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The vowel sound in words such as ''burnt, nurse, first'' is pronounced with an /E:/ sound, as is also heard in [[Liverpool]] and in [[Middlesbrough]], yet this sound is very uncommon in most of Yorkshire.The word pairs spur/spare and fur/fair illustrate this.
The vowel sound in words such as ''burnt, nurse, first'' is pronounced with an /E:/ sound, as is also heard in [[Liverpool]] and in [[Middlesbrough]], yet this sound is very uncommon in most of Yorkshire.The word pairs spur/spare and fur/fair illustrate this.


The generational and/or geographic variation can be heard in word pairs like pork/poke or cork/coke, or hall/hole, or , which some people pronounce identically while others make a distinction; anyone called "Paul" (for example) soon becomes aware of this.
The generational and/or geographic variation can be heard in word pairs like pork/poke or cork/coke, or hall/hole, which some people pronounce identically while others make a distinction; anyone called "Paul" (for example) soon becomes aware of this.


An amusing [[postcard]] is produced mocking the Hull accent. It lists a number of words and phrases as they are spoken (by some) in the city and a 'translation' to the [[Queen's English]]. For example, someone in Hull telling you that they had received a ''fern curl'' could be telling someone they had received a ''phone call''.
An amusing [[postcard]] is produced mocking the Hull accent. It lists a number of words and phrases as they are spoken (by some) in the city and a 'translation' to the [[Queen's English]]. For example, someone in Hull telling you that they had received a ''fern curl'' could be telling someone they had received a ''phone call''.

Revision as of 11:36, 9 October 2007

City of Kingston upon Hull
Unitary & City
City centre, Kingston upon Hull
City centre, Kingston upon Hull
Official logo of City of Kingston upon Hull
Crest
Hull shown within England
Hull shown within England
The unitary authorities of the Ceremonial East Riding. 1. East Riding of Yorkshire (Unitary) 2. Kingston upon Hull (Unitary)
The unitary authorities of the Ceremonial East Riding.
1. East Riding of Yorkshire (Unitary)
2. Kingston upon Hull (Unitary)
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland England
RegionYorkshire and the Humber
Ceremonial countyEast Riding of Yorkshire
Admin HQKingston upon Hull
Founded12th Century
City Status1897
Government
 • TypeUnitary authority, City
 • Governing bodyHull City Council
 • Leadership:Leader & Cabinet
 • Executive:Liberal Democrat
 • MPs:Alan Johnson (L)
Diana Johnson (L)
John Prescott (L)
Area
 • Total71.45 km2 (27.59 sq mi)
Population
 (2005 est / Urban 2006)
 • Total(Ranked )
 • Density3,486/km2 (9,030/sq mi)
 • Ethnicity
(2001 Census)
97.7% White
Time zoneUTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time)
Postcode Area
HU
Area code(01482)
ISO 3166-2GB-KHL
ONS code00FA
NUTS 3UKE11
Websitewww.hull.gov.uk

Kingston upon Hull, often shortened to Hull, is a city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.[1] It is located on the north bank of the Humber estuary, near England's east coast 25 miles (40 km) from the North Sea, on both sides of the River Hull at its junction with the Humber.[1]

During the 700 years of its existence, the town and city of Hull has served as market town,[2] military supply port and staging area,[3] trading hub,[4] fishing and whaling centre,[3] and industrial giant.[3] Hull was an early theatre of battle in the English Civil Wars,[4] and was the backdrop to events leading to the abolition of the slave trade in Britain.[5] After suffering heavy damage during the Second World War,[4] Hull weathered a period of post-industrial decline;[6] however, the city has recently embarked on a programme of regeneration and renewal.[7]

History

People have settled the area since at least the 12th century, with the founding between 1150 and 1179 of the Meaux Abbey.[8] East of the future site of Hull, William le Gros, Earl of Albemarle, founded the settlement of Hedon as a port at the point where the navigable Hedon Haven waterway enters the Humber.[2] Hedon grew rapidly, and Henry II granted the town a charter in 1160.[2] However, the need for larger vessels led to the development of land at the confluence of the river Hull (which, with a deeper draft than the Hedon Haven, could accommodate larger vessels) and the Humber as a port at the site of a village named Wyke.[2] Wyke, or Wyke-upon-Hull, was granted in 1293 the right to hold a market and fair by an agreement between Edward I and the Abbot of Meaux. Wyke also had its harbour improved and was made a manor and a free borough.[9]

The year 1293 also saw the location became strategically important to the English in their conflicts with the Scottish. Edward I selected Wyke as a site from which to supply his troops as they engaged their northern foes[3] because of its secure and well-developed port facilities.[10] The king granted a royal charter, dated April 1, 1299, that renamed the settlement to King's town upon Hull, or Kingston upon Hull. The charter remains preserved in the archives of the city's Guildhall.[4]

In 1440, a new charter incorporated the town and instituted local government consisting of a mayor, a sheriff, and twelve aldermen.[4] The charter specified that the aldermen also be justices of the peace for the town and its county.[4]

