Join me as I take a walk through the warren of streets and narrow alleyways that criss-cross Hull's historic Old Town, during which I visit some of the area's old pubs along the way, many of them having their own fascinating stories....
This was my second visit to Hull this year, having visited one Wednesday back in March with some friends. With it being midweek, one or two of the places I had earmarked for us to call in that day had not been open whilst we were there. So to visit them when they were open on a Saturday was one of the reasons I had made my way back to this East Yorkshire port and city of around 275,000 people, the other being that I always enjoy wandering around what is surely one of the most fascinating places in the country.
Kingston-upon-Hull, to give the city its Sunday name, grew up where the River Hull joins the Humber, that huge river that flows out into the North Sea some 25 miles further to the east. Hull has always had a different feel to other places, its own unique atmosphere. It feels like a bigger city than it actually is probably because of being where it is, acting as a regional capital for much of East Yorkshire and areas of North Lincolnshire over on the other side of the Humber. It is fiercely proud and independent, the only city in the country with its own telephone network, and a major sporting city with two Super League rugby clubs and, from next season, a Premium League football club. It is also at the end of the railway line from West Yorkshire and all points south, although there are services to places like Bridlington and Beverley to the north, and so despite being only an hour east of Leeds by train, it has a somewhat remote feel. Hull has a rich history; it played its own part in the English Civil Wars, whilst the city's 18th-century Member of Parliament, William Wilberforce, made a major contribution towards the abolition of the slave trade in Britain. The presence of many grand old buildings acknowledges the historic wealth brought to the city by the shipping industry, whilst references to the historic trade with Europe, particularly the Dutch, can be found within the city today. Nowadays the city sprawls for miles as the port has shifted away from the city centre along the side of the Humber and spread inland absorbing several former villages into its suburbs. The city's importance as both a port and industrial centre was understood by the Germans during World War 2 as it was one of the most bombed cities in the country.
All of this gives the city a sense of its own importance which hits you as you alight from the train at the city's Paragon Station, where you are greeted by a statue of one of the city's famous sons, poet Philip Larkin. I have got more familiar with the city's layout over the years, so to get to the Old Town, I turned right down Ferensway as I left the station on what was a showery day, crossed over, and then turned left, walking past the busy Wetherspoons, the Admiral of the Humber, which is featured in the 2026 Good Beer Guide. I carried straight on, passing the Princes Quay shopping development by the marina, where part of the old city walls have been excavated.
A few minutes later, after passing more retail outlets, I came to a street with the delightful name of Land of Green Ginger, with several theories as to how the name arose. I turned left here, to my first pub of the day, the Craft Union-run George Hotel, a historic old town pub with a lot of original fittings dating back to its days as a coaching inn. It reputedly has the smallest pub window in the country which enabled visitors to be scrutinised before being let in or turned away. The walls and ceilings have much wood panelling. It was busy when I walked in, with a slightly blokey atmosphere with the test match showing on TV, and bunting with the flags of participating teams at the upcoming World Cup hanging from the ceiling. On the bar were 5 handpumps which included beers from Taylors, Yorkshire Heart, and Acorn. I ordered a half of Acorn Blonde, which was disappointingly thin and towards the end of the barrel, and a rather disappointing start to the day. (NBSS 2).
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| The George Hotel, Land of Green Ginger |
A short walk away down an alley off Silver Street is the Olde White Hart (opening image), a historic pub which was a Victorian conversion of a late 17th century merchant's house complete with inglenook fireplaces. An impressive staircase - which is roped off - leads to the 'Plotting Parlour' which is associated with the Glorious Revolution of 1688, when the Dutch prince and protestant William of Orange deposed the Catholic James II. The Mayor of Hull and Aldermen allegedly conspired here (in what was then, in its pre-pub days, the deputy governor's house) to overthrow the Catholic Governor who had been appointed by James II. The impressive interior features wood panelling and many historical details and is Grade II-listed with CAMRA giving it 3 stars for its historic pub interior. It is fairly small inside but there is a heated courtyard outside offering additional seating. On the bar the beers featured on 5 hand pumps included 2 from Theakstons, and I went of the bitter, which is not a beer I see that often these days. It was rich and malty, an amber ale, with a dry bitter finish, and in fine form, just what I needed after that disappointing start (NBSS 3.5).
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| The historic Olde White Hart, with staircase, and, above, an inglenook fireplace |
Next up it was time to visit the two places that weren't open on that last visit to the city, both are on Scale Lane which is pretty much a continuation of Silver Street. I walked past the Scale & Feather, which is also in the Good Beer Guide, but when I called in on a previous visit to the city it failed to impress me too much.
