Trinity House Lane, Hull

 Trinity House Lane runs from Trinity Square to Whitefriargate. The building on the left is Trinity House, the organisation runs the lighthouses around Britain's shores as well as other nautical affairs. In Hull there is a Trinity House School associated with this building. The pub in the centre is the Kingston, here showing the flags of England's less than exciting World Cup effort. The tower on the left is the indoor market, quite why it needed a tower I don't know. The market is becoming more run down as stallholders can't make a living. This picture was taken from what used to be Hull's open market place, sadly Hull no longer has an open market. The development of Princes Quay and more recently the St Stephen's Mall means that fewer people come to this older part of town, you can see it's hardly crowded out. 

Spes Super Sydera

Hope above the stars, in case you were wondering; the motto of Trinity House School. So what is this rather ornate crest doing on a decrepit old building that is slowly sinking into the river? A bit of research reveals that this is the old buoy shed used by Trinity House who are responsible for navigation and lighthouses around the coast of the UK. It's a grade 2 listed (listing?) building put up in 1901 now used appropriately, given its precarious position, by a diving company. The swan-necked crane was presumably used for lifting old buoys out of the river.

Zebedee's Yard

Having got permission to put a car park where a school building once stood Trinity House splashed out on a bit of metal work to proclaim that said car park is henceforth to be known as Zebedee's Yard. Access to this delight is via Posterngate. We've met with Zebedee before; Zebedee Scaping, long serving (55 years!) headmaster of Trinity House School lies under the sod in Western Cemetery.

The weekend in black and white continues here.

Pilot Office

Though the port of  Hull made its fortune by trading with the  ports of Northern Europe actually getting in and out of the river Hull in a boat was and remains a perilous operation. The currents of the Humber constantly change with the shifting sandbanks. A 1693 British Sea Atlas giving directions for sailing into the Humber starts with the following warning: "To sail into the River Humber you must have a care of  the Dreadful-Sand which is but 6 and 7 feet at low water". So from the earliest days there was a form of pilotage run by the Hull Trinity House and which was given royal backing when Henry VIII witnessed a Scottish vessel trying and failing to enter the port. After that all ‘strangers’ (foreign vessels including Scottish ships) visiting the port (Old Harbour) had to be brought in by a brother of the Hull Trinity House. Over the years the system was further regulated to keep out rogue elements who might be tempted to plunder wrecked ships. In 1821 this imposing Pilot Office was built at the corner of Nelson Street and Queen Street. It remained the central office for the Humber pilots until 1998. The building was then sold off for redevelopment as flats. The system of Humber pilots being self-employed which had existed for centuries was broken by the Associated British Ports in 2002 after a bitter dispute. Pilots are now directly employed by the ABP.

There is a very full history of the Humber pilots here.

More monochrome blogs at The Weekend in Black & White.

Though the archway and beyond

This is the archway entrance to the old Trinity House school that has now moved to bigger premises across town.

Now then, this being the well ordered place that it is a row has broken out between Trinity House who own the building and the Council. TH want to knock down the red brick building you see in the background and turn the cleared area into a  car park! (Yes the cars would have to pass through this archway) Not to be outdone the Council have decided to make the street outside this place a pedestrian area, effectively putting the kibosh on TH's madcap little scheme and upsetting several other businesses in the process. The Council claims it wants to attract more people to use the Princes Dock side cafes but as the pedestrianisation is only in effect between 11am and 4pm it's not going to affect the evening/night trade and seems to be a quite perverse action. But, hey, it's not the first stupid thing the Council has done and I doubt it will be last.

The Lighthouse

A sign on the gate says there's been a lighthouse here on the cliff top over Old Hunstanton since 1665 though some suggest that a hermit, one Thomas Cooke, was paid by the local bigwigs, the L'Estranges (We met a L'Estrange a few days ago), back in 1530's to keep a light from the chapel that I posted yesterday; lighthouses being more helpful than churches as someone once said.

Trinity House took over the running of all UK lighthouses in 1836 and this building went up in 1840. This is the Trinity House coat of arms.

It's always nice to have some claim to fame even if this is disputed ...

