Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Hull

  • Hull – Amy Johnson Statue

    Hull – Amy Johnson Statue

    I did wonder at first why there was a statue of Amy Johnson in Hull, but that was just my lack of knowledge, as she was born in God’s own city of Hull in 1903. She was educated at Boulevard Municipal Secondary School in the city and was also the grand-daughter of William Hodge, a former Mayor of Hull.

    I’m not sure that this is the most elegant statue of the famous aviator, but there’s at least an interesting map nearby which shows how she was the first woman to fly an aircraft solo from the UK to Australia. The map and floral display must all be relatively new, as previous photos of the statue on-line don’t have all this shrubbery (I still can’t write that word without thinking of Monty Python) around it.

    Johnson visited Hull in June 1932, when the Hull Daily Mail reported that she would “hand over a gold cup to the boy or girl who has performed the bravest deed”, which gives me an idea for the Hike Norfolk Christmas meal and award ceremony. I’m confident I’ll win that award (in competition with Dylan, who walked six miles without complaining once). Although apparently at the end of the award ceremony there was “community singing” and we most certainly won’t be doing that at the Hike Norfolk Christmas dinner.

    Anyway, back to Amy Johnson. As the plate to the side of the statue notes, “may her fame live on”.

  • Hull by Night

    Hull by Night

    Hull feels rather atmospheric at night…..

  • Hull – Furley and Co

    Hull – Furley and Co

    I would have been unlikely to have gone into this cross between a cafe, restaurant and bar if it hadn’t been listed in the Good Beer Guide. But, it’s in, so therefore, so was I (in the pub I mean, I’m not in the Good Beer Guide).

    What a lovely thing to see on the bar when entering a pub…..

    They had one of my favourite beers on (Turning Point’s Lucid Dream Cookie Cream Stout), but I’d had it the previous evening in the Head of Steam, and as variety is the spice of life (other than with Greggs, I don’t need variety there, I’m happy with chicken bakes every time) I asked if they had any other dark beers. They did, the Ridge Way by Raven Hill, a brand which likes to promote outdoor walking, so how ideal. Incidentally, the staff member was knowledgeable and seemed really keen to offer assistance. Oh, and, the beer selection was brilliant, they’d actually made some effort selecting some interesting and decent craft beers rather than rely on generic options.

    And as to my normal TripAdvisor reviews, even I’m bemused by a review this place got last week:

    “Craft beer menu has decreased steadily over the last few months and tonight was told they don’t do cocktails any more.”

    And of course a 1/5 rating. If this place is a 1/5 rated place for its craft beer, goodness only knows what it’d have to do to get a five star rating.

    I was also quite amused to read a review the pub had responded to with “thanks for your comments and hope you have now calmed down”. The reviewer had seemed to be absolutely livid that the pub didn’t offer table service.

    The Ridge Way is an oatmeal stout which I haven’t had before, and it was excellent, although that head is a little too large and I can’t recall (or more precisely, I forgot to check) whether that was a lined glass so I won’t overly criticise here in case it is. Rich and smooth, with a creamy taste, it was very drinkable. Prices are a little higher than other pubs in the area, but not dramatically so.

    I had accidentally ordered a sausage roll and I hadn’t quite expected them to do this much with the presentation of it. Above average and I was give the choice of having it heated up, which I did, although that did make it slightly greasy (but I’ll give them that, pastry does do that as I’ve discovered many times from reheating Greggs chicken bakes that somehow made it home without being eaten). Anyway, it went well with the oatmeal stout and full marks for the presentation.

    It was mostly busier than this when I visited, but I hadn’t taken a photo as there were children sitting in those seats.

    More of the internal decor, which was all on-trend, modern and contemporary.

    Another plus point is that the pub had decided to put a history of the buildings on their menu, a feature which I always admire. In short, Furley & Co is a name of a previous freight business which operated here before it closed in 1971, with the building then being used as the first Calor Gas showroom in the city. The building was also once the home to Newton Bros, founded by Sir Alfred James Newton, who was also the first chairman of Harrods and also the Lord Mayor of London in 1899.

    And this is yet another pub that I think absolutely deserves to be in the Good Beer Guide, there’s an element of class to it without it being too upmarket. And I don’t really do upmarket. Although if Greggs opened a Posh Greggs outlet, I expect that I’d be right in there. One more thing, this pub currently have Yorkshire Pudding Wraps, with choices including oven roasted chicken and sausage & red onion. Now, that’s the classy type of food that I can get right behind.

  • Hull – Mission Pub

    Hull – Mission Pub

    This pub wasn’t on my little Good Beer Guide pub run, but it looked interesting from the outside as part of it is a converted chapel, once part of the Seaman’s Mission.