First I came to Wm Hawkes, which like Nolan's is a conversion of a former shop, this time a gunmaker's. It is not a big place, with two small rooms with low ceilings converted to look as if they date from the 18th century. The walls are covered with an incredible amount of bric-a-brac with more horse brasses per square metre than I have ever come across, and I can imagine a copious amount of Brasso being an integral part of every cash and carry run! The bar is on the right as you go in, and had Yorkshire-brewed beers on each of the three hand pumps. I went for half of Abbeydale Moonshine, which was cool, refreshing, and on fine form, probably the best of the day so far (NBSS 3.5).
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| Wm Hawkes |
Almost next door was my next stop. Fretwells continued the theme of the previous two places I'd visited in being a former retail establishment, this time a print shop. It is rather bigger than the other two, and looks more like a traditional pub with a central bar around which are a number of separate areas, including a games room with bar billiards, table football, and a pinball table for those who like their retro games. A beamed ceiling and dark wooden walls set the scene, with a decorative bar top, old pictures on the walls, and even an inglenook-like feature enhancing the traditional feel of the place. There was a much livelier feel here than the last couple of places with groups of people covering a wide range of ages dotted around. The bar featured six hand pumps, with 4 of them from Sheffield-based microbrewery White Rose. I went for a pint of White Dragon, a 4.2% pale ale, which was quite pleasant without standing out too much (NBSS 3), but it was good to see the pub supporting a small brewery by featuring a few of their beers. Overall though, Fretwells was one of the weaker places I visited today, but still worth calling in if time permits.
Round the corner is one of the most historic pubs in Hull. The Olde Black Boy on the cobbled High Street, which was once one of the city's main thoroughfares. It was first licensed back in 1729, making it the oldest operating pub in the city. It is a Grade II Listed pub which CAMRA have deemed as having a Three Star Historic Pub Interior, with wood-panelling, traditional glazing, and many historic features. It was my first visit here for about 10 years and it was quite busy in the back room where I went for my beer, with no space at the bar and almost all with the tables occupied. There was a friendly welcome from the jolly hirsute guy working the bar. I ordered a half of a enjoyable 4.4% golden ale from Stockton's top brewers Three Brothers called The Golden Child, which was a smooth, traditional golden ale with a light bitter finish (NBSS 3.5).
From here my plan was to visit the Ship, a community local a few minutes' walk away across a bridge over the River Hull. I walked into the city's Museum Quarter, passing Wilberforce House, the former home of William Wilberforce (1759-1833) the politician, philanthropist, and one of the leaders of the movement to abolish the Atlantic slave trade. He began his political career in 1780, and became an independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire (1784–1812). He had been converted to evangelical Anglicanism in 1785 which led him to become concerned about welfare and reform for the rest of his life. His former home was acquired by the city corporation in 1903 and was later fittingly converted to become Britain's first Museum of Slavery. On my last visit to the city in March, we had wandered around the museum whose displays were thought-provoking and moving. This time it had closed for the day so I carried on towards the Ship.
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| One of the narrow streets of the Old Town |
However, when I arrived at the main road and turned right towards the bridge I saw the road was closed with a few vehicles parked at the entrance and guys wandering around in hard hats. I couldn't see immediately if there was any pedestrian access so not having a massive amount of time before the train back I decided to cut my losses and save the Ship for another day. Relief was nearby though in the prominent form of the White Hart, off to the left on Alfred Gelder Street. This is another historic pub which I'd first visited last year.
The pub was rebuilt in 1904 for the Hull Brewery Company by architects Freeman, Son & Gaskell when it was given a classy frontage on to Alfred Gelder Street and fitted out in the manner of an Edwardian drinking palace. The pub is Grade II-listed and CAMRA rate it three stars on the National Historic Pub Inventory for a pub interior of outstanding national historic importance. The pub was closed for many years but re-opened in 2018. It has a striking frontage with fine stonework with spectacular mock Tudor upper levels with a stone balustrade. It is inside though where the pub reveals its most spectacular features, with a beautifully-preserved front lounge which boasts a fine mahogany back-fitting with glazed-towered cupboards along with a stunning curved green and yellow ceramic-fronted bar counter, designed by Burmantofts of Leeds, one of only 14 in the country, which is just like the one in the now-closed Garden Gate in Hunslet, Leeds, although there is another one in Hull at the Polar Bear, which is now more of a music venue than a pub.
The bar has 5 hand pumps featuring a constantly changing range of cask ales, plus a number of beers on keg, with further bottled and canned beers available from a fridge at the side of the bar. From a choice which was less conservative than several of the places I'd been earlier in the day, I ordered a pint of Under the Manhole Cover, a hazy 4.3% session pale from Bini which was a most enjoyable pint with which to conclude the afternoon's proceedings (NBSS 3.5).
I finished my pint, and with time moving on, I set off back through the quietening streets towards Paragon Station, calling for some peri-peri chicken and chips on the way there. I'd had a great afternoon once again in this fascinating city which has plenty to keep drawing the visitor back, and I doubt it will be too long before I'm heading back over there once again....
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