Why Hull’s faded Victorian jewel is struggling to shine
FAMOUS STREET IS CURRENTLY DOWN IN THE DUMPS
IF there’s one area that captures the current ups and downs of Hull city centre its Paragon Street.
Once packed with ornatelydesigned late Victorian theatres and hotels, it was originally laid out as the main route between Paragon Station and what became known as City Square - later to be renamed after Queen Victoria.
Bomb damage during the Second World War changed its look and sadly destroyed several grand buildings lining the street, yet it still managed to stage a post-war recovery with a collection of more angular replacements.
Today the street is facing a similar challenge after weathering three storms - a decade of austerity fuelled by the 2008 global financial crash, the collapse of traditional high street shopping thanks the arrival of online competition and Covid-19.
A walk from the closed doors of the Hull Cheese pub to Paragon Square and its pigeon-friendly war memorial and Cenotaph is something of a grim experience at the moment.
At times, it’s like strolling through
a deserted film set.
Here and there, the street’s original bold Victorian architectural style can still be seen in landmarks such as the Cheese and what is now a Heron convenience store but for many years was a flagship shop in the Jacksons chain.
There’s also Paragon Arcade, perhaps the one bright spot of hope in an otherwise depressing vista of bleak buildings that are either temporarily closed because of the Covid lockdown or facing a more long-term spell of neglect.
The arcade has enjoyed a recent revival after being acquired by the Hull-based Allenby Commercial group, attracting a cluster of independent traders opening up shop alongside established names such as jewellers Segal’s and the legendary Paragon Barbers, where trims have been administered since 1942.
If anywhere is likely to bounce back after Covid, it’s down the picture-postcard pretty Victorian arcade.
But elsewhere you can’t help count the To Let signs or notice the dust-encrusted windows in some of the empty buildings.
A case in point is the former Portland Hotel and the adjoining Macy’s Bar.
Once a stylish modern counterpart to the more traditional Royal Hotel, the Paragon fell on hard times some years ago and, for a while, was reinvented as a student accommodation complex.
Today it’s standing empty, boarded up and in urgent needs of some TLC.
With a faded old karaoke advert in
the window, Macy’s has suffered a similar fate along with a number of other nearby pubs and bars.
Across the street, the Kingston Tavern had ceased trading long before Covid hit although an old menu by a doorway still optimistically lists meals which haven’t been served for years
Further along, what was once possibly Hull’s narrowest pub also stands empty.
According to its Facebook page,
The Sandringham pub in Paragon Street the Sandringham’s last big event was a Halloween bash in 2019.
A peek through the widows reveals the tiny boozer’s interior has been gutted, presumably awaiting someone with a big imagination and deep pockets to breathe new life into it.
If and when that happens, he or she might consider restoring some of the pub’s traditional fixtures and fittings which sadly disappeared a
few years ago only to be replaced by a more modern look.
As it is, social distancing could still be a problem as the place is barely two metres wide at some points.
Even the legendary Cheese is a pale shadow of its former self, having once been a packed-out feature of nights out in the city centre. Pre-covid, it was only opening on some lunchtimes and weekends.
Even the brief optimism generated by Handmade Burger’s decision to move its restaurant from St Stephen’s shopping centre to
Paragon Street in 2018 didn’t last long. Just over a year ago it closed when the company went into administration. The unit remains empty.
Earlier this week, city councillors heard new efforts were being made to woo Whitehall civil service jobs to Hull as part of the government’s drive to relocate staff out of London and into the regions.
Three potential city centre sites were mentioned - Albion Square, Myton retail park and Colonial Street.
If it does happen - and that’s a big if - a new civil service campus development at the Myton site could be just the tonic Paragon Street needs.
However, the same was said after the opening of the nearby Bonus Arena and, with the exception of Pargaon Arcade, spin-off new development in the surrounding area has been decidedly thin on the ground.
Perhaps now is the time for the council, property owners and businesses in the neighbourhood to focus on how it can adapt and thrive in a post-covid world because, at the moment, it’s decidedly down in the dumps.