hull development framework
TRANSCRIPT
HDFHull Development Framework
Hull Character Study(Phase 1)
DraftMarch 2010
HULL CHARACTER STUDY
1. Introduction
• Urban Characterisation • Characterisation in Hull • Methodology • Consultation
2. Landscape Setting of Hull
• Geology, Soil and Topography • Rivers and Drainage • Land use • Vistas • Connections
3. Historic Evolution of Hull
• Medieval and Pre-1800 • 19th and Early 20th Centuries (1800 – 1919) • Inter War Years (1919 – 1945) • Post War Years (1945 – 1980) • Post 1980s
4. Overall Character of Hull
5. Townscape Types and Character Areas
6. Townscape Types Assessment Sources Appendix 1: Participation and Informal Consultation Appendix 2: Informal Consultation – Comments Received
1. INTRODUCTION Urban Characterisation Historic landscape characterisation is an established technique, promoted by English
Heritage, to assist with managing change to the environment. It is particularly useful in spatial
planning and land management. The first projects were undertaken in largely rural areas but it
is now being extended into urban areas. Characterisation produces a generalised
understanding of how landscapes and places have evolved over time and how their historic
character can be appreciated. It is concerned with the context and character of places rather
than with individual sites and buildings. Characterisation therefore differs from conservation
area appraisal, but is complementary to it.
Every landscape and place has a historic character, largely determined by inherited features
such as fields, hedges, streets, buildings and place names. Understanding this character is a
starting point for deciding a place’s future, the first step in determining how places can be
improved for the future. All regeneration and development is set within an inherited landscape
and the most successful designs are those that recognise and capitalise on this.
Characterisation takes place early in the planning and design process and provides a
framework for early decisions. It opens up heritage and its management to varied and multiple
viewpoints, personal as well as specialist, and is open to absorbing and responding to
community views. It enables a place’s historical identity to contribute to everyone’s quality of
life.
Characterisation in Hull
Like most towns and cities, Hull does not have a uniform character but is made up of distinct
areas of different ages and building types. The purpose of the Hull Character Study is to
identify, describe and analyse the combination of elements that help to form the character of
different areas within the city. It aims to identify what is distinctive about local character areas
and what makes them different from neighbouring areas, and to highlight the strengths and
weaknesses that regeneration and development can build upon or redress. Although
‘character’ is primarily defined in terms of the built environment, it is important to recognise
that it is largely the interplay of physical, economic and social factors that has given rise to the
form of the built environment. Physical factors are explored in Chapter 2, and economic and
social factors in Chapter 3. All factors are considered together in Chapter 4. The study will
form part of the LDF evidence base and inform policies and SPDs in the LDF.
The Character Study will be comprised of three sections, as follows:
• firstly, a context section describing the landscape setting of Hull and the historic
evolution of the city; this is followed by an analysis of the overall character of the
city in terms of its built form;
• secondly, a generic townscape assessment that identifies broad townscape types
based on land use and age of development; and
• thirdly, character area assessments that examine localities in more detail and at a
citywide level, the identification of key views.
The study is being carried out in two phases, with the first two sections – a largely desk-based
exercise – presented here in draft form, and the third section – which involves extensive
fieldwork – to follow later in the year.
Methodology The methodology adopted is based upon that promoted by English Heritage and adapted for
use in urban areas such as Oxford, Brighton & Hove and Plymouth.
The first part of the context section is concerned with the landscape setting of Hull and
includes features such as: geology, soil, topography – flat; rivers – Humber and Hull, and
drains – Barmston and Holderness; land use – buildings, grassland, woods, fields; vistas –
across the Humber and to the Wolds; and connections – the main approaches by road,
railway and river.
The second part of the context section is concerned with the historic evolution of Hull and
covers the main phases of urban development and their characteristics, i.e: Medieval and
Pre-1800; 1800-1919 (19th and early 20th century); 1919-1945 (interwar); 1945-1980
(postwar); and Post-1980.