Hull's importance as a port increased greatly during the later Middle Ages, with trade contacts in the north of Germany, in the Baltics, and in the Low Countries.[4] Exports included such garment-making materials as wool, cloth, and hides. The town imported such items as timber, wine, furs, and dyes.[4] Sir William de la Pole was the town's first mayor.[11] A prosperous merchant, de la Pole founded a family prominent in government.[4] Another successful son of a trading family was bishop John Alcock, who founded Jesus College and was a patron of the grammar school in Hull.[4] The increase in trade might have had an unfortunate consequence, however: the town's maritime connections are theorised to have played a part in the introduction of a virulent strain of syphilis into Europe from the New World.[12]

The town prospered during the 16th and early 17th centuries.[4] The memory of Hull's affluence at this time is preserved in the form of several well-maintained buildings from the period, including Wilberforce House, now a museum documenting the life of William Wilberforce.[4]

In 1642, Hull's governor, Sir John Hotham, declared support for Parliament and denied Charles I entry into the town; this action deprived the king of the weapons in Hull's sizeable arsenal.[4] Named a traitor, Hotham was eventually executed, in spite of a pardon issued by Parliament.[4] Ironically, Parliament carried out the execution when Hotham attempted to switch his loyalty.[4] These were among the first events in the English Civil War. Charles I responded to these events by besieging the town.[4] This siege helped precipitate open conflict between the forces of Parliament and those of the Royalists.[4]

Hull in 1866.

Whaling played a major role in the town's fortunes until the mid-19th century.[4] Hull's prosperity peaked in the decades just before the First World War; it was during this time that city status was granted in 1897.[3] After the decline of the whaling industry, emphasis shifted to deep sea fishing until the Anglo-Icelandic Cod War of 1975–1976. The conditions set at the war's end initiated Hull's economic decline.[4] However, the city's role as a major port remains, with mainly bulk commodities shipped and commercial road traffic transported by RORO ferry to and from the Dutch ports of Rotterdam and Zeebrugge to Europe.[4] Hull also retains importance as a centre of food-processing for the United Kingdom.[4]

The city's port and industrial facilities, coupled with its proximity to Europe, led to extremely widespread damage by bombing raids during the Second World War; much of the city centre was completely destroyed.[4] Research indicates that Hull was the most severely-bombed city or town apart from London during World War II, with 95% of houses being damaged or destroyed.[13] Of a population of approximately 320,000 at the beginning of World War II, approximately 192,000 were made homeless as a result of bomb destruction or damage. The worst of the bombing occurred during 1941. Little was known about this destruction by the rest of the country at the time since most of the radio and newspaper reports did not reveal Hull by name but referred to it as a "North-East" town or "northern coastal town".[14] Most of the centre was rebuilt in the years following the war, but it is only recently that the last of the "temporary" car parks that occupied the spaces of destroyed buildings have been redeveloped.[4]

Hull was hit particularly hard by the June 2007 United Kingdom floods, with the local topography resulting in standing water over a wide area affecting 20% of the city's housing and damaging 90 out of its 105 schools. Despite this, the city was largely overlooked by the media, which favoured the more dramatic but localised flooding in Sheffield and Doncaster, leading council leader Carl Minns to declare Hull the "forgotten city" of the floods.[15] Damage to schools alone has been estimated at £100 million.[16]

Geography

File:IMG 017590.JPG
The Tidal Surge Barrier

Kingston upon Hull is near the east coast of the United Kingdom, on the northern bank of the Humber estuary.[1] The city centre is close to the Humber.[1] The city is surrounded by the rural East Riding of Yorkshire, isolating it from the rest of the United Kingdom.[17]

Much of Hull lies on reclaimed land at or below sea level. The Hull Tidal Surge Barrier is at the point where the River Hull joins the Humber Estuary and is lowered at times when unusually high tides are expected. It is used between 8 and 12 times per year and protects approximately 10,000 people from flooding.[18] Due to its low level, Hull is expected to be at increasing levels of risk from flooding due to global warming.[19]

The boundaries of the city are tightly drawn and exclude many of the metropolitan area's nearby villages, of which Cottingham is the largest.[20]

Governance

The Guildhall

Hull's administrative status has changed several times. It was a county borough within the East Riding of Yorkshire from 1889 and in 1974 it became a non-metropolitan district of Humberside. When that county was abolished in 1996 it was made a unitary authority.

