Signalling the long and great history of Paragon Station
MORE COULD BE DONE TO RECOGNISE HERITAGE OF HULL TRANSPORT HUB
ASIDE from the obvious of actually having more trains running in and out of it on a regular basis, what should be done about Hull’s Paragon Station?
For me, the amazing history of the place and the space it occupies needs a better showing. Walking around it at the moment is a bit like visiting a grand museum without anything inside to look at.
Blink and you will probably miss the handful of blue plaques and signs which give a tiny hint of the story behind this amazing cathedral of transportation. One of the bue plaques even commemorates a feature that isn’t there anymore.
It tells visitors they can no longer admire a beautiful two-storey Edwardian era timber office built in 1904 which was removed as part of the 2006 facelift which resulted in the new-look renamed Hull Paragon Interchange. Only in Hull!
Another plaque, installed as part of BBC Music Day, recalls the station being a regular departure point for Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Woody Woodmansey on their musical adventures as David Bowie’s Spiders from Mars in the early 1970s. It’s close to the statue of Philip Larkin, a rushing literary figure from the past who wrote eloquently about his own train journeys in and out of Hull.
Other away days, however, are overlooked. Where are the references to the years when rugby league fans gathered there for their annual pilgrimage to Wembley for the Challenge Cup Final or even the countless family day-trips to Hornsea or Bridlington resorts?
Harder to spot away from the main station concourse is another plaque which features a much bigger story. Unveiled in 1999 as part of the city’s 700th anniversary celebrations, it occupies a spot near the specially-built emigration platform to commemorate the estimated 2.2 million people who passed through the station between 1850 and 1914 on their way from mainland Europe to a new life in America, Canada and South Africa.
However, unless you happen to be a local history buff, I expect this epic tale of emigration and Hull’s pivotal role in it is now largely forgotten or, at best, overlooked. It’s a challenge to even find this particular plaque in the first place.
Elsewhere, there are the poignant First World War memorial boards in the station lobby area. Made by inmates at Hull Prison, they feature the names of over 2,000 men from Hull who set off from Paragon to serve in the conflict but never returned. Beyond that, the station is crying out for someone (I’m looking at you Transpennine Express) to really do it justice.
All these tales and more need to be brought into one big celebration of its incredible 176-year history. After all, what’s the point of continuing to have empty retail units on the concourse when you could fill them with stories and images from yesteryear?
It’s not that it hasn’t been done before either. Back in 2018 the Hull History Troupe was allowed to host a great pop-up exhibition in one of the empty units telling the story of Hull and its railways called Hull Connected.
Sadly, the troupe’s funding dried up shortly afterwards, but I’m pretty sure the detailed exhibition displays and images used at the time could be dusted off and reused in much the same fashion.
In addition, any new show could benefit from a video loop screening recent episodes from the Hull History Nerd’s Youtube channel which have also chartered the history of the city’s railways and docks in an engaging and entertaining way. After all, his 6,450 subscribers can’t be wrong.
If Transpennine Express is still holding out for yet another national coffee franchise to fill one of those units, then can I suggest making better use of the station’s disused ticket office until the endless rumours about it being converted into a micro-pub actually become reality?
This ornately-tiled gem rivals the Ferens Art Gallery in terms of architectural space and is crying out for people to actually enjoy it rather than being prevented from doing so courtesy of a series of currently locked doors.
It would be the perfect spot for the station’s history to be properly displayed and enjoyed. Having a micropub there too would be even better. In fact, the ideal mix.
So come on, TPE. If Hull isn’t going to get its rail lines electrified any time soon, how about sparking some wider interest in Paragon by celebrating its story from 1846 right up to the present day?