The generic townscape assessment identifies broad townscape types based on land use and
the age of development. The characteristics of each type are described and local character
areas within each type are identified. The locations of the townscape types are shown on a
map. 19 townscape types have been identified and 58 character areas,
The final part of the study, which has yet to be carried out, will be a detailed assessment of
the local character areas and citywide, the identification of important views.
Consultation This first phase of the study has been subject to participation and informal consultation. This
took place during 2009 and included:
• workshop sessions with CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built
Environment);
• discussion at the HDF (Hull Development Framework) Forum;
• events with Arc (Architecture Centre for Hull and the Humber Region); and
• informal consultation with relevant organisations
Changes were made to the process and document as a result of participation and informal
consultation, while other comments will be taken into account for the second phase of the
study. Details of participation and informal consultation are contained in Appendix 1 and
comments received during informal consultation are in Appendix 2.
2. Landscape setting of Hull
Geology, soil and topography
Kingston upon Hull lies near England’s east coast on relatively flat lowland, where the River
Hull meets the northern bank of the Humber Estuary, approximately 20 miles from the North
Sea. It is built on alluvial and glacial deposits which overlie chalk rocks, this chalk bedrock is
overlain by tills composed of loam, clays, sands and gravels. It is generally very flat, only 2 to
4 metres above sea level with some areas of the city lying on reclaimed land at or below sea
level. The predominant soil type is seasonally wet deep clay, which typically has a low
permeability, which means that rainfall runs off the surface rather than infiltrates into the soil.
Rivers and drainage
Lying at the juncture of the Humber Estuary and the River
Hull both rivers have had, and continue to have, a unique
influence on the city. The River Hull (left) has its source in the
Yorkshire Wolds and joins the Humber Estuary in the centre
of Hull. The current course of the river was originally just a
tributary of the main river which came out further to the west
along what is now Commercial Road. It was not until the
floods of 1250 that the course of the river changed to where it
is today. It receives salt water from the Humber Estuary and
so is therefore brackish (a mixture of sea water and fresh
water) throughout its length, yet it is still very important for
wildlife. Numerous bird species are known to breed along the river including the reed and
sedge warbler.
The Humber Estuary (right) makes up over 4% of the total
area of Hull and has the largest catchment of any estuary in
the British Isles and drains one-fifth of the land area of
England. The Humber starts at the juncture of the River Ouse
and the River Trent where it is approximately 1 mile wide. It
increases its width until at its mouth, 37 miles to the east, it is
about 8 miles wide between North Lincolnshire and Kilnsea,
East Yorkshire. The waters of this tidal estuary are heavily
laden with sediment which mainly comes from the eroding
boulder clay of the Holderness coast and gives it its distinctive brown appearance. The water
(despite its appearance) and associated habitats, including saltmarsh and reedbeds are
particularly important. The estuary itself is home to many species including grey seals and
lamprey and provides important nurseries for North Sea fish populations such as codling.
Over one third of the estuary is exposed as mud or sandflats at low tide. These intertidal flats
are of national and international importance for wildlife and support many species such as
wading birds from both Britain and Europe, including Dunlin, Redshank and Ringed Plover.
Open drains have long been a feature of Hull, as the city
was built upon marshland and relies on its many drains to
keep the land dry. The major surviving open land drains
are Beverley and Barmston Drain (constructed in 1809) in
the west of the city and Holderness Drain in the east. The
Beverley and Barmston Drain outfalls to the River Hull
approximately 1.5km upstream of the Humber while
Holderness Drain (above) discharges into the Humber. Both the major and minor land drains
provide important natural habitats for birds (Kingfishers are regularly seen) and support an
interesting variety of wild plants including arrowhead, meadowsweet and skullcap. These
bankside areas also provide a home for animals including harvest mice and water shrews.
Land use
Hull is the largest settlement in East Yorkshire, it is
not part of a greater conurbation, is largely self-
contained and independent from the agricultural
East Riding. The land use of the city is mainly urban
and developed, nearly 80% of Hull can be classed
as ‘built environment’ (man-made structures) (right).
