Trailing Around Hull

Fish, Ale, Old Town and Poetry: Finding the connection between these subjects seems like it might be a round on the BBC quiz programme Only Connect. In fact they are all the subjects of ‘trails’ which can be followed round the city of Hull.

Hull's Fish Trail

The poetry trail of course relates to Hull’s most famous modern poet, Philip Larkin. Andrew Marvell, who was born near Hull and attended the local grammar school only merits a mention in the leaflet for the Old Town Trail. Larkin, who moved to Hull in his early thirties, gets no less than twenty-five plaques on places associated with his life and poetry, all in and around Hull.

On a recent weekend, I followed three of these  trails around the Old Town.  Whilst they cover something of the same ground, it is surprising how many things you can miss first time round. 

The Seven Seas Fish Trail is perhaps the most unusual of the Hull trails.  It was originally commissioned from the artist Gordon Young by the City Council for the Hull 1992 Festival. It comprises forty-one separate representations of different fish species (from Anchovy to Zander) in the pavements of the old town. The free Hull Old Town and City Guide includes a handy guide to the trail, with a paragraph about each fish, and a location map. The map also shows the Ale Trail locations, so you can make your choice as appropriate. Back on the Fish Trail, each artwork is in a very different style.  The Eel sculpture comprises 14 steel eels (try saying that after you have been on the Ale Trail!) set into the decking of the boardwalk alongside the Hull river.  Whitebait are stamped into the paving bricks around the corner of George Yard. Garfish is carved into a slab of slate near the Victoria Pier. 

Well, would you call this a 'window'?

The Fish Trail takes in many places of interest around the Old Town, but in order really to understand the history and landmarks, you need The Old Town Trail leaflet produced by the Hull Civic Society, which can be purchased for £2 from the Tourist Information Centre in City Hall, at the start of the trail. Without the aid of this leaflet I might never have found England’s smallest window at the George Hotel. I had ventured into the remarkably-named ‘Land of Green Ginger’ earlier in the day, but completely failed to spot the ‘window’.  In my defence, I think it is less a window and more of a slot with delusions of grandeur.

Larkin Trail

The Larkin Trail is the longest of the Hull trails.  It comes in three sections which cover the city centre, the wider city, and the surrounding area.  I only followed the city centre part, but even so it covered rather more ground, from the Paragon Station and the Royal Station Hotel to the Hull History Centre.  At each location there is a plaque explaining its significance, and a relevant line  from one of his works.  One plaque is inside Marks and Spencer in Whitefriargate, the ‘Large, Cool Store’ of Larkin’s poem, where

“Bri-Nylon Baby-Dolls and Shorties
Flounce in clusters”

If you follow this trail online at thelarkintrail.co.uk with a smartphone, you can click on each location for text of a related poem and more general information, including sound clips, such as an excerpt from Alan Plater’s play about Larkin, or some of Larkin’s beloved jazz.

Whichever you choose, following a trail is a great way to explore.