O/T Hull City Centre

Part of the problem is that it's seen as cool and trendy to criticise Gods own acres here. Having travelled a fair bit myself, I reckon Kingston upon Hull's got plenty to offer someone that's looking for a bit beyond the homogenous lumps most Cities have allowed themselves to become.

Like most places, it could be improved, but in my opinion, one of the biggest statements is about the people. Successive local and national Governments have neglected and abused us, supported by a limited ability media. Despite that, we've forged ahead and have a City that so many outsiders decide to stay in once they get here.


Long live the people that slag us off, they serve as a filter to keep out the unimaginative that want exactly the same things no matter where they are.


Oh and if you talk of the City center that's in Canada and **** all to do with us.

 

It's better than the void that was there before.

I don't mind it. It looks modern and has large units in there, so hopefully one day some stores might want to plonk some flagship stores in it (economy permitting).

That part of town, undoubtedly, is so much better now than a few years back. St Stephens & the Interchange are vast improvements on the dereliction that was there before.

 

Agreed, and it leaks and it is possibly the only place in the uk to have a wind chill factor in the summer.

 

Whilst I dont doubt for one minute that closing shops is due to recession, it's in stark contrast to Leicester which hardly has a closed shop in sight... Not in any way a dig just wondering how one city center can suffer so bad while another can still be so vibrant.

 

from what I've seen of Leicester, "vibrant" is far removed from how I would describe it. Shops being occupied is not the be all and end all, it needs shops locals will use. Leicester centre was like a slightly larger version of Spring Bank.

 

Think you may have been walking down the wrong bit, dd you go round high street, humberstone gate, gallowtree gate, st martins square or the highcross centre?

 

I've been several times and down many parts of the centre and also the surrounding areas. I'm sure a tour could make it look acceptable or make it look poverty stricken, but my general view is that it struggles as a place.

I actually know people in Hull from Leicester that couldn't be paid enough to go back.

 

Sod Mary Portas, the council asked me my opinion on improving Whitefriargate last week, haha.

We disagreed on a few things though... I liked the idea of bringing back a traditional market, but where-as I said it should be a fixed market in trinity square, were the market is actually a built one, with a mock-tudor facade, to fit in with it's surroundings and look good.... the council said it shouldn't be fixed and that 'market stalls can be made to look very good these days'. I think normal 'bit of scaffolding, wood and a dirty white plastic sheet' looks tacky and very 'small time' but the council said it would mean no other events could take place in Trinity Sq.... Er, what other events do we ever have on there?

Stripping back the facades on whitefriargate back to their originals would be a big improvement too.

The roof is a non-starter. The buildings are all over different heights and it would cut off some of the best architecture in the city... it has been done to success in Leeds, but has also been tried in other places and failed, so that suggests it's also a bit of an expensive gamble.

I also put forward a couple of big ideas I aren't allowed to reveal yet, but the council liked them and said they'll look into the idea.


I think the shopping circles thing is right.... years ago it was Whitefriargate, then it was Princes Quay and King Edward St benefitted as a link between PQ and Prospect Centre... now St.Stephen's is open, it's St.Stephen's which is fully let, bar 2 units and Paragon Sq and Jameson St which are all doing well.... King Edward St has declined, as nobody uses the street anymore. People have moved away from it.

I think St.Stephen's depends on what you are looking for. Yes, they're all chain stores, but they're popular ones and on a warm, sunny weekend, you can't move in there for people. It's got a good retail mix - home: TK Maxx, Argos, Next, Tesco sportswear: Sports Direct, mens fashion: CULT, USC, River Island, Topman, New Look, H&M, Next, Zara womens fashion: Topshop, River Island, Zara, Jane Norman, H&M, New Look, Next, Lipsy kids: Build-a-Bear, The Entertainer, Argos, Modelzone. etc, etc... then you have the restaurants and cinema, along with the hotel.

 

The Interchange and St.Stephen's also brought about the new Hull Truck Theatre which is a great building. There is talk that St.Stephen's are extending onto the old Hull Truck site, as well as that, the people behind St.Stephen's are so pleased with it's success they're looking to build St.Stephen's apartments on the back, which has also brought about talk of a Student complex being built on the land next to the church.

As for leaks, pretty certain they made improvements to the roof last christmas to stop it leaking and have looked into double doors to keep the heat in - people forget it's a street with a roof though - it's not meant to be warm.

 

The main thing they got wrong, but it probably couldn't have gone anywhere else, is the A63.... that's why the marina could never have gone where PQ is - the boats wouldn't be able to get out.

