and light extrava ganza is being bounced off the Hull Maritime Museum and the Ferens Art Gallery as well as City Hall. The truly spectacular production, called We Are Hull, is a rousing journey through the city’s history. Search lights scan the sky and air raid sirens echo amid the Victorian architecture as the Hull Blitz is remembered. Hull took a real pounding from the Luftwaffe. It was the most severely damaged British city or town apart from London, with 95 per cent of houses damaged or destroyed and 152,000 people made homeless. But the port stayed open throughout the war. The display charts the 1970s collapse of the fishing industry after the Cod War with Iceland and highlights two of David Bowie’s Spiders from Mars bandmates — guitarist Mick Ronson and bassist Trevor Bolder — who come from the city. Hull’s winding, cobbled medieval old town is a gem that has churches, pretty squares and wood-beamed ale houses that rival some of the Continent’s finest cities for history and architecture. You have to ignore the biting wind, mind. Michelle says Hull’s marina could be compared to Spain’s Porto Banus if it was warmer. The pretty quay is lined with bustling pubs and restaurants. Nearby is The Deep — billed as “one of the most spectacular aquariums in the world”. It contains thousands of sea creatures including seven types of shark. There are also culinary delights that are uniquely Hull. Bob Carver’s family have been selling fish and chips in the city for 130 years with his delicacy being the patty — a deep-fried ball of potatoes, herbs and breadcrumbs. The mix is laden with red salty chip spice and wrapped in old copies of The Sun. Dad-of-three Bob, 68, is proud of his city’s new status. He asks: “Why shouldn’t we be the City of Culture? We’ve got as much culture as anywhere else.” Wife Carol, 54, adds: “The best thing about the city is the people. We’re down-to-earth, help each other and are happy speaking our minds.” Michelle is keen to show us another treasure — England’s smallest window. The tiny slit is in the wall of The George Hotel in the delightfully named road The Land Of Green Ginger. It was originally used by staff to watch guests arrive at the 17th Century coaching inn. We bump into Gary Crossman, 55, who is one of 4,000 smiling volunteers helping visitors this year. The antiques dealer says: “It’s just great to be a part of something like this and put something back.” He leads us to the dark-beamed Olde White Harte. In 1642, a meeting in an upstairs room at the pub saw King Charles I refused entry in Hull which is said to have been the trigger for the English Civil War. Landlord Mike Woollas, 47, shows us a 400-year-old skull of a girl found in the pub’s roof which is now on display behind the bar. Dad-of-one Mike, who serves Old Peculiar at £3.20 a pint, asks: “How can people criticise Hull when they’ve never been here? “The City of Culture will mean more footfall and I’m all for it.” The drinkers in the White Hart raise a glass. If a city is judged on the welcome of its people then Hull is indeed a world-class destination. Beaming Michelle nods and adds: “The City of Culture is giving normal everyday people a chance to get engaged with the arts. It’s aspirational and educating. “I work in London but Hull is home. It’s where I want to bring up kids when I have them. “Because there’s nowhere on earth I’d rather live than Hull.”
Thanks for all your recommendations & feedback, was in two minds whether to go, went last night with hubby and dragged son off Xbox to get him cultured! Despite being freezing & wet, brilliant, well organised, buzzing, vibrant, left feeling very proud. Started in Queen Vic Sq and returned at end to view from different angle. Loved the parts showing the old shipping, barges & boats, brought back great memories, as kids we were brought up helping and part living on my grandad's barges/lighters. Still remember the feeling of being loaded up in King George Dock, and the barge sinking lower and lower, kids not allowed to be up top while loading in dock, only coming up when on the river, wouldn't be allowed now, health n safety n all that! Happy days/memories, can't stop reminiscing! As I said, felt very proud, and despite thousands of people around, no reports of trouble. Well done to all involved.
The images of the fishermen sinking to their icy deaths was very poignant and moving. I'm also of the opinion that the city had long lasting psychological damage (rather like a collective PTSD) due to the effects of the bombing in the Second world war. This is the year when Hull has it's own renaissance (from the French - to be reborn).
Going this evening. From what everyone has said, firmly looking forward to experiencing it for myself!
A random question But newcastle upon tyne is called newcastle Stoke upon trent is called stoke etc So why is our city named hull?
I know someone who is a volunteer and asked if there had been many people from out of town she said "thousands, USA, Australia, China, Sweden, Germany and loads from different parts of the UK" . I'm wondering what the announcement is going to be about tomorrow. Was listening to Burnsie the other morning and lots of people were suggesting more cafes should have been open late and park and ride should have been on. Also bins emptied more often. The 2017 Team were saying it is a learning curve, they will fix these things for future events. Basically they have been overwhelmed by the amount of people coming into the City. I think a lot of businesses were cynical and did not anticipate just what a success this week would be.
A fair part was a rejection of the Kings Town bit, plus people were more associated with their own area, such as Newland, Sculcoates etc rather than as a Town.
Heard the Hull Business Leaders on the Burns show had said they'd been "caught by surprise" by Hull 2017. It's not like it's been a secret.
I went Thursday Chazz and there were quite a few places open - they were all packed too, the smell coming from the little chippy down Whitefriargate was really reeling 'em in.
