Change is upon us (Hull City of culture 2017)
- Leon Ethan
- Feb 16, 2018
- 7 min read
The year of 2017 is rapidly approaching and for the people of Hull that means getting closer to the embarkment of a journey the city hasn’t seen in its history. That is of course the city of culture year long event that is commencing in Hull during 2017. Hull has waited diligently for an event like this and it is finally upon us. The microscope is firmly on Hull for the year of 2017.The people of Hull and the surrounding area are ready to welcome the nation into their home. This sure is to be a fantastic year in Hull that showcases its booming culture. It is hoped it will highlight why Hull gained the name ‘sleeping giant’ or why it is considered a hard-wgone unnoticed for many years. This is Hulls time to shine and shine it will in this exciting time to be a ‘Hullensian’.
Prelude through time
Hull has quite a diverse background and its origin is very unique. It is unlike any other city around the country. The name Hull is actually an abbreviation of Kingston upon Hull which is Hull’s full title. That name was derived in 1299 by King Edward who saw Hull as a potential strategic focal point in the north and ordered there to be development within the area. This came as a benefit to Hull because this saw prosperity and wealth flood into the area.
Throughout the 1300’s and the start of the middle ages, Hull remained at the forefront of trade in the north with imports coming from various Nordic countries. Goods such as cloth, timber and oil were just some of the few that were traded within the port in the town. Hull into the 16th century was steadily getting by as a military and trade town but that changed during the beginnings of the English Civil war in 1642 when Sir John Hotham refused King Charles I entry to Hull at the front gates.
King Charles I wanted to possess the arsenal that the walls of Hull kept, to further his cause against the opposition. He had used the arsenal many times to front a campaign in Scotland but was refused entry this time by Hotham who was under oath to protect hull and secure the town from hostiles with the King being one of them. With this action Hull was besieged by the King and England went into full scale war with Hull being in the thick of it.
Hull in the 17th and 18th century saw a growth in its ports and with that came the boom and insurgence of the whaling trade in Hull. During this time as well, a notable figure in Hulls history was present. His name was of course William Wilberforce.
Wilberforce was born and bred in Hull and dedicated his life to serving Hull and the surrounding area as an MP. He was a leading figure in the abolishment of slavery and saw his strenuous hard work fulfilled in 1807 when an act was passed to make the slave trade illegal. Unfortunately, this did not stop slavery entirely. It wasn’t until 1833 that the act was finally eradicated from the British empire when another to replace it was passed. Sadly, William didn’t see that day come as he passed in the months prior, but his legacy remained. He would always be at the heart of the conversation when slavery was discussed. A true son of this City and one we should commend for years to come.
Hull finally gained city status in 1897 and enjoyed its best times as a city in the early 1900’s with industrial factory’s being widespread across the region. Fishing in the city also enjoyed a healthy increase with many jobs being created in the process of this industry growing. In 1927 Hull University was founded and one of Hulls adopted child’s Phillip Larkin worked there as a Liberian for 30 years. Many regard Larkin as one of the greatest poets to come out of England. Quite fitting that my City honoured this man with an art exhibition which included an invasion of artistic frogs widespread across Hull in 2010.
When the second world war came around Hull got hit hard. Ports and industrial facilities were flattened. 95% of Hull was destroyed from bombs raining down and this turmoil Hull endured was later dubbed as the ’Hull Blitz’. The worst of these bombings came in 1941 when many attacks happened in a short space of time which resulted in the deaths of over 200 people. Only London was more heavily bombed in WW2. The aftermath of this devastating war for Hull was long and prolonged. It took many years for Hull to get back to normality in many ways.
One major event that stands out in Hull’s history is the decline in the fishing industry in the 70’s. The cod wars played a major factor in this decline. Because of this Hull saw an uprising brewing amongst disgruntled fishermen’s wives who demanded better conditions for the trawlers being used out at sea. Three trawlers carrying 58 fishermen went missing during this year and this spark a movement lead by Lillian Bilcocca. She and many others protested for changes to the safety of these trawlers and to put minds at rest by bettering the conditions on the boats. Their wishes were granted in the spring of 1968 when a ship carrying a crew of 20 went to sea carrying a doctor, a meteorologist and a vast amount of medical equipment.