Underused industrial land, demolition sites and land
awaiting development is a common form of open land in the city. Hull is a major commercial
port and a large area of the city is occupied by dockland. There are areas of grassland
(mostly neutral wet grassland), agricultural land, naturally vegetated urban land and industrial
land, including railway lines and
dockland which have ecological value
and support Hull’s biodiversity. Most
grassland in the city is semi –
improved or improved, this includes
land in use for agriculture (land on the
eastern boundary adjacent to
Bransholme) and areas used for
recreation, such as public parks,
sports pitches and golf courses. The
open space that public parks provide
in Hull is invaluable. A number of grand examples were developed in the Victorian period to
provide welcome relief from urban life. These include Pearson Park, East Park, West Park
and Pickering Park. Other grassland includes those associated with railways, waterways
(above) and roads, such as grass verges, central reservations and roundabouts. On the
western boundary (much of the land outside the administrative boundary of Hull but owned by
the city) are two excellent examples of old permanent pastures, at Priory Meadows and Snuff
Mill Fields. These have been maintained traditionally for over 100 years and are dominated by
wet grassland and contain temporarily filled hollows, ponds and ditches. Less than 3% of the
city comprises woodland.
Vistas
As Hull is generally flat and has a low built form the extent of the visual influence of the city is
limited to prominent man-made structures, such as the Croda Wind Turbine, the tower blocks
of Orchard Park and the Garths, Hull Royal Infirmary (Anlaby Road), Kingston House,
Brynmor Jones Library (University of Hull campus) and Sculcoates Chimney.
Views from Hull include the Yorkshire Wolds, Holderness and across the Humber. The Wolds
are a plateau of gently rolling chalkland dissected by steep-sided valleys which sweep round
in a wide crescent from Flamborough Head to the Humber. The Wolds’ highest point (at 246
metres) is near Garrowby Hill, while on the coast at Bempton and Flamborough the cliffs rise
up to 120 metres and a similar height is reached at Elloughton Wold less than 3 miles from
the Humber.
To the east of Hull, between the city and the North Sea coast is the gently undulating
landscape of Holderness and its vast expanses of
former saltmarshes (reclaimed since the 17th
century) forming the flat and open Sunk Island and
Cherry Cobb Sands. At the south eastern tip of
Holderness is Spurn Point. This is a 6km long
spindly peninsula of sand and shingle extending out
into the Humber, formed by the erosion of the
Holderness coast. It is formed by the natural
phenomenon called the ‘Longshore Drift’ – a 250
year round cycle of erosion. This region from the
village of Kilnsea to Spurn Point is now designated a
National Nature Reserve.
To the south are the unique high blue skies and
open views across the Humber Estuary, including
views of the clay pits and reedbeds at Far Ings
National Nature Reserve on the southern bank of the
river, the oil refinery at Salt End in the east and the impressive structure of the Humber Bridge
to the west. The Humber Bridge (above) is the fifth longest single span suspension bridge (at
2220 metres long) in the world, designed to cross the last major unbridged estuary in Britain
and opened in 1981.
Connections
Connections and access routes to Hull are important in creating perceptions of the city. The
principle road access is the M62 motorway/A63 link road, which is one of the main east coast
to west coast routes in northern England. It provides a link to the cities of Liverpool,
Manchester and Leeds, as well as the rest of the country via the motorway network. The
motorway itself ends several miles to the west of Hull and continues into the city via the A63
dual carriageway. The M62/A63 crosses an extensive area of low, flat farmland, with long
views in all directions. The Humber Bridge, just to the west of Hessle, provides access to the
south, principally Grimsby and Immingham, which lies approximately 15 miles further down
the Humber, and to Lincoln via the A15. The bridge provides dramatic views over the Humber
estuary and to Hull. Another important route is the A1079 via Beverley and across the Wolds
to York and the north.
Hull’s port provides key east coast passenger ferry and trade links via the Humber and North
Sea to Europe and the Baltic states.
Rail access is principally from the west with lines from Doncaster and Selby converging at
Gilberdyke then crossing the low, flat farmland to reach Hull. A secondary line follows the foot
of the Wolds to Beverley and Bridlington then through the Wolds to Scarborough.
