As a born and bred Bristolian and a Bristol City fan, the
city of Hull never really registered with me for a long period of my young
life. One visit to Boothferry Park when I was about 19 to watch a fourth tier
match between Hull City and Swansea left me very underwhelmed. Although, at the
time there were seeds of change being sewn. On the horizon I could see the
brand, spanking new KC Stadium being constructed...but what good would that be
to a 4th Division team. Playing the likes of Swansea too!
Oh…how things have changed!
Whilst my beloved team virtually
stood still, the new stadium seemed to boost Hull who made a charge up the
divisions. Leading to the split second in my life where my sporting dreams were
dangled in front of me, only to be cruelly dashed away. I am talking about 3:38pm
on Saturday 24th May 2008, at Wembley Stadium, London, when a
football left the boot of Hull City’s Dean Windass and sailed into the Bristol
City goal, to take The Tigers into Dreamland and destroy or only real chance at
the big time.
Since then, Hull has held a very different place in my
heart. During their first Premier League season, I couldn’t even bring myself
to watch highlights involving them on Match of the Day. Even when we were back
in the same division, Hull as a club would look in much better shape than us
(despite the odd win). As we declined, they prospered.
I then moved to East Yorkshire and found myself surrounded
by plenty of Hull fans who were more than willing to remind me of that day at
Wembley!I eventually ended up working
on the outskirts of the city and my trips to Hull, whether for shopping or
leisure, increased in frequency. I now work in the actual city itself and I
have grudgingly, actually come to like the city….but not for the obvious
reasons that most people do (for example The Deep, Marina, Museums etc).
So, with Hull being named UK City of Culture 2017, here are
the things I (surprisingly) like about Hull:
Irrigation
Streams & Drains everywhere. As Hull is built on a low
lying plain on the north bank of the Humber, you can’t help travel through the
city without coming across one of the many drainage ditches and streams that
criss-cross the area, doing their best to keep the city from flooding. A
pleasing feature!
No Uphill Struggles
It’s flat. As above, due to the lie of the land, there are
no real hills, meaning one can cycle or simply walk around Hull without getting
too puffed out. Unlike my home city of Bristol – which is extremely hilly (if
you know such inclines as Park Street and Blackboy Hill) yet is a designated
“cycling city”.
Mellow Yellow
Its firm reliance on low pressure sodium streetlighting.
For the less geeky amongst you, many of you won’t realise what type of
streetlighting is used in your local area. For a geek like me, it is quite
pleasing to see Hull pretty much sticking to its guns and using low pressure
sodium lighting (that is the bright yellow type of lighting, referred to in geeky circles as "SOX Lighting") extensively
throughout the city. It may be less energy efficient than LED or fluorescent
lighting, but it is reassuringly old-school.
Crazy Roads
Its bumpy, concrete slab roads. The road network close to
my workplace appears to be made of crazy paving. This is the only thing I can
deduce as I rumble along at a steady 40mph, before bouncing up and down
violently over a shoddily constructed bridge. In a very strange way, I quite
like this refusal to adhere to normal road building conventions. Although I
think I will like it less once my car falls apart.
A Cheeky Pint
The Mercure Hotel Bar at Hull Paragon Interchange Railway
Station. This is a hidden gem and seemingly goes unnoticed by the mass of
commuters who pass by the unassuming entrance onto the station forecourt (just behind the statue of Philip Larkin). It has
always been really quiet when I’ve gone in and it is the perfect place to while
away the time whilst waiting for your connection.
Ooo…the Suspense!
The Humber Bridge. Well, what Geek wouldn’t like a bridge
which was the longest of its type anywhere in the world for 16 years! You can
get a great view of it from the Hessle Foreshore or even walk it.