The governing body of the city is now Hull City Council, headquartered in the Guildhall in the city centre.[21] The council has several subcomponents with differing responsibilities:

  • Cabinet: The Cabinet makes most day-to-day decisions. It consists of the council leader, council deputy leader, and eight other councillors (called Portfolio Holders), all elected by the full council.[22]
  • Cabinet Committees: The Cabinet appoints councillors to Cabinet Committees to handle specific responsibilities, such as granting of contracts above a certain monetary value.[22]
  • Task Groups: The Cabinet can form temporary units called Task Groups, usually to deal with specific issues. These can contain members from outside the council, such as persons expert in the issue or members of the public.[22]
  • Area Committees: These committees are responsible for different geographic areas of the city. They advise the Council and perform certain duties assigned. The Area Committees hold public area forums, in which citizens can participate directly.[22]
  • Regulatory Committees: Required by law or by the nature of the function for which they are responsible. These functions include planning, licensing, standards, school government, and civic affairs.[22]
  • Overview and Scrutiny Committees: Designed to allow citizens greater say in council oversight, these committees hold public hearings into issues of local concern.[22]

The council was designated as the UK's worst performing authority in both 2004 and 2005, but is now rated as a two star improving adequate council after its recent corporate performance assessment.[23][24] The Liberal Democrats won overall control of the City Council in the 2007 local elections, ending several years where no single party had a majority.[25]

Hull City Hall

Economy

Industry

Hull is a very busy port, with 18.5% of UK imports and 15% of the UK's seaborne trade passing through in 2004.[26] Several well-known British industrial firms, such as BP, Smith & Nephew, Seven Seas, and Reckitt Benckiser, have facilities in Hull.[27]

Princes Quay Shopping Centre built over Princes Dock.

Shopping

There are three large shopping centres in Hull - the Prospect Centre, Prince's Quay and St. Stephen's, the latter of which opened on 20 September 2007 and is home to several large stores including Zara, H&M, Next, Oasis, and Topshop.[28] Princes Quay, built on stilts in the former Prince's Dock, is also due for redevelopment in the near future.[29] The Quay West development, due for completion in 2010, will see Prince's Quay extended with another 60 shops and two new department stores (John Lewis and Debenhams are tipped to lease these) and other leisure facilities. There is also a new Vue cinema due for completion autumn 2007. The indoor Trinity Market features around fifty stalls and is situated next to the city's Holy Trinity Church and the historic Hepworth's Arcade. Shops in Hull took £484m between April 2006 and 2007, a rise of £13m over the previous 12 month period.[30]

Statistics

Below is a table of trends of regional gross value added for Hull at current basic prices.[31]

Year Regional Gross Value Added (millions of GB₤)1 Agriculture² Industry³ Services4
1995 2,748 5 1,014 1,729
2000 3,231 3 1,205 2,023
2003 3,711 6 1,406 2,299

1 Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
² includes hunting and forestry
³ includes energy and construction
4 includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured

Demography

According to the 2001 UK census, Hull had a population of 243,589, a decline of 7.5% since the 1991 UK census.[32] The population figure has subsequently been re-estimated to 249,100 as of July 2005.[33] In 2001 approximately 53,000 were aged under 16, 174,000 were aged 16–74, and 17,000 aged 75 and over.[32] The 2001 census shows that the population is 97.7% white and that 97% were born in the United Kingdom.[32] The city is 71.7% Christian with 18% of the population indicating they were of no religion while 8.4% did not specify an religious affiliation.[32]

Education

Universities

Kingston upon Hull is home to the University of Hull, founded in 1927 and received its Royal Charter in 1954, which has a student population of 16,000.[34] Associated with the university is the Hull York Medical School (HYMS), which took its first intake of students in 2003 as a part of the British government's attempts to train more doctors.[35]

The University of Lincoln grew out of the University of Humberside, a former polytechnic which was based in Hull. Through the 1990s the focus of the institution moved to nearby Lincoln, where the administrative headquarters and management moved to in 2001.[36] The University of Lincoln retains a small campus in Hull city centre.[37]

Schools

Hull has over 100 local schools; of these, Hull City Council lists 14 secondary schools and 71 primary schools.[38] Schools independent of the city council include Hymers College[39] and Hull Collegiate School, the latter formed by the joining of Hull Grammar School and Hull High School.[40] There is a large further education college, Hull College,[41] and two large sixth form colleges, Wyke College[42] and Wilberforce College.[43] Hull Trinity House School has been offering pre-sea training to prospective mariners since 1787.[44]

Hull has had low examination success rates for many years and was often found near the bottom of government league tables. This, however, is a problem that many large inner-city Local Education Authorities have. In 2006, Hull’s secondary schools’ examination succession rate rocketed by 75% from 28.9% of pupils achieving 5 or more GCSEs with grades of C or higher in 2004 to more than 50%, bringing Hull close to the national average. This was partly due to a major restructuring of Hull's secondary education system, which involved several closures, mergers and the construction of an entirely new school. In common with many other regions, the number of pupils passing five GCSEs dropped when the system was changed to count only those pupils passing English and Maths as part of the five.

In 2003, the city established a Youth Enterprise Partnership to help support enterprising young people. Teams from Hull formed under this partnership (K H Smilers, Avain, Tops Off, and Force-7) have reached the National Finals of Young Enterprise, with two teams winning and continuing to the European Finals. The partnership also facilitates events with high-profile speakers during National Enterprise Week, and has established a drop-in facility at the BeSPoKe Centre in Bransholme for young people to learn more about setting up in business. The city has also established the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank to give financial support to qualified individuals.[45]

Religion

Holy Trinty Church - Hull.