    The interior really does have a lot of character, it’s one of those pubs that it’s exciting to go in.

    I was aware of the real ale situation before going in (primarily as I’d just read the CAMRA review), and this was the only choice. So, I had half a pint of Old Mill traditional bitter, brewed from a recipe they’ve been using since 1983. The barman seemed moderately surprised that I was limiting myself to half a pint, but he was friendly enough. Although he then poured the drink and forgot to give it to me, but he was welcoming and engaging, and this suffices me.

    I only realised that this pub was operated by Old Mill themselves when writing this, which makes the lack of real ale a little more disappointing. The brewery make a coffee porter, it’s a shame that their own product hasn’t reached their own pub….

    The beer was served in a branded glass, which is a little unusual for half pints. Despite my slight concerns, it was fine with a malty and bitter flavour, it was very drinkable.

    And some photos of the interior, which are unfortunately not very clear as the lighting impacts on the images somewhat. Anyway, it gives an idea of what they’ve done with the former chapel area of the mission. It’s a sensitive and intriguing transformation, I liked it. Actually, the major problem with this pub is that there was nearly no-one in it, despite its size.

    From the reviews, it’s clear that this is a pub which makes its money from the night-time trade (by which I mean drinks sales in the evenings, not prostitutes). The menus were on the tables, but the food service had finished, but I’m guessing that they weren’t packed at lunch. With a few more real ale options (or craft beer options, I’m not fussy – well I am – but I’m trying to get over that), a web-site that was finished and some food options throughout the day, this would be one of the most atmospheric and appealing pubs that I’ve visited. I’m pleased I went in though, a wonderful pub building with a friendly welcome.

  • Hull – Streetlife Museum (1818 Hobby Horse Bicycle)

    Hull – Streetlife Museum (1818 Hobby Horse Bicycle)

    The museum was given this bicycle in 1905 by a Mr. Mayfield who said that this father had merrily cycled around the Yorkshire Wolds on it, having originally bought it in Scarborough. When I write “cycled”, what I really mean is that Mr. Mayfield’s father had to push himself along as the bloody thing didn’t have any pedals. Now, by chance, this is also how I primarily ride a bike, by just pushing myself along using my feet, since the pedalling bit tires me out.

    I bet these owners were the envy of the local area…. Actually, owners of the bikes were sometimes known as ‘dandyhorses’ in a mocking way because of their riders, and I can think of a few people that I know who would probably buy one of these given half a chance. What is perhaps the most incredible about this is that it took 40 years for anyone to add pedals, as in the meantime there was a production of three-wheeled bikes, which didn’t require the rider to balance.

  • Hull – Streetlife Museum (Lanchester Open Tourer)

    Hull – Streetlife Museum (Lanchester Open Tourer)

    There’s something quite romantic about old cars, as it must have been an exciting time to have one. Not perhaps those drivers who toured the cities getting irritated by pedestrians and driving over horse deposits, but to explore the country road with few obstacles. Although, back then of course there were no Greggs drive-thrus, so it’s important to remember that the grass isn’t always greener.

    Anyway, I don’t know anything about old cars, so I have to read the information panel in a bid to understand the heap of metal in front of me. This is a Lanchester Open Tourer from around 1906, a car manufacturer from Birmingham which later moved to the romantic dreamlands of Coventry, where apparently they were “Coventry’s answer to Rolls Royce”. The company had a little issue in 1930 when they went a bit bankrupt, but the transport angels of Birmingham Small Arms Company (which sounds like a gang) bought them out.

    Birmingham Small Arms Company sold their business to Jaguar in 1960, alongside the Daimler brand which they also owned. It was all a bit over for Lanchester by then, as their last car had been made into a prototype in 1956, but it was never produced.

  • Hull – Streetlife Museum (Ryde Pier Tramcar)

    Hull – Streetlife Museum (Ryde Pier Tramcar)

    This is the oldest surviving tramcar in the country, having once plied the tramway network of Ryde Pier (I’ve been there). When I say network, I really mean the 681 metres along the pier itself, but that meant it saw a lot of the sea. It was constructed in 1867 from mahogany and teak, and it remained in use until 1935, by then the oldest working tramcar in the country.

    Inside the tramcar, which has been restored to its original state, with seating for 22 people. Later on in its lifetime, seats were added on the roof, but there was a little incident in September 1935 when it quite literally hit the buffers, meaning that it was damaged beyond repair. Fortunately (although not for them), there were only two passengers on board, with one of them being taken to hospital.