The lighthouse as you can see is no longer functioning and is in fact a holiday cottage. You'll want to a look around inside, no doubt; well you're in luck as there's a video that I'll post just for completeness and the catchy (mindless) tune.

T.W Postern Gate

I wonder when Postern Gate became the one word Posterngate in use these days. No matter, it is of no importance. The mysterious T.W I've heard stands for Trinity Ward a reference to the Trinity House mob who ruled the area back in the day or perhaps (and more likely) that Holy Trinity Church is just across the street. I'm sure I've shown a bit of this building before ... ah yes here it is.

Trinity

It's a public house, a place where intoxicating liquors may be sold for consumption on or off the premises. Oh, and it's on Trinity House Lane, hence the name, either that or there's a religious connection and I can't quite see that somehow.

Half-hearted Hanse

I read that at the last formal meeting of the Hanseatic league in the 17th century only nine cities bothered to turn up, maybe the weather was bad or maybe they'd heard and seen it all before and just couldn't be bothered... So it felt yesterday when I revisited Hull's Hanse day celebrations; the event had been rolled into the Lord's Mayor's Parade which did not not bode well (if you need to combine two of your events into one biggy;  "the Lord Mayor's Hanse Day", then probably neither are worth the effort of visiting). 

By the time I got there just after two in the afternoon I'd missed the parade (thankfully) and everything looked to be over... we were promised all sorts of goodies but there were I think about four possibly five pathetic stalls in the square outside Holy Trinity church, a few more tucked onto Trinity House Lane and something silly was going on in Queen Victoria Square... this was nothing like as big an affair as back in 2016 and visitors were few and far between; granted the weather was as the weather was as it often is in early June; varying between somewhat disappointing and absolutely pouring down... and maybe we've all heard and seen it all before.

... and what I asked myself do these folk do when it's not Hanse Day? I know King's Lynn has a Hanse Day and there were a few other ports with Hanseatic connections but is that enough to keep the wolf from the door?

In case you were wondering why folk (or fools even) don't wear such fabulous headwear any more, so good at keeping the ears warm well fashions change and things evolve ...

Kapow!

Here's a sign that really makes an impact on Whitefriargate. The shop sells the kind of tacky gadgets and gizmos that modern life finds indispensible. The building was part of  a redevelopment in 1795 of Trinity House property and is Grade 2 listed. Older Hull residents may remember this as the Kardomah coffee house. The old sign was uncovered during recent redecoration (see here)

The best seat in town

Tourists are flocking to see the latest city of culture installation on Trinity House Lane. The work, sponsored by a local public house, is constantly added to and occasionally subtracted from but will remain a feature in the city through out the year. I think it's a strong statement of the conflict between high ideals and base reality. I highly recommend it.

Giving York a hug

This plaque is high up on what used to be Barclay's bank at the corner of Silver Street and Trinity House Lane. It probably goes unnoticed by the vast majority of folks. If they did notice it and were familiar with heraldic coats of arms they  might wonder why some misty eyed maid was hugging the shield of the city of York. The bank, as is the way of things these days, is now a public house named after a member of one of Hull's old banking families William Wilberforce.

Salvage

This sign is on the doors of the old Trinity House Boathouse on Tower Street ( here ).

Summer in the City

Six years ago, almost to the day, I posted a collection from a trip round town on a Saturday afternoon. I thought maybe it could be time for a sequel, update, repeat call it what you will. There was plenty to see, as last time, but later, when I got home and watched to local news on ITV, I realised that I'd 'missed' a 'party' in Whitefriargate celebrating the birthday of murdered MP Jo Cox ( I'd noticed the seats and folk sitting around but ignored it ...had I known I would still have ignored it anyway, there's a creepy and creeping use of this woman's death as a weapon to try to silence dissent. She is portrayed a some kind of saint whereas she was in fact just another Labour/Remain MP whose politics I do not support and never will.). I also missed a gathering in Queen's Gardens by trade unionists still trying to get folk to think that unity is strength and passing on the age old messages of the labour movement... good luck with that on the first warm Saturday of the summer ... and Summer in the City was what the really quite talented young busker above was singing, he must really like the old tunes from last century ...

Mickey™ was posing for selfies and trying to sell twisted balloons

The youngsters' steel band was playing Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D which goes surprisingly well on steel drums; it does however go on and on and on and on ... and then stops for no apparent reason, a relief to all concerned.