Hull is in the Diocese of York and has a Suffragan Bishop. In 2001, the city had the lowest church attendance in the United Kingdom.[46]

Unlike many other ancient English cities, Hull has no cathedral. It does, however, contain Holy Trinity Church, which is the largest parish church in England when floor area is the measurement for comparison. The church dates back to about 1300[47] and contains what is widely acknowledged to be some of the finest mediæval brick-work in the country, particularly in the transepts.

There are several seamen's missions and churches based in Hull. The Mission to Seafarers has a centre at West King George Dock. The St Nikolaj Danish Seamen's Church is located at 104 Osborne Street, Hull and has services (in Danish) every Sunday.

Transport and infrastructure

The Humber Bridge from the south side

The main route into and out of Hull by road is the M62 motorway, which is one of the main east-west routes in northern England. It provides a link to the cities of Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds as well as the rest of the country via the UK motorway network. The motorway itself ends some distance from the city; the rest of the way is along the dual carriageway A63. The east-west route forms a small part of the European road route E20.

Transport within the city is provided by two main bus operators: Stagecoach in Hull and East Yorkshire Motor Services. A smaller operator, Alpha Bus and Coach, provides one of the two Park and Ride services in the city, whilst East Yorkshire Motor Services provide the other. Generally, routes within the city are operated by Stagecoach and those which leave the city are operated by EYMS.

Hull Paragon Interchange, opened on 16 September 2007,[48] is the city’s new transport hub combining the main bus and rail termini in an integrated complex. It is expected to see 24,000 people passing through the complex each day.[49] From the railway terminus, services are provided to the rest of the UK, including direct services to London, provided by Hull Trains.

P&O Ferries provide daily overnight ferry services from King George Dock in Hull to Zeebrugge and Rotterdam. Services to Rotterdam are worked by ferries Pride of Rotterdam and Pride of Hull, the largest ferries operating in the United Kingdom.

The nearest airport is in Lincolnshire, Humberside Airport, which mostly provides charter flights and also has four KLM scheduled flights to Amsterdam and Aberdeen each day. Doncaster/Sheffield airport is within one hour's drive of the city and provides low cost flights to many European destinations.

Hull has the most 20 miles per hour zones and speed bumps in the UK, in an attempt to increase safety in its residential areas.[citation needed]

Hull is close to the Humber Bridge, which provides road links to destinations south of the Humber. The bridge was constructed between 1972 and 1981 and at the time was the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world. It is now fourth in the list.[50] Prior to construction of the bridge those wishing to cross the Humber could either take a ferry or travel inland as far as Goole.

Telephone system

A Kingston Communications K6 telephone box in Hull, without the Royal Crown of its national counterparts

Hull is the only city in the UK with its own independent telephone network company, Kingston Communications. Its distinctive cream telephone boxes can be seen across the city. The company was formed in 1902 as a municipal department by the City Council and is a fine example of municipal enterprise. It remains the only locally operated telephone company in the UK, although it is now privatised.[51] Initially Hull City Council retained a 44.9 per cent interest in the company and used the proceeds from the sale of shares to fund the city's sports venue, the KC Stadium, amongst other things. On 24 May 2007 they sold their remaining stake in the company for over £107 million.[52]

Kingston Communications were one of the first telecoms operators in Europe to offer ADSL to business users, and the first in the world to run an interactive television service using ADSL, known as Kingston Interactive TV (Or KiT). As such, Hull has a modern telephone infrastructure. Indeed, as early as the 1950s, Hull had an advanced telecommunication infrastructure. This included cable television and radio, which was installed as default into every new council house (of which there were many), and most private properties in the city. Kingston Communications has significant market power in both the dial-up and ADSL broadband internet market in Hull and the adjoining built-up areas.

Policing

Policing in Kingston upon Hull is undertaken by Humberside Police. In October 2006 the force was named (jointly with Northamptonshire Police) as the worst performing police force in the United Kingdom, based on data released from the Home Office.[53]

HM Prison Hull is located in the city and is operated by HM Prison Service. It caters for up to 1,000 adult male prisoners.[54]

Culture

Museums and art

File:IMG 053589.JPG
The Deep at night.

Hull has an extensive museum and visitor quarter which includes Wilberforce House, Hull and East Riding Museum, the Ferens Art Gallery, the Maritime Museum, Streetlife and Transport Museum, the Spurn Lightship, the Yorkshire Water Museum, the Arctic Corsair and the Deep, the world's only submarium. Worthy of mention is the Fish Trail, which takes you from the new town and around the Old Town, following a wide variety of sealife engraved in the pavement.

Classical music

Hull is home to Hull Sinfonietta, the only large professional chamber ensemble in the Humber region, and the Hull Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the most accomplished amateur orchestras in the country. Also resident in the city is one of the UK's oldest independent youth orchestras - Hull Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, which was established in 1952.

The city is also the home of the Hull Choral Union, the Hull Bach Choir - which specialises in the performance of 17th and 18th century choral music, the Hull Male Voice Choir, the Dagger Lane Operatic Society - a Gilbert & Sullivan society, the Arterian Singers and the Kingston Singers.