3. Historic Evolution of Hull Medieval and Pre-1800 The name Kingston upon Hull is derived from the River Hull which bisects the city and
Edward I who renamed the original settlement of Wyke when he acquired it in 1293 from the
Abbey of Meaux. The advancement of the town and its status after 1293 culminated in the
royal charter of 1299, by which it was declared to be a royal borough and was granted various
liberties. Before the foundation of this settlement the site had been uninhabited and was part
of the hamlet of Myton. Wyke at this time was a small successful trading post supporting the
burgeoning wool trade.
Edward I (left) principally acquired it for its strategic location as
a supply port in the north of England, to use in his campaigns
against the Scottish.
The original street plan of the settlement was largely dictated
by the course of the River Hull and was based on a grid pattern
typical of new towns of the time. After the king’s acquisition
(within a century of its foundation) Hull had grown to a town of
about 60 households.
Edward II ordered the first fortification of Hull in 1321 when he
granted a license to build a ditch and wall around the town. It
has been estimated that around 4,700,000 bricks were used in
the wall’s construction (the largest medieval brick structure in
England). The only visible remains of these defences are the foundations of Beverley Gate
and a section of adjoining wall at the west end of Whitefrairgate.
By the start of the 14th Century, the port of Hull was the second largest port after London and
its position of importance was exemplified by the role of the De La Pole family who started off
in the wool trade and grew rich through money lending to the kings of England. Its prosperity
continued to grow and wealthy merchants built grand houses along the narrow High Street
adjoining their private wharfs and staithes on the River Hull. In 1440 the culmination of Hull’s
self-government saw the town given corporate and county status and it was greatly enlarged
by the addition of an area stretching 5 miles west of the town.
During the 15th Century foreign trade continued to be the foundation of Hull’s economy and its
uncertain course dictated the fluctuating fortunes of the town.
Hull’s position as a
garrison town and royal
arsenal was strengthened
in the 16th Century when
Henry VIII reviewed its
fortifications and ordered
two new blockhouses
(small forts) and several
other structures to be built
to protect the harbour,
(principally against a
possible French invasion)
and a citadel was added
in 1681 (left). These
fortifications restricted the expansion of the town and would later lead to issues of
overcrowding.
Hull continued to be an important port in the later middle ages. It exported lead and grain as
well as wool. Imports included cloth from the Netherlands, iron-ore from Sweden, oil seed
from the Baltic and timber from Riga and Norway – timber and oil seed continue to be major
imports through the present day ports. Trade with the Netherlands was particularly extensive
and this appears to have influenced the architectural style of the day. Hull had the
appearance of a Dutch town with its high brick walls, surrounding moat and gabled houses
along the banks of the River Hull.
The port suffered a decline in trade during the 16th and 17th centuries but its strategic
importance meant it received the military attentions of both sides in the British civil wars. In
April 1642 King Charles I attempted to take control of the arsenal in the town but was turned
away from the gates by the governor Sir John Hotham. Hull supported the Parliamentarian
side in the conflict and was consequently besieged by the Royalists for five weeks in 1643.
Trade, particularly with the Baltic, expanded in the early 18th century leading to a population
growth in the town from 7,000 in the 1670s to 15 -18,000 a century later.
Hull’s commerce was originally confined to the old harbour (around the mouth of the River
Hull extending to North Bridge). It was a
natural harbour with cargoes landed
and loaded on the wharves on the west
side of the river. At the time it was
unique as it had no legal Quay and
therefore it was difficult for the custom
officers to assess duty to be paid,
leading to a loss of revenue for the government. For this reason and the increase in trade,
fuelled by the Industrial Revolution in West Yorkshire, Hull’s first dock, Queen’s Dock was
opened to relieve congestion in the old harbour (see above). Construction began in 1775 and
was completed in 1778 and at the time was the largest dock in England. As part of its
development the town walls to the north were demolished and much needed land released for
development. New wide roads and elegant middle class terraces followed quickly, the
remains of which form the Georgian New Town Conservation Area today. Two other docks,
the present Humber Dock and Princes Dock, were opened in 1809 and 1820 respectively.