A wee bit of faintly ridiculous quasi phoney Scottish cultural tosh was ignored by the oh so discerning passers-by ... they know their Culture when they see it.

The indoor market that two years ago I posted as being empty and deserted was heaving, it seems every pitch or stall has been filled with large variety of enterprising businesses. It was good to see  and a bit like old times.Let's hope it can continue.

Quite a lot of places had little yellow elephants displayed and outside a pub on Trinity House Lane a lady was wearing a plastic yellow elephant on her head, (out of respect for her privacy/sanity I did not photograph it). Seems it was Yellow Day in Hull and that's as much as I know or indeed want to know. 

And finally, before I go, there's this ...

Does your local news get read by someone who makes you want to throw yourself under a passing train or bus just for shits and giggles? Mr Levy... what can I say after watching this one-time 'actor' and disc-jockey read the news on the local BBC for what seems like a lifetime? ... he ums, he ahs, ums and ahs, ums and ahs ... he speaks with his mouth shut, he mutters, he mumbles, he puts accentuation in all the wrong places...  he thanks us for being there each evening,  and, ever so politely, thanks us again for "tuning in" (tuning in? Poor old soul, probably thinks he's still on the wireless.); he looks like he's lost a pound and found a penny ... and thanks to the iniquity of the British television licence, the vile regressive TV Tax,( soon to be reimposed on 75 year old pensioners), we all pay his wages whether we watch him or not ... and do you know what? Hundreds if not thousands like him and think he's doing a grand job... de gustibus and all that jazz.

"Take it outside, God boy!"

This set of photos come from the heritage open day back in September. I had thought that there might be something interesting lurking behind the archway entrance to Trinity House School, the old school not the new cereal box conversion on George Street. Well I ought to have known better. As you pass through the arch you are met (or rather were since demolition has thankfully removed it) by a boring brick building, typical school building in fact. Meh! Ahead the entrance to the chapel. Well much money had obviously been spent on sitting bums so that some deity can be bothered by prayers and hymns. There's stained glass, an organ and the usual paraphernalia. What educational value all this had I do not know. My own experience at a Catholic school many years ago led me to one of my few firm convictions that religion and schools should be kept well apart.

Thankfully demolished for a car park!

The Barber Shop

It's a barber's shop on Trinity House Lane. OK it's a rock 'n' roll barber's shop. So why Greasy Fingers? Something to do with hair product apparently.

I post this but I haven't been in a barber's for over thirty years and my hair, what there is of it, is over my shoulders like some ageing hippy. 

Facade

Here's the new Trinity House School building on George Street. It may look new but it's basically a facelift of the old University of Lincoln building that I showed a while back, here. Amazing what cladding can do! The squat rectangular building on the right is new and seems to be striving to take dull to a new level.

Building schools for the future

Hull's Trinity House school is moving out of these old buildings on Princes Dock Street into  new buildings on the former University of Lincoln site. The school is also doubling in size to 600 pupils. This is all part of a concerted effort by local and central government to improve the school buildings in Hull. Hundreds of millions are being spent on the largest regeneration project in Hull and nineteen "new, world-class schools" should open by the end of 2014. All this is very laudable but if a similar investment isn't made on the teaching side Hull's unenviable record of poor educational performance will continue.

Unique pile of bricks and old crane

I've shown this riverside building before. It used to be a buoy shed for Trinity House but it's been empty for a while and looks (as it always has) like it might just slide into the river any day. Any how it's up for sale so you can buy a piece of Hull that no-one can find a use for and get to play with that really rare swan neck crane; go on you know you want to.

Sewer Lane

Perhaps not the most attractively named of Hull's streets, Sewer Lane is, however, one of the oldest. It forms the southern end of what used to called Old Beverley Street which is now Manor Street, Land of Green Ginger, Trinity House Lane and Fish Street. Remains of a water course running alongside the lane have been found by those who like to dig up the past. An almshouse for fourteen poor women, Crowle's Hospital, was founded here in the 1660's and remained until demolished at the start of the 20^th century. The lane is now blocked to the north by Castle Street and has a mix of offices and social housing with views on to the marina.