Literature

Hull seems to be particularly attractive to poets - the Australian author Peter Porter has described it as "the most poetic city in the United Kingdom".

Philip Larkin, arguably the greatest English poet of the mid-20th century, wrote extensively in his poems about Hull. Among poems which contain descriptions of the area are "The Whitsun Weddings", "The Building" (about the Hull Royal Infirmary) and "Here". He also christened the city as "Coventry-by-the-Sea", as he saw many parallels between the two industrial cities.

Scottish-born Douglas Dunn's Terry Street, a portrait of working-class Hull life, is one the outstanding poetry collections of the 1970s. Dunn was an important mentor to younger Hull poets including Peter Didsbury, Sean O'Brien and others, many of whom appeared in the 1982 Bloodaxe anthology A Rumoured City. Current Poet Laureate, Andrew Motion, lectured at the University of Hull between 1976 and 1980 and Roger McGough studied there. Among the younger poets associated with Hull are Maggie Hannan, David Wheatley and Caitriona O'Reilly.

Theatre

The city has three main theatres. The larger is the Hull New Theatre, which opened in 1939. It features musicals, opera, ballet, drama, children's shows and pantomime. The Hull Truck Theatre is a smaller independent theatre established in 1971. It regularly features plays, notably those written by John Godber. The Hull Truck Theatre will have a new home in the St Stephen's development. The Northern Theatre Company is also based in the city.

Nightlife

Hull has a lively nightlife, attracting people from outlying areas as well as inhabitants of the city. Hull has the concentration of pubs and bars expected of any large city in contemporary Britain. Until recently at which point late 4-6am bars have taken over with many of the notable clubs shutting down including Heaven and Hell, Rhythm Room and Planet Earth. The drinking culture in this city tends to step towards late bars.

Some of the bars and clubs in the City include The Welly Club, Magma, Sharkeys, Pozition, Spiders, V-Bar, Zachariah Pearson, and The Sugarmill. There are lots of popular wine bars and pubs around Hull University and its student accommodation area, including The Haworth Arms and The Gardeners arms.

Popular music

In the 1960s, Hull band Rats were spotted by David Bowie. They changed their name to 'The Spiders From Mars' and became a globally known sensation. Mick Ronson (guitar) was the best known of the band members and he later went on to record with Lou Reed and Bob Dylan. There is a Mick Ronson Memorial Stage in Queen's Gardens in Hull.

In the 1980s, Hull bands such as The Red Guitars, The Housemartins and Everything But the Girl found mainstream success. Paul Heaton, former member of The Housemartins who then went on to front The Beautiful South. Another former member of The Housemartins, Norman Cook, now performs as Fatboy Slim. In 1983 Hull born Paul Anthony Cook, Stuart Mathewman and Paul Spencer Denman formed the group Sade, in 1984 the singer Helen Adu signed to CBS and the group released the album Diamond Life. The album went Triple Platinum in the UK and is still the biggest selling album from a UK female singer to date. Also vocalist and actor Roland Gift (who formed the Fine Young Cannibals) grew up in Hull.

Current bands from Hull include The Paddingtons, who were signed by former Oasis mentor Alan McGee and have had two singles enter the UK's Top 30 and the music scene currently boasts well in excess of 250 unsigned bands. Ones to look out for include, Age Of Jets, CLEM, Turismo, Mr Beasley, Lecorum, The Favours, The Neat, The Johnsons, 59 Violets, The Talks, Fonda 500, Windum Earl, Last People On Earth, Popdog, The Ivy Sins, Ernest,Kill Surf City, Rocky Nest and many many more.

The Adelphi is locally known and regarded as the home of live music in the city and has achieved legendary status worldwide, having giving breaks to such bands as The Stone Roses, Radiohead, and Oasis in its 26 years.

Other local music venues remain popular including The Springhead which caters for cover bands and has been recognised nationally as a Live Music Pub of the Year.

Original Live Music Nights to take note of are The Sesh night at the popular Linnet & Lark on Princes Ave and The Sidekicks Lounge at The Lamp on Bev Rd. Both nights support local talent and both are free entry gigs which are well supported with over 200 people attending on a weekly basis. The Ringside on Beverley Road caters for the Punk and Emo crowd and the likes of The Wellington Pub and Tigers Lair host many a fine acoustic nights featuring more local talent.

Up 'n' Coming talent from across the UK is featured at The Welly club through its association with Club NME every Thursday and it sometimes plays host to some star names at its successful Indie Night Yo Yo.

The bigger National bands play either at Hull City Hall, KC Stadium, University Of Hull, or at the Hull Arena.

On the record label front, Pork Recordings started in Hull back in the mid 1990s and has released some fine workings of Fila Brazillia and Mr Beasley amongst others. The Sesh night has released four DIY compilations featuring the cream of Hull's live music scene and there are currently a few labels emerging in the city, including Purple Worm Records and Empire.

Festivals

The city hosts the The Humber Mouth literature festival every year- the 2007 season features writers such as Will Self, Shami Chakrabarti, Joanne Harris, Raj Persaud, Mike Gayle, Jackie Kay, Jean 'Binta' Breeze, Robin Ince, Dan Rhodes, Steven Hall, Christopher Reid.