Due largely to the confined nature of Hull prior to 1800, little
development from this time exists today. A noteworthy exception is
Charterhouse, a former monastery and almshouse whose origins date
back to the 14th century (right) and Sutton-on-Hull, a former agricultural
village in East Hull which was incorporated into the city in 1929.
19th and Early 20th Centuries (1800 – 1919) Hull benefited from the industrial growth of its hinterland from the late 18th century. It was not
just a port for the towns of the industrial revolution, it became a part of the revolution itself.
Some of the town’s leading merchants, such as the Blaydes, had diversified into industry. The
Blaydes family had gone into ship building (their claim to fame being that their shipyard built
the ‘Bounty’). The 19th century saw the establishment of industries based on processing raw
materials imported through the port, such as corn
milling, seed crushing and paint manufacturing
(left). The early century also saw a growth of
engineering in Hull, as ships became steam-
driven and then iron-hulled and the flourishing
flour and oil-seed crushing mills required more
sophisticated machinery.
The late 18th century saw the rise of the whaling trade in Hull, one of its main entrepreneurs
being Samuel Standidge, who sent three whalers to Greenland in 1768. By 1800, 40% of the
country’s whalers sailed from the town, the really prosperous period being 1815 to 1825 when
2,000 men were employed in the trade. The whaling trade brought increased prosperity to the
town until it began to decline through over-fishing in the mid 19th century. During the good
year of 1820, 50 vessels sailed from Hull to go whale hunting, but by 1832 this number had
declined to just 28.
By then, the fishing industry itself was beginning to take off. In the 1840s, the ‘silver pits’ – a
very fish-rich part of the North Sea (only 50 miles from Hull), led to fishermen from Devon and
Kent migrating to the Humber, at first seasonally and then permanently. The number of
‘smacks’ fishing from Hull rose from 29 in 1845 to 270 in 1863. Those employed as fishermen
rose from 4 in 1841 to 313 in 1861, 924 in 1871 and 1, 578 in 1881, with the corresponding
rise in the population of Hull from 32,958 in 1831 to 277,991 in 1911. The introduction in the
late 19th century of new fishing methods – the ‘trawl’ and of steam powered trawlers, meant
that Hull fisherman fished as far a field as Iceland and the White Sea and led to the dramatic
increase in employees in the fishing industry.
Trade and industry were further boosted by the arrival of the rail link with Leeds in 1840.
Other railways followed, including the Hull and Barnsley Railway and associated dock which
were opened in 1885 to break the perceived local
monopoly of the North Eastern Railway.
With the opening of the railways in Hull, five more docks
were constructed during the later 19th century and two
followed in the 20th century. The Town Docks system was
extended in 1846 when the Railway Dock (right) was
opened and its use was dominated by the Wilson Line,
Hull’s biggest steamship company. Victoria Dock followed
in 1850 and was the first to be built on the east side of the
River Hull, principally for the importing of timber from the Baltic. The Albert Dock, parallel to
the Humber was opened in 1869 and became the home of the North Sea fishing fleet. In 1883
St. Andrews Dock met the demands of the town’s expanding fishing industry. Further east
along the Humber Alexandra Dock opened in 1885 and further east still King George Dock
was opened in 1914.
Hull’s earliest industrial
development took place
along the east bank of the
River Hull (Drypool village –
in an area that still contains
a number of historic mills
and warehouses). New
docks were built, to the west
of the old town to
accommodate the growing
fishing industry and to the
east for the timber trade.
The processing and
manufacturing industries were concentrated northwards alongside the River Hull (left). Near
the docks and industrial areas vast numbers of working class houses were built, first
westwards to the south of Anlaby Road and to the north west between Beverley Road and the
river and then to the east along Holderness and Hedon Roads. Many families in these areas
lived in short courts running at right angles to the main street (containing typically 6 to 10
dwellings) ending with a wall dividing them from the corresponding court running from the
adjoining street. This cul-de-sac terraced housing was distinctive to Hull and examples still
exist, particularly off Hawthorn Avenue, Newland Avenue and Holderness Road.