Hull’s greatest piece of modern engineering began construction around this time. The famous Humber bridge was created to link the two opposing sides of the Humber and started in 1973. The bridge was finished in the summer of 1981 much to the delight of the people of Hull. This marked a turning point of how the city was getting back on its feet from the dismissive fallout from WW2. At the turn of the century Hull’s rapid growth was starting to turn heads and with the opening of the shopping centre called St Stephens in 2007; the people of Hull were starting to make their voices heard that this city needs it story to be finally told. And in 2013 those voices were heard when Hull fought off the competition of various competing cities to become the second UK City of Culture. The Culture year would commence in 2017.
Rivals close to home
Sport. Hull…loves its sport. This is emphatically shown when the two professional Rugby sides Hull FC and Hull KR play each other in a derby either at the KC stadium now formally known as the KCOM stadium or at Craven Park formally known as KC Lightstream stadium. These games are filled with all the animosity and intensity of a good derby. A river divides the two with KR being east and FC being west. Fans put on their jerseys, fly their flags and cheer on their respective sides. In recent time FC have beat their rivals to the punch on a number of occasions much to the dismay of KR and their fans.
FC proudly lifted the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup in 2016 whereas KR were relegated to the championship. Another sport the city loves is Football. Hull City football club is the premier side in these parts. The team has enjoyed some great spells of success in the last ten years with the club earning promotion three times to the English Premier League ( 2008, 2012, 2015).
Sampling Success
As mentioned earlier, Hull is the second city to be awarded the Culture tag. The first was Derry formerly known as Londonderry who got awarded the yearlong event in 2010 with their year being in 2013. Located in Northern Ireland, it is the second largest city and is home to roughly 85000. Admittedly, Derry realised they were ‘guinea pigs’ in this concept but ensured they was enthusiasm within the city to host such event for the first time. One of biggest events they hosted was the BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend. The weekend was free to attend and had a whole host of headline acts.
They included Calvin Harris, Bruno Mars and Rita Ora plus many more supporting acts. This showcase of music talent spanned across a 3-day period in May. The festival itself was seen as a resounding success and with it brought a lot of cash flow into the area. The Turner Prize was also brought to Derry. Turner Prize is an award that is given every year to a talented British visual artist that is under the age of 50. This was the first time the Turner Prize had been awarded outside of England. Having this staged in Derry was a real coup for the city and demonstrated what the culture event could really bring to a city that got awarded it.
Weighing up all these positives the year seemed a success right? Well some sprouts of controversy arose when discussing the Culture year. Firstly, Discussion outweighing the negatives started long before the culture year had even begun, that was because Derry’s bid team couldn’t decide what to call their bid. This ignited the age long debate around the area on what the city should be called. Is it Londonderry or just Derry?
Well to everyone outside of Derry it’s just that, Derry but to the organisers they couldn’t decide so they stuck on one name and that was Derry~Londonderry. Secondly, critics questioned the legitimacy of such an event and called it a 12 month party that would in the grand scheme of things have no effect on the city or its economy. Many thought after it had ended, Derry would deteriorate back into fierce unemployment and civil unrest. So, has that happened?
Well, an article done by the Derry Journal in October 2014 relating to numbers in August 2014 suggests the City of Culture event had no effect on jobs or unemployment. Figures show 8.1% of the working population in the area claimed job seekers and that is the highest of any other district nearby to Derry. In October 2015 Derry’s unemployment decreased by 2.8% but still remained the worst city in Northern Ireland. The telling fact could be, did the city of culture event have any impact on them 2015 numbers, probably not. This now brings up an important question. How can the people in charge of Hull’s bid take on board all this information and make 2017 a success? It remains to be seen. One thing is for sure though lessons are to be learnt if Hull’s year is to be a resounding success, one which leaves a legacy behind it.
The year upon us is going to be an exciting one for the folk in this city. Living here can be hard sometimes. We don’t normally receive the best media coverage. I think the media fail to see for all our faults it’s the people who live here that make this city special. The people from Hull are a special breed. From our dialect to our tasty patties, Hull has its own way of going about things. It is very exciting to know my nation will celebrate Hulls rich history next year. I hope you all enjoy what next year has too offer and may it leave a lastly legacy for everyone.
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