The annual Hull Jazz Festival takes place around the Marina area for a week at the beginning of August. This is followed, in early September, by the Sea Fever Festival, an International Sea Shanty Festival.

Early October sees the arrival of Hull Fair which is Europe's largest travelling funfair and takes place on land adjacent to the KC Stadium.

In 2007 the Hull Metalfest began in the Welly Club, it is the second largest UK Metal festival after the Download Festival. It featured Major Label bands hailing from America, Canada and Italy, as well as the UK.

Sport

Kingston Communications Stadium.

The city has a professional football team playing in the Championship (second tier), Hull City AFC, who play at the Kingston Communications Stadium. The club has never played in the first tier, making Hull Europe's largest city never to have seen top-flight football.[55]

Hull is something of a rugby league hub, boasting two teams. Hull FC are in the Super League and, along with Hull City AFC, play at the Kingston Communications Stadium. Hull Kingston Rovers are also in Super League and play at Craven Park. There are also several lower league teams in the city, such as East Hull, West Hull, Hull Dockers and Hull Isberg, who all play in the National Conference League. The city also boasts Hull Ice Arena, a large ice rink and concert venue, which is home to the Hull Stingrays ice hockey team who play in the Elite Ice Hockey League.

New to the city is the Hull Hornets American Football Club, which, as of 5 November 2006, has acquired full member status of the British American Football League and is now eligible to apply for competition in the 2007 regular season.

In mid-2006 Hull was home to the professional wrestling company 1PW, which held the Devils Due event on 27 July in the Gemtec Arena.

The city did have, up until 2006, a Speedway Team, called Hull Vikings. However, they disbanded when they were evicted from Craven Park and ran into considerable financial difficulty. The sport has long and interesting history. Previous to the Second World War meetings were staged at Hull White City. In the early post war years the Hull Angels raced in the National League Division Three at Hedon before closure late summer 1949 saw the team move to Swindon. The sport was revived at The Boulevard and operated for many years with the Hull Vikings featuring World Champions Ivan Mauger, Barry Briggs and Egon Muller at various times. For details of the activities of the Angels and the Vikings compiled by local speedway historian Roger Hulbert look at www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk

Media

Hull's daily newspaper is the Hull Daily Mail which was named Yorkshire Daily Newspaper of the Year in 2003,[56] 2004[57] and 2006.[58] Mail News and Media also has an internet presence, with separate sites for local news, sports and nightlife. Local listings and what's on guides include Tenfoot City Magazine and Sandman Magazine. The BBC has its new Yorkshire and Lincolnshire regional headquarters at Queen's Gardens, from which the regional news programme Look North is broadcast. Radio services come from BBC Radio Humberside, Viking FM, KCFM, Magic 1161, Hull University Union's Jam 1575, and Kingstown Radio, the hospital-based radio station, which all broadcast to the city.

Accent

The local accent is quite distinctive and noticeably different from the rest of the East Riding; however it is still categorised amongst Yorkshire accents. The most notable feature of the accent is the strong I-muatation[59] in words like goat, which is [gəʊt] in standard English and [goːt] across most of Yorkshire, becomes [gɵːt] ("geuht") in and around parts of Hull, although there is variation across areas and generations. In common with much of England (outside of the far north), another feature is dropping the H from the start of words, for example Hull is more often pronounced 'Ull in the city. The vowel in "Hull" is pronounced the same way as in Standard English, however, and not as the very short /U/ that exists in Lincolnshire.

The rhythm of the accent is more like that of northern Lincolnshire than that of the rural East Riding, which is perhaps due to migration from Lincolnshire to the city during its industrial growth. One feature that it does share with the surrounding rural area is that an /i/ sound in the middle of a word often becomes an /a:/: for example, "five" may sound like "fahve", "time" like "tahme", etc. "Guide" and "guard" for example are therefore homophones.

The vowel sound in words such as burnt, nurse, first is pronounced with an /E:/ sound, as is also heard in Liverpool and in Middlesbrough, yet this sound is very uncommon in most of Yorkshire.The word pairs spur/spare and fur/fair illustrate this.

The generational and/or geographic variation can be heard in word pairs like pork/poke or cork/coke, or hall/hole, which some people pronounce identically while others make a distinction; anyone called "Paul" (for example) soon becomes aware of this.

An amusing postcard is produced mocking the Hull accent. It lists a number of words and phrases as they are spoken (by some) in the city and a 'translation' to the Queen's English. For example, someone in Hull telling you that they had received a fern curl could be telling someone they had received a phone call.

