Hull

Introducing Hull

Tough, uncompromising Hull is a curmudgeonly English seaport with a proud seafaring tradition and a hard-bitten attitude to all things in life, perhaps the inevitable consequence of growing up amid salt and sweat. But there is life beyond the port, and while you may get the impression that Hull remains determinedly unaffected by the exotic trade that has passed through its docks, a quick tour of the city’s cultural offerings should convince you otherwise. But not too much, for this is still a northern port, and with the marked exception of the almost lunatic nightlife, Hull balks at all indulgences: its full and proper name – Kingston-upon-Hull – seems like an unnecessary extravagance when plain old Hull will do, and it seems apt that jaundiced, rueful poet Philip Larkin (1922–85) presided over its university library for many years.

Last updated: Sep 22, 2008