Kingston upon Hull

It is the largest parish church in England, but as a piece of imposing medieval ecclesiastical architecture, it is more like a cathedral. The oldest parts date back to c. 1300 and the 150-ft-high tower contains a ring of 15 bells.

(1621-1678), poet and MP for Hull. Born at Winestead-in-Holderness just outside Hull he moved to the town when his father took up the position of Lecturer at Holy Trinity church. He was brought up at the Charter House where his father was Master and the garden in which he played is still there. Behind his statue is the Old Grammar School which he attended.

This is one of the oldest grammar schools in England dating back to the 16th century and open until 1873. From 1884 to 1915 it was the Choir School for Holy Trinity church. Among its many famous past scholars were Andrew Marvell and William Wilberforce. In 1988 it became Hands on History Museum which focuses on the history of Hull and its people, recreates Victorian Childhood in the classroom and contains a genuine Egyptian Mummy. Child friendly.

With its cartouche above the door of a lamb being weighed, it stands to the east side of the Old Grammar School. This building was once the home of Hull’s Wool Exchange and stands testimony to Hull’s early importance in this trade. The export of wool was initiated in the Middle Ages by the Monks in the area and the various deserted medieval villages of the Wolds (the rolling chalk lands to the north of Hull) are thought to be the result of the early wool trade expansion.

The arch leading to Prince Street is on the west side of the square. This curving Georgian street leads to Dagger Lane. The prince after which it was named was the future King George IV.

On the corner of King Street and Robson Row which lies on the south west corner of the square. Once the offices of various merchants it is now flats. This large brick building is a reminder that Hull has no natural building stone nearby so many of the early buildings were of brick.

Hull's last remaining sidewinder trawler, berthed in the River Hull to the rear of the Museum Quarter complex. Guided tours are available.

Showcases 200 years of transportation history.

Birthplace and residence of William Wilberforce (1759-1833), MP for Hull and slavery abolitionist, whose anti-slavery bill was finally passed in 1807 after his tireless campaigning. The house has been a museum in his memory since 1903.

At the Queen Victoria Square end of Whitefriargate an excavated hole containing a small amphitheater and brick wall signals the medieval Beverley Gate. This belonged to the original city walls, and is where King Charles I was refused entry to Hull in the 17th century - the first military act of the English Civil War.

A narrow street connecting the junction of Whitefriargate and Silver Street with the southern end of Manor Street. The name has been used in many works of fiction, but its origin is unclear. It was thought to have originated due to the existence of a nearby medieval spice market, but is more likely due to the son of a Dutch trading family by the name of 'Lindegroen' who possibly established his business in the area and is therefore most probably an English corruption of 'Lindegroen Jonger' (Lindegroen Junior.) The smallest window in England is in the George Hotel on the Land of Green Ginger.

leads off Whitefriargate about halfway down. This is the home of many professional practices in the city centre, and this is reflected in its fine Georgian architecture. It was built to give access to the town dock now Queens Gardens.

Developed from the old derelict Humber Dock in the early 1980s, provides space for 270 yachts and small sailing craft in its permanent and visiting berths. The area is an enjoyable stroll with some great cafes and old pubs, and annually hosts the Sea Fever Shanty Festival.

Built in 1927, it served for 48 years as a navigation aid in the approaches of the Humber Estuary.

A huge and spectacular aquarium looking out over the Humber estuary. Built as Hull's main millennium project, it has surpassed all expectations to become a massively successful tourist destination and second only in terms of visitor numbers to the Eden Project in Cornwall.

Spanning the Humber Estuary it was the longest single span suspension bridge in the world when it was completed in 1981.