Reputation

British Extracting Company building standing derelict beside the river Hull

Hull's history is that of a solidly industrial city, with working-class sensibilities. Like many other cities and towns, it has suffered the negative effects of Britain's transition to a post-industrial society. These effects include, among other things, a decaying infrastructure, an obsolete industrial base, and areas of urban blight. These factors contribute to Hull having the second highest level of deprivation in England, after Liverpool.[6] In 2005, Hull was named "the worst place to live in Britain" in the Channel 4 programme "The Best and Worst Places to Live in Britain".[60]

In spite of these issues, many of the city's residents are very proud of Hull, its history, and its traditions, using such terms as "underrated", "thriving", "fantastic", and "wonderful" to describe their home.[61] Many residents and visitors also credit it for its down-to-earth, working class-attitude and its friendly nature.[61] The University of Hull boasts a reputation of being one of the friendliest universities in the United Kingdom.[62]

Hull's national reputation is also reflected by the positive striving of the Council to improve the city's welfare. However, the city has had poor performance in terms of most socioeconomic indicators in comparison with the rest of the UK. Hull City Council was designated as the UK's worst performing authority in both 2004 and 2005, which the Council are trying to improve with its new £200 million St. Stephen's project. These efforts helped ensure Hull's absence from the 2006 list of "Worst Places to Live in Britain", a list which included, among other places, Nottingham, Manchester, and areas of London.[63]

Hull is seen as something of a national oddity: a large city, in the midst of a very rural part of Yorkshire, at the very edge of the nation.[17] The rest of the East Riding has always looked upon Hull as a very different entity, and government decisions have taken this into account with things such as post codes, telephone networks and other regional groupings.

Regeneration

As with many cities across the country, areas of Hull are undergoing regeneration. These include the St Stephen's and Quay West projects. £300 million Quay West (being built on brownfield land) will provide an open air expansion of the existing Princes Quay shopping centre.

One Humber Quays, home to the World Trade Centre Hull & Humber.

Overlooking the Humber, the new £165m Humber Quays development, now with World Trade Centre status Humber Quays, is adding new high quality office space to Hull's waterfront. Phase 1 of the project includes two office buildings (one complete, one under construction), and 51 new apartments. Phase 2 will include a new 200 bedroom 4 star hotel, a restaurant, plus more high quality office space.

The East Bank of the River Hull will see a stunning £100m residential development connected to Hull's old town. The Boom will include over 600 luxury riverside apartments, shops, boutiques, bistro cafés, a 120 bed luxury hotel, plus health and education facilities.

St. Stephen's is being built on the site of the old bus station and is a 52,000 sq m scheme at a cost of over £160 million. It is anchored by a 24 hour superstore, providing shop units, residential areas, car parking, as well as a new 'transport interchange'. This will include a new bus station and renovated railway station and is said to be the second system in England which integrates railway and bus stations, leisure and shopping facilities under the same roof, after Doncaster's, Frenchagate interchange. This project is aimed to be completed by the end of 2007. Stores leasing area in St Stephens include Zara, Topshop, Oasis, H&M, Next, Jane Norman, and Tesco.[64]

People associated with Kingston upon Hull

Most of the notable people associated with the city can be found in the People from Hull and People associated with the University of Hull categories.


Other people associated with the city include:

Twinned cities

Hull has the following sister cities:[65]

