Hidden Treasures of Humberside coaching holiday

 A couple of months ago we went on a coach holiday which with two days travelling gave us three days up in the Humberside area.  Again we used the excellent local Coaching Holiday and Days out John Martin Coaches. I had missed out on downloading the photographs, and it was only when I started to tidy my desk and go through all the papers in the holiday pile that I started to mull over the days we had there. 

Princes Quay Hull

We were only given one day in the City Center of Kingston upon Hull, and I wish I would be magicked there to spend a few nights in the City Center and have time to really enjoy the atmosphere, architecture, museums, galleries, churches and aquarium.  It is not an easy place to get to from the West Country, and I may well have to further enjoy my time by reading about the City and places which appealed to me.

We were dropped off on Victoria Pier in front of the former booking office for the ferry which sailed from Hull to New Holland across the Humber.

There were some interesting street art such as this sculpture called Voyage along the shore.

Just on the other side of the River Hull is the renowned aquarium 'The Deep'.

The local guide who gave us a running commentary as we toured the city suggested that even if we did not have time to visit the aquarium we at least enter the building to admire the view of the estuary.  We might just have spent more time there except being the last few days of the school holidays there was far too much noise from excited children, so having admired the views we decided to continue with our walking tour.  Not before I tried out the super sized deck chair!

There are so many places of interest to visit and we could only visit a few so the fact that the Maritime Museum was closed for refurbishment didn't worry us.  Here is Mr S in Queen Victoria square with the handsome Maritime Museum in the background.

Designed by architect Henry Wilson in 1935, for the founder of the Burton fashion brand Montagu Burton, this lovely art deco building recently refurbished with new polished granite cladding made such a statement reflecting the blue skies. It is just to the side of the Maritime Museum at the start of Whitefriargate which is the way we walked through to the Old Town.  

Burton House Hull

We entered through the Hepworth Arcade which I felt this picture did not do justice to. It is an L shaped arcade and this is where Mark and Spencers started up with their penny bazaar. I mentioned Burton's earlier and now Hepworth: both well know in  retail clothing. 

We then slipped through a corridor into the Trinity Market and were very impressed with the selection of different businesses offering an excellent array of tasty things to eat and drink, which would do us nicely for lunch later. There was also a pleasing seating area under cover within the market where one can sit and enjoy eating what one had bought.  I already had in mind what I was going to have, but would leave that for later after we had visited a couple of other places.

First we dropped into the Streetlife Museum had a quick walk around and very much admired the shop fronts and their contents, particularly this tin of Needler's Buttered Brazils. Needler's factory was in Hull. My mother particularly liked buttered brazil nuts and it was the one thing she would remind me to take for her when I visited. 

The next Museum we visited where we spent quite a bit of time was Wilberforce House. The building itself is well presented and of great interest.  It was built for a merchant with the back yard leading onto the river. Built around 1660. it was already 100 years old when William Wilberforce was born there. 

It would take more than the hour or so we spent there to even visit a couple of the areas and take in the exhibits and their relevance to Hull and the abolition of slavery.  Here at the top of the stairs the family added their crest of the black eagle to celebrate William's birth in 1759. 

In the West African collections there were some magnificent textiles. This one described as follows:

Man's robe Nigeria 1930-1960

A rayon and silk version of a traditional man's robe usually made in cotton, this luxurious robe has a finely embroidered' knife' and spiral pattern centre front and a second spiral on the back.  These designs were originally inspired by Islamic symbols of the Hausa and Fulani, and are now popular across the region. 

Details of the embroidery show the stitches and overall patterns.

We retraced our steps to have a late lunch at the Trinity Market but sadly the things we had been after were sold out!  During our quick peep into Hull Minster. we noticed that they had a rather nice looking cafe called Trinity Room Cafe, so went back there are enjoyed refreshments sat at the outside tables where a few mums and young children were enjoying the sun, and we were entertained by the little children running through the mirror pools in the large pavement area.

After that we meandered around the area taking in the vibrant rejuvenation projects and ending up at the Ferens Art Gallery. Again another excellent Civic establishment of the highest quality.  We could have spent a whole day there!  Here is just one of the pieces which appealed...

'Isabel' by Jacob Epstein viewed through the Sculpture Icon II by Barbara Hepworth

There are certainly many Hidden Treasures in Hull itself, I only wish it was easier to reach from where we live, and would recommend Hull as an excellent place to spend a few days, and would suggest choosing a hotel from which you can just step out into the City.

Days 2 and 3 I shall write about separately.