They could have created a historic boating museum though - spurn lightship, arctic cosair, Humber paddlesteamers etc, etc... there are loads of famous abandoned ships all over the world that were built in Hull, including one in Peru that was used by Che Guevara.

As I said, the roof for Whitefriargate is a non-starter. The buildings are all over different heights and it would cut off some of the best architecture in the city... it has been done to success in Leeds, but has also been tried in other places and failed, so that suggests it's also a bit of an expensive gamble.

The council also pretty much told me they've done a survey of the street to see how possible it is, and there isn't much chance of a roof happening.

 

Interesting reads those Dazzar, cheers for posting!

 

OH YES PB. The time is long overdue for the return of the gag. The Branks or Scold's Bridle would do the trick of what you ask for. Just saying like.

As for shopping i use the small timers and local shops. Only use the big stores for what i cannot get at those.

 

It's pretty much as long as I can remember alway been between Prospect centre and Whitefriargate. Princess Quay and St Stephens don't really sit too much outside of that, so again, I disagree with your circles bit!

Anyway, the centre bits and street furniture need a bloody good sort out. We need a decent M&S, the one on Whitefriargate is plain ****. Whitefriargate should be closed to shops now, maybe made an eating/drinking/dining/cultural area. Certainly not a run down £1 shop, Mrs Christmas type area it has become.

That is the frustrating thing, around the Marina and the old Town Hull has got a lot to shout about, sadly nobody really does the shouting! Whitefriargate could become a corridor to the cultural centre!

It wasn't a criticism, more an observation. I travel all over the UK, and Hull City centre seems to have faired worse than most.

I agree about the train station, it almost makes you want to catch a train, well almost. I haven't been on a train since 1999, when some inconsiderate pleb decided to throw themselves in front of the train in front of us, which caused about 6 hours worth of delays....

 

That's what I was getting at though - nobody does the Whitefriargate-to-Prospect Centre walk anymore, hence that being an old 'circle'. People do St.Stephens, then Paragon Sq/Jameson St, then people will cut through the Paragon Arcade to get to Primark, completely missing King Edward St and Whitefriargate in the process, hence all the shop shutting down in those areas.

Here's a better way of putting it; Why else would Greenwoods be currently shutting their shop down on King Edward St, to move round the corner onto Jameson St into a same size unit?

Queen Victoria Sq needs modernising, M&S won't move, as that store was purpose built for them, they could maybe make it an M&S food store and open a second M&S in the city though.

As for Whitefriargate as: "an eating/drinking/dining/cultural area" - I suggested that years ago, but changed my mind, it would only take away from other areas (circles) like Princes Ave, Newland Ave, St.Stephen's food area, the new PQ food area, Princes Dock St which has a great cafe-restaurant scene going on and it would also hinder the current attempts for a food quarter in Paragon Sq...

As I mentioned, I put forward a new idea to the council that I can't mention yet, but from putting 2+2 together, taking a guess, I think the council are waiting for Princes Ave to 'implode on itself' with too many drinking establishments, so they can grab the restaurants and ask them to move to Whitefriargate... at least that is the impression I got without them actually saying it.

 

Great pics - Thorntons have done a great job restoring the shop frontage to something that resembles the original shop facade, as have Pandora... be nice to see all the others follow suit.

Hull lost some amazing buildings in WWI and WWII, Albion St looked amazing. Makes me mad that the government paid Germany money to help rebuild Dresden, yet refused Hull money as we shunned the Abercrombie plan - you just couldn't make it up! ...and we've been shunned ever since.

I've told the council I think they should look to Rotterdam for a blueprint city centre masterplan, which is simple: If it's old - restore it, if it's new: make it wacky, unique and stand out. Rotterdam gains so many tourists based on wacky architecture. Hull's newer builds over the last few decades (bar The Deep, Arc and St.Stephen's) tend to be basic brick builds that blend in with their surroundings, but don't look as good as the historic brick builds.

 

Not been in the centre of Hull for years il have to make the effort , usually just visit family on North Hull Estate or go straight to the KC Stadium . Is Arthur Masons still there ? I use to buy my Ben Shermons, Harringtons , levis and Skinners there . Boots n Grandad Vests at Army n Navy stores ..Last time I did go into the town centre was on my vespa to bass house to meet up with Hull Scooter Club .

 

Ps , has hammonds store gone ? Had many a laugh in the cafe ' pick a dish' back in time, eating everything before getting to the till.

 

Not city centre, but when I found out that UCI had been knocked down I was in tears.