Hull, Massachusetts in the USA is named after this city,[66] as is Hull, Quebec, which is part of the Canadian national capital region.[67]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Kingston upon Hull". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
  2. ^ a b c d "Brief history of Hedon". Hedon Town Council: Working for You. Hedon Town Council. 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
  3. ^ a b c d e "History of Hull". Hull City Council. Hull City Council. 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "Shop in Hull: History". Shop in Hull. Shop in Hull. 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
  5. ^ "Slavery: unfinished business". Wilberforce 2007: Hull. Wilberforce 2007: Hull. 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
  6. ^ a b Parkinson, Michael (2006). State of the English Cities: Volume 1 (PDF). London: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. pp. p. 112. ISBN 1-851128-45-X. Retrieved 2007-07-01. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  7. ^ "City Centre". Hull Citybuild. Hull Citybuild. 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
  8. ^ "Meaux". New Advent: Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
  9. ^ Wilson, John Marius (1870–72). Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  10. ^ "Kingston upon Hull Tourist Information". AboutBritain.com. Excelsior Information Systems Limited. 1999–2007. Retrieved 2007-09-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  11. ^ "Point 4: River Hull Walkway". BBC Humber. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2005-10-05. Retrieved 2007-09-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Keys, David (2000-07-24). "English syphilis epidemic pre-dated European outbreaks by 150 years". Independent News and Media Limited. Retrieved 2007-09-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "Listed status for bombed cinema". BBC News. 2007-02-02. Retrieved 2007-02-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ Geraghty, T. (1989). A North East Coast Town. Mr Pye Books. pp. p.7. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  15. ^ "Flood-hit Hull a 'forgotten city'". BBC News. 2007-07-04. Retrieved 2007-09-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "Hull pleads for aid after floods leave one in five homes damaged". Guardian News and Media Limited. 2007-07-05. Retrieved 2007-09-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ a b "The Best and Worst Places - Hull". Channel 4. Retrieved 2007-06-30. Hull now sits at the end of a motorway, isolated from the rest of the country by the Humber estuary.
  18. ^ "Hull Tidal Surge Barrier - Facts and Figures". Environment Agency website. Retrieved 2006-11-09.
  19. ^ "Yorkshire's grim future: Fires, floods and drought". Yorkshire Post Today. Retrieved 2006-11-09.
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  21. ^ "Contact us". Hull City Council. Hull City Council. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
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  23. ^ "Council is worst in the country". BBC News Online. 2004-12-16. Retrieved 2006-11-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ "Audit Commission Comprehensive Performance Assessment - Two stars for Hull". Hull City Council. Hull City Council. 2007-02-22. Retrieved 2007-10-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ "Lib Dems take Hull with big swing". BBC News Online. 2007-05-04. Retrieved 2007-05-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ "Hull - Investing > Economic Location". Hull.co.uk. Retrieved 2006-11-09.
  27. ^ "An Industrial City". Hull Business Directory 2005–2006. Hull City Council and Hull Cityvision. 2006. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  28. ^ "ST STEPHEN'S OPENS". This is Hull & East Riding. 2007-09-20. Retrieved 2007-09-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ "Restaurant Opportunities - Princes Quay/Quay West". Hull Citybuild. 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  30. ^ """". This is Hull & East Riding. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
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  32. ^ a b c d "City of Kingston upon Hull profile of 2001 census". Office for National Statistics. 2003. Retrieved 2007-11-04.
  33. ^ "Quinary age groups and sex for local authorities in the United Kingdom; estimated resident population; Mid-2005 Population Estimates". National Statistics Online. Retrieved 2006-11-09.
  34. ^ "Facts and Figures". University of Hull webpage. Retrieved 2006-11-09.
  35. ^ "ABOUT HYMS". The Hull York Medical School. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
  36. ^ "The University in Lincoln: History of the University". The University of Lincoln. 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  37. ^ "University of Lincoln Campuses". The University of Lincoln. 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  38. ^ "Hull City Council: Education and Learning: Schools". Hull City Council. 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  39. ^ "Welcome to Hymers College: Hull's Premier School". Hymers College. 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  40. ^ "Hull Collegiate School: Home". Hull Collegiate School. 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  41. ^ "Welcome to the Hull College Website". Hull College. 2006. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  42. ^ "Wyke Sixth Form College: About Us". Wyke Sixth Form College. 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  43. ^ "Wilberforce Sixth Form College". Wilberforce Sixth Form College. 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  44. ^ "Hull Trinity House School: History". Hull Trinity House School. 2005. Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  45. ^ "The John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Centre". Retrieved 2007-09-14.
  46. ^ Martin, Wroe (2001). "Empty pews full agendas". Sojourners Magazine. Retrieved 2006-11-09. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  47. ^ "About Holy Trinity". Holy Trinity website. Retrieved 2006-11-09.
  48. ^ "City's new interchange is open" (Press release). BBC News. 2007-09-16. Retrieved 2007-09-19. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  49. ^ St Stephen's HULL (2007). "St Stephen's HULL - Transport". Retrieved 2006-11-09.
  50. ^ "Longest bridges - Suspension Bridges". Pub Quiz Help. Retrieved 2006-11-09. Note: lists some incomplete bridges.
  51. ^ "A History in Words, Kingston Communications - The Hull telephone people". Kingston Communications. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
  52. ^ "Council Completes KC Shares Sale". This is Hull & East Riding. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
  53. ^ "Humberside 'worst police force'". BBC News Online. 2006-10-24. Retrieved 2006-11-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  54. ^ "HM Prison Service: Hull". Ministry of Justice. 2004. Retrieved 2007-10-08.
  55. ^ "God advises Super Eagle Okocha to join Hull". The Scotsman. 2007-09-05. Retrieved 2007-09-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  56. ^ "Hull Daily Mail is crowned best daily in Yorkshire". HoldtheFrontPage.co.uk. 2003-11-28. Retrieved 2007-09-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  57. ^ "Mail wins through in 'photo-finish' contest". HoldtheFrontPage.co.uk. 2004-11-11. Retrieved 2007-09-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  58. ^ "Hull title wins daily accolade". PressGazette.co.uk. 2006-11-24. Retrieved 2007-09-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  59. ^ A Spectrographic Analysis Of Vowel Fronting In Bradford English, Dominic Watt And Jennifer Tillotson, (Microsoft Word Document), retrieved 9 November 2006.
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  61. ^ a b "Hull - Word on the street". Buy Home UK. FindaProperty.com. Retrieved 2007-06-30.
  62. ^ "Smiles all round as Hull is again ranked as one of the UK's friendliest universities". The University of Hull. 2006-06-08. Retrieved 2007-06-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  63. ^ "Worst Places to Live in the UK: 2006". BEST AND WORST PLACES TO LIVE 2006. Channel 4. Retrieved 2007-06-30.
  64. ^ "St Stephens Hull: the new high street: home". St Stephens Hull: the new high street. St Stephens. 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
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  66. ^ "Hull, Massachusetts". ePodunk. ePodunk Inc. 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-30.
  67. ^ "Hull, Quebec". ePodunk Canada. ePodunk Inc. 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-30.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kingston upon Hull.

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