A conservation area whose varied house architecture and street plan will be of interest to the casual visitor and to those interested in Victorian, Edwardian and post-World War I middle class residential housing. Starting from 1875, when Prince’s Avenue was opened and soon after the inception of Pearson Park, four parallel avenues, Marlborough, Westbourne, Park and Victoria and two cross streets, Richmond and Salisbury, were laid out between Chanterlands Avenue to the west and Prince’s Avenue to the east. The original farm land was subdivided for building purposes in such a way that it produced runs of properties of differing styles though generally towards the west houses are of a later date than those at the east. Circles with fountains were a feature and over the last few decades these have been restored –though not as full fountains. The houses used to have cast iron railings: they were removed for the ‘war effort’ but were never used, the metal being of the wrong kind! Their insertion holes can still be seen in places as can the odd piece of original railing though these are not along the frontage but between houses. By 1910 The Avenues was essentially in its current form. There are many interesting houses in the area but among the largest are those designed by George Gilbert Scott junior built between 1877 and 1879. These can be found along the west side of Salisbury Street between Westbourne and Park Avenue. One or two newer houses might be seen which have either been built on World War II bomb damage, old market gardens, playing fields or in one case a bakery. From its inception, the fortunes of The Avenues have varied. The Avenues and Pearson Park Residents Association (APPR) has led the preservation of the district. On the first two Sundays in July many gardens are open to visitors and at Christmas many windows are lit as ‘Advent Calendars’. The Avenues is mentioned in Pevsner and Neave’s 1995 book but various booklets have also been published about the area. The Avenues Conservation Area –Practical guidance for residents on renovation, planning and design, 2007 ISBN No 0-9541031-3-0, will be of interest to those with a curiosity for domestic architecture. By foot The Avenues can be accessed by those buses which pass along Prince’s and Chanterlands Avenues. These are available from the Hull Paragon Interchange. No buses pass through the area. During the day on road parking may be available but at night spaces are usually scarce.

Three of the four main ones were laid out in the late 1800s as a response to Victorian altruism to provide the population with open green areas for recreation. There are four major parks but several smaller ones. Like many parks in the world, wandering in them at night may not be judicious.

During 1885 and 1886 unemployment and hunger gripped some parts of Hull and some work was provided for the unemployed in laying out part of East Park. A large park, of some 120 acres had been improved. It is in east Hull off Holderness Road about 2 miles east of the city centre and accessible by the majority of buses that go east. It boasts a large boating and fishing lake, a pavilion and café, a paddling pool, bowling greens, football and rugby pitches, a walk through aviary, a fenced deer park and a smaller lake for sailing models boats. On most Sundays enthusiasts can be found sailing a variety of model boats, of varying complexity, from surface craft to the occasional submarine. A splash boat operates in the summer months along with pedal boats that can be hired. There are shops and pubs near the various entrances which provide the park with good amenities.

Much smaller than East Park it was opened in 1885 and is adjacent to the Walton Street Park and Ride. A model railway is operated by volunteers and more information on this could be obtained from Hull and District Society of Model and Experimental Engineers. There are bowling greens and at the south west corner is the interesting Carnegie Library now a local heritage resource centre. The park is now rather over shadowed by the KC Stadium and suffers a little from the proximity of busy roads. However, there is a £7 million make over planned for this park

Named after Christopher Pickering a successful trawler owner who donated 50 acres of land for a park which opened in 1911. Adjacent to the park Pickering also built Pickering Homes, a set of 12 attractive alms houses for ex-fishermen. Situated in west Hull on Pickering Road off Boothferry Road. The park has fishing ponds, football pitches, bowling greens, ornamental gardens, an aviary and a boating lake. The park hosts concerts and fishing competitions

This is Hull's first public park, tree planting starting in 1860. It was opened as the Peoples Park, but was later named Pearson Park after Zachariah Pearson, ship owner and at one time Mayor of Hull. He gave the land to the people of Hull but being a shrewd business man retained 12 acres of land round it for housing development. Pearson went bankrupt running arms to the southern states in the American Civil War and is buried in a modest grave in the nearby old General Cemetery on Spring Bank West, which itself is worth a visit. At the east side there is a large pair of ornamental metal gates and within the park there is a small lake and fountain, a ‘Victorian’ glasshouse, statues of Queen Victoria (1861) and Prince Albert (1868), an elegant Victorian drinking fountain (1864), the cupola of the old Town Hall (west side) and next to this a children’s playground. Bowling greens are situated at the east side. Many of the large houses surrounding the park are of interest and include the one in which Philip Larkin, the poet, lived from 1956-1974.

