Tourist Information
Kingston-upon-Hull, a busy port at the confluence of the River
Hull and the Humber Estuary has acted as the gateway to the heart
of England since Roman times. The original town of Hull was
conceived after King Edward I (1272-1307) decided he needed a
secure port from which to supply his armies who were fighting the
Scots. This haven on the River Hull fitted the role
perfectly, as well as having a flourishing import/export trade.
Edward’s new town, Kyngestone-upon-Hull, was quickly
established. Successive monarchs used Hull as their main east
coast port, as a base for expeditions against the Scots, also for
the assembly and dispatch of supplies to France. Ships were
fitted out here and the town yielded sizable tax revenue to the
Royal Exchequer.
During the 17th century there were problems between Parliament
and King Charles I and although relying upon that body to raise
money for his ventures, Charles resented its interference in his
running of the country. The struggle between King and
Government looked like coming to a head when in March 1642, Charles
moved his court from London to York , with the intention of
capturing Hull. On April 23rd, he tried to gain entry to the
town but found the Beverley Gate drawbridge raised, he demanded
admittance, which was refused. This was the first openly
defiant act against the King in support of Parliament. War
was inevitable.
By 1829, the completion of the last of Hull ’s docks, Junction
Dock, transformed the town into an “island”. After Queen
Victoria ’s visit in 1854, Junction Dock was renamed Prince’s Dock,
after Prince Albert, and then on 6th July 1897, a Royal charter was
signed creating Kingston-upon-Hull a City. It was now ranked
as the third port in the country after London and
Liverpool.
Hull’s fishing trade boomed during the late 1940’s and 50’s,
boosting everyone’s moral and giving the encouragement needed to
repair their war-torn city. (The National Picture Theatre,
Beverley Road, has recently been considered for designation as a
Scheduled Ancient Monument as it is one of only three examples,
nationally, of bomb damaged remains of a non-ecclesiastical
building). Over the subsequent 50 years, redevelopment of the
inner city has continued, with new replacing ruins and progress
rising from the ashes of the past.
The Modern City of Hull is large and busy, shopping is made easy
with a compact layout, car parking facilities and traffic-free
streets, which are also the setting for live open-air entertainment
during the spring and summer. One of the country’s most
exciting and scenic shopping centres is the impressive, glass
covered Princes Quay, which literally rose from the water to hover
above Prince’s Dock. As one of the area’s largest shopping
centres, it cleverly links the old and new parts of the town,
leading to the heart of this historic city with sweeping views of
the rejuvenated docklands. The major development works are
still continuing at present, the old railway station has just
undergone a major refit making the most of the existing Victorian
architecture and adjacent to this is Hull’s largest shopping
complex St. Stephens Square, where there are over 52’000m2
of shopping space as well as housing the Hull Truck
Theatre and hotel accommodation. Hull also has an
award-winning yacht marina with over 300
berths, moored in the Marina is the former
Spurn Lightship, now open to the public. This vessel was
restored by the City Council after it had served 50
years as a navigation aid at the mouth of the
Humber.
Hull has many fascinating Museums, displaying the area’s
archaeology and natural history. Visitors can find out about
the abolition of the slave trade, experience a bumpy ride in
a horse drawn carriage and visit galleries devoted to
Whales and Whaling for which Hull was once an important
centre.
Sports enthusiasts will find most of their favourite sports
represented in and around Hull , which is the UK headquarters of
baseball. Rugby League is represented with two first class
teams, there is professional football, cricket, golf, angling,
power-boat racing and sailing. There are various indoor
leisure pursuits including Northern England ’s first Olympic
standard Ice Arena.
For further information about Hull visit Hull's tourist information