12 Old Town secrets that still haunt Hull’s cobbles
MANAGEMENT PLAN DRAWN UP TO PROTECT THE CITY’S MOST HISTORIC NEIGHBOURHOOD
ADETAILED new historical audit has been drawn up highlighting the very special nature of Hull’s Old Town.
Known as a Conservation Area character appraisal, it not only paints a picture of the city’s oldest neighbourhood but also sets out a plans to protect, preserve and enhance its many qualities.
The Old Town was first designated as a Conservation Area in 1973, in a move designed to give it a layer of added protection under planning law.
Since then, it’s been extended three times and now covers an area of 133 acres.
The new appraisal by Hull City Council’s planning team aims to bring together all the previous work covering different parts of the Old Town into one document under a single management plan.
Soon, the public will have their say on it in a consultation exercise, but a draft version published by the council not only highlights many of the Old Town’s famous features but also some of its less well-known quirks.
Here are some of those unusual facts and figures which don’t always feature in the tour guides. 1Changing river’s course
Back in the middle of the 13th century, possibly after disastrous flooding, the occupants of what was then called Wyke dug deep to change the course of a river called Auld Hull.
New straightened channels redirected its flow along Sayer Creek before reaching the Humber. As a result, the first hint of what would become a substantial town and trading port emerged.
Just think, we could have ended up being called Kingston-uponSayer.
2Boon for archaeologists
Most of the Old Town is currently 4.5 metres above sea level and this means flooding is an ever-present risk.
However, the sodden nature of much of the reclaimed land it stands on has been a boon to archaeologists, as the watery conditions have helped preserve large quantities of buried organic materials, such as wood and leather, now regarded as part of a nationally important collection.
3Very straight streets
Ever wondered why so many streets in the Old Town are dead straight?
They were originally built that way on the orders of King Edward I when he effectively bought the town in 1299 and declared its first Royal charter.
Some gently curving streets, notably the Land of Green Ginger, mirror the path of ancient waterways.
4Using different materials
The early medieval Old Town would have been packed with wooden buildings covered in thatched roofs, as stone was in short supply as a suitable building material and expensive to import.
That started to change in the middle of the 16th century when the Corporation (the equivalent of today’s city council) ordered that bricks should be used instead of timber on repairs to properties, while new buildings should be roofed with clay tiles instead of thatch to reduce the risk of fire.
The Old Grammar School overlooking Trinity Square is an example of a building constructed at this time.
5Extensive brick structure
The most striking brickbuilt landmark in the medieval Old Town were the defences constructed around it.
An estimated 4.7 million bricks were used encircle the town with 16ft-high walls, gateways and towers, creating the most extensive brick structure in England.
The exposed remains of Beverley Gate near Whitefriargate are the only visible of signs of the defences today.
6Gruesome execution
The refusal to allow King Charles I entry into the town via Beverley Gate is one of Hull’s best-known historical stories.
However, the gruesome execution of Sir Robert Constable at the same spot 125 years earlier in 1537 rarely gets a mention.
Flamborough-born Constable had been tried and found guilty of treason after being one of the leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace
uprising across Yorkshire the year before.
The Duke of Norfolk, who attended his execution, described it in the following terms: “On Frydaye, beyng market daye at Hull, Sir Robert Constable suffred, and dothe hang above the highest gate of the towne, so trymmed in cheynes, that I thinke his bones will hang there this hundrethe yere.”
7High- status buildings
Expensive stone was only usually used for high-status buildings, including the medieval churches Hull Minister and St Mary’s.
Even so, the minister is mainly constructed in brick and, while it lays claim to the oldest church in the city, most of the interior fittings in St Mary’s date back to the Victorian era.
8Distinctly Dutch feel
Long before a weekend ferry break to Amsterdam became popular, 17th-century Hull had a distinctly Dutch feel about it thanks to the brick town walls, gateways and the architectural style of many of its buildings.
Heavily influenced by Hull’s trading links with Holland, Dutchstyle gable ends can still be seen today in High Street, while black ledger paving stones in Hull Minster and the brick façade and porch at Wilberforce House also reflect Dutch influence.
Although a more recent addition, dating from a warehouse conversion in 1903, the Empress pub in Alfred Gelder Street also closely resembles many traditional bars in Dutch cities.
9Reclaimed land
The Fruit Market area might be Hull’s trendiest area, but did you know all those hipsters living and working there are standing on mainly reclaimed land?
Spoil from the construction of Humber Dock, which was opened in 1809, was used to create Wellington Street and Nelson Street.
10History under foot
Take a walk around the Old Town and there’s history directly under your feet.
From Victorian York stone paving to granite kerbs and setts, the streets are covered in a wide variety of materials.
More recent additions include Chinese and Portuguese granite setts laid during public realm works in the build-up to Hull’s year as the UK City of Culture.
11Lime wash coating
Many brick buildings from medieval times are presumed to have been coated with a lime wash.
From the 18th century, stucco was fashionable as a protective and decorative treatment and several examples of it can still be seen in the Old Town, such as at Trinity House.
The complete use of stone for building in the Old Town was rare until the 20th century. From then, several buildings were built using stone, namely the Guildhall and the old General Post Office.
12 Conservation Area
The Old Town Conservation Area contains 190 statutory listed buildings, which represents about 35 per cent of Hull’s total number of listed buildings.
Next time you’re there, see how many you can spot during a gentle stroll.