During the late 1800s and early 1900s a number of industrial philanthropists around the country became aware of the very poor housing occupied by many of their workers and decided to build houses of a higher standard for them. One such philanthropist was Sir James Reckitt, a Quaker, who developed the Hull based company Reckitt and Sons which was started by his father Isaac. The company became Reckitt and Colman in 1938, and Reckitt Benckiser in 1999. In 1907 Sir James formed a company, the Garden Village (Hull) Ltd., with his own money and initiated the building of The Garden Village which he opened on July 1, 1908. The houses were rented, the amount depending on their size, but in 1950, tenants were allowed to buy them. Garden Village has a mix of house size and architectural styles (but all have gardens), there is a large grassy area, The Oval, where the houses were individually designed, a Club House supporting various activities, a colonnaded shopping centre restored as flats and three alms houses, now homes for the elderly, referred to as Havens. All the roads are tree lined and named after trees, e.g. Chestnut Avenue, Lilac Avenue. The area, which lies some 2 miles NE of the city centre (near East Park), can be approached from Holderness Road via Village Road or Laburnum Avenue or from James Reckitt Avenue via Laburnum or Chestnut Avenues.

Tower mill of 1821 restored to working order, with museum of local farm life.

A must for people trying to trace their ancestors from the area and Hulls history in general. Opened in 2009, this state-of-the-art facility holds documents from the City Council's Family History and City Archives as well as some from the University of Hull. It is behind the New Theatre on Worship Street.

ride from Victoria Pier

Stand at the statue and look in all four directions at the fantastic buildings around you.

To see a production from one of the most successful local theatre companies in the country.

Since RED opened in 1997 it has provided Hull with an independent exhibition space and 'laboratory' for contemporary art. The gallery's viewing audience has been growing steadily with around 200 visitors attending each exhibition. In between the formal exhibitions the gallery offers the opportunity to local art students to organize and publicize their own shows. RED is a non-profit making initiative, run collectively by a small group of local artists.

Hull City AFC were promoted in 2026 and now play soccer in the Premier League, the top tier. Also here are Hull FC who play rugby league in Super League, the top tier of the 13-a-side game in England. The stadium, also known as "The Circle" after the cricket ground it replaced, has a capacity of 25,000 and is half a mile west of city centre off A1105 Anlaby Road.

The rival rugby league team, also in Super League. Their home ground (capacity 12,200) is Craven Park 5 miles east of city centre

The major part of Hull's Maritime Festival. It attracts major shanty singers from the UK as well as from around the world. The main stage is along the Prince's dock side and groups sing in the pubs nearby. While some stalls along the dock sell a variety of things, others represent various organisations. All performances are free though the concerts in the City Hall on Saturday evening and the Survivors Concert on Sunday evening are by ticket. Various barges are moored alongside and can be visited free of charge. If you're into shanty singing it's a really good weekend.

A huge travelling fair, and one of the city's greatest regular occasions, if not its greatest. It is the biggest European fair, and at over 700 years old, also one of the oldest. Visiting the fair is a must, though for evening visitors from a long way out of town, overnight accommodation may be necessary. The first charter for a ‘fair’ was granted in 1278 though in 1293 Edward I proscribed the original length of it. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it developed more into a fair, and less of a festive market, and later mechanisation allowed more varied and bigger ‘rides’ to be developed. In 1888, the fair moved to its current site in Walton Street where it occupies an area of 16 acres. Attractions vary: simple stalls where you can win prizes; large complex rides many of which may challenge one if not all your senses; children’s rides; stalls selling all manner of food (candy floss, hot- dogs, chips, brandy snap, toffee apples, coconuts, etc.) and goods (balloons, masks, toys, fancy hats, cheap jewellery, etc.) It is not easy to cover the whole fair in one visit and local people may go several times. Prices are less on the first afternoon the fair opens but daylight takes something away from the experience. At night the fair is brightly lit and its glow can be seen from miles away. At night it is crowded though generally safe but the hand of young children should be held as, in any crowded space, they can soon get lost from view in the mass of people. The weather can be cold so warm clothing is advisable. Police and medical services patrol the fair. Parking near the fair is difficult so a walk is usually required. Three main entrances are available; Spring Bank West and Walton Street, Anlaby Road and Walton Street and the metal bridge at the junction of Argyle Street and Londesborough Street. Hull Fair is held during the second week of October.