    There’s a bit of the Trigger’s Broom about this, as I wonder just how much of the original 1867 tramcar still remains, but it’s a nice thought to imagine this meandering up and down the pier full of happy holidaymakers going on their holidays.

  • Hull – Head of Steam

    Hull – Head of Steam

    After my delight at the Head of Steam in Liverpool a couple of weeks ago, it seemed proper and fitting to visit their location in Hull (and hopefully I’ll visit the one in Sheffield next week). The decor is very different here, but there were still some excellent beers to choose from. The pub was busy, mainly with diners, and there was a nice relaxed atmosphere.

    The pub had Turning Point’s Lucid Dream Cookie Cream Stout, so that was me sold. There’s also a CAMRA discount which brought the price down to something like £4.20, which isn’t unreasonable for such a marvellous beer. Depth of flavour, creamy taste and at the appropriate temperature, a glorious beer.

    Actually, on the food, I did like one review on TripAdvisor:

    “I wanted a healthy option and, as stated on the menu, I asked one of the team. For health reasons I cannot eat some salad ingredients so told them what I couldn’t have. Their imaginative minds came up with lettuce and cucumber. If you read your reviews can I suggest grated carrot, sweat corn, red cabbage(I noticed that on my husband’s plate!) Grapes seeds quinoa dried fruit nuts beetroot to name but a few.”

    The pub’s response:

    “Unfortunately, our house salad is lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onions and pepper. As you are unable to eat tomato, onions or pepper, it didn’t leave our kitchen with a lot of options.”

    Beautiful. I’m not quite sure where the pub is going to magic up quinoa, beetroot and dried fruit from, unless they somehow pick the bits out of their vegetarian burgers which do have some of those ingredients in them. It must be disappointing when a customer leaves such a negative review when they’re doing so well in getting themselves as one of the highest rated pubs in the city.

    The staff member was friendly, the pub was relaxed and the selection of beers entirely met my expectations. And, it’s in the Good Beer Guide, yet another deserved entry in my humble, and irrelevant, view.

  • Hull – Brian Fell Sculptures at Wilberforce House

    Hull – Brian Fell Sculptures at Wilberforce House

    This is a lovely creative idea, it’s a metal fence behind Wilberforce House which features representations of various items from the collections in the city’s museum quarter. The steel sculptures were installed here in 2009 and can be seen by those walking alongside the River Hull.

    The only little negative here is that I couldn’t see any signage signifying what each of the items actually was, although it does give the excitement of visiting the museums themselves to find out.

  • Hull – George Hotel

    Hull – George Hotel

    Continuing on my trail around Hull pubs which are featured in the Good Beer Guide, this one is located on the intriguingly named street, the Land of Green Ginger. It’s one large room, which I assume was once two rooms, and the welcome was friendly and authentic.

    Not meant as a complaint as this is clearly a successful pub, but it is quite challenging for a customer when pubs let their customers sit in front of the pump fronts. This was a pub with plenty of space, including at other points along the bar, and my view of the beers was nearly entirely obscured.

    I decided against trying to poke my head between customers to examine the beer options and just ask what dark beers they had on. The staff member was apologetic that they didn’t have any, although he mentioned that some were coming in, so I think that I was just a little unlucky. I can’t help thinking that seven real ales and no darker choices isn’t ideal though, with the darkest available being Abbot Ale from Greene King, which isn’t something I’d particularly want to ever actually pay for.

    Of course, this left me in a position of not knowing what alternative to have since I couldn’t see half the pump fronts (although I was able to take a photo after to zoom in on the choices). I opted for Mad Goose from Purity since I hadn’t heard of it and it sounded appealing, although I then discovered that the reviews for it aren’t great. I rated it better than the reviews, it was quite a crisp taste with flavours that I couldn’t identify, but it was worth the £1.70 for a half pint.

    A nice interior, although I can’t help but notice that lovely space they could plonk the customers at, away from the pump fronts. Or, as a compromise, they could get blackboards and chalk the beer options up on that, which seems the usual alternative when pub customers can’t easily otherwise see the bar.

    Anyway, it was a friendly environment and the member of staff seemed to be knowledgeable and competent, so I suspect he might have been the landlord. I’d come here again because it had that nice calm environment that I like in a pub, but hopefully there will be some delicious darker options on next time. It gives the impression of being a Craft Union pub and some of these are clearly working, although I hope they don’t do one of their dodgy refurbishments on this place, as the interior is full of character.

    This is another claim to fame for the pub, which is the smallest pub window in the country. It’s apparently a throwback to when a porter would look out to know if he (or perhaps she) should let people in, but the pub has made something of a thing of it which is good. This is another one that deserves to be in the Good Beer Guide.