The industrial revolution brought with it pollution, poverty and poor living conditions, which in
turn led to ill health. During the Victorian period a number of national and local housing policy
reforms sought to address concerns over living conditions and health, leading to significant
but gradual improvement. The main national policy reforms are as follows:-
• 1842 Chadwicks report on the ‘Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population’
• 1844 First report published by the Royal Commission on the Health of Towns
• 1848 ‘First Public Health Act’ – covered sewage, drainage and housing.
• 1868 ‘Sanitary Act’ – required local authorities to improve housing standards
• 1875 ‘Artisans and Labourers Dwellings Improvement Act (Cross’ Act) – gave local
authorities powers to compulsory purchase dwellings unfit for habitation and build
new properties for letting (in practice in Hull little was achieved in this era due to the
compensations needing to be paid, the cost of construction and the high rents
needed to meet these costs)
• 1890 ‘Houses of the Working Classes Act’ – delegated more health-related powers
to local authorities, increased their duties to report unfit housing and further
empowered them to build council housing using money collected from rates.
Despite the above housing/health acts municipal housing in Hull was very limited before the
First World War, although some were constructed through philanthropic societies. In 1862 the
‘Society for Improving the Condition of the Labouring Classes’, erected a tenement block
called the ‘Model Dwellings’ (now owned by the Sutton Housing Trust) on the corner of
Midland and St. Luke’s Streets (Thornton area). In 1889-90 the Hull Artisans and Labourers
Dwellings Co. Ltd built 53 houses in the area now know as Gordon Avenue in the New Bridge
Road area.
In Hull in the 19th century middle class
housing was limited. The town’s
wealthiest merchants had relocated to
the villages west of Hull, whilst the rest
built imposing terraces along Anlaby
Road, Spring Bank and Beverley Road
in the 1840’s and 1850’s. In 1860
Pearson Park was opened, Hull’s first
example of an extensive, publicly
accessible recreation space, followed in the 1870’s by the Avenues (above) with tall Victorian
terraced houses along tree-lined boulevards. Other notable examples of this later Victorian
housing, which still exist today, include Boulevard and Coltman Street.
In the late 19th century Hull’s main shopping area gradually moved westwards from its original
site around Market Place in the Old Town. It gradually gravitated towards Paragon Station
after it opened in 1848, although the commercial centre (the banks, insurance companies,
merchants’ and solicitors’ offices) remained on Lowgate and Silver Street. A new city centre
was formed around 1900 with the creation of Queen Victoria Square and the laying out of
King Edward Street, Jameson Street and Alfred Gelder Street.
Hull was granted city status in 1897 and the civic pride that went with it is demonstrated in the
grandeur of its Edwardian public buildings, such as the Guildhall (completed in 1916)
designed by the architect Sir Edwin Cooper and the City Hall (opened in1909) designed by
Joseph H Hirst, the first city architect.
Hull was at its most prosperous in the
years before the First World War and an
Edwardian spirit of improvement went with
this prosperity. On Cottingham Road, to
the north, a teacher training college (now
part of the University of Hull campus) was
constructed in 1910. To the east, Sir
James Reckitt bought 130 acres of land for
his employees and created Hull’s ‘Garden
Village’ designed by local architects Runton and Barry (opened in 1908) which embodied the
attributes of space, architecture and nature associated with the garden city movement (left).
Inter War Years (1919 – 1945) The sense of civic pride and drive for improvement appears to have continued through the
inter-war period, principally around the expanding city centre. Ferens Art Gallery was opened
in 1927, work began on the development of Ferensway in 1931 and the creation of Queen’s
Gardens in 1930. By the 20th century Queen’s Dock (which had been in use for over 150
years) was becoming redundant, more docks had opened in the city and deep sea fishing had
moved to these newer docks, and in 1930 it finally closed.
It was then purchased by the Hull Corporation for
£100,000 and over the next four years it was filled in and
landscaped to become a Pleasure Garden (now Queen’s
Gardens). 1927 also saw the start of construction of
University College Hull, then an external college of the
University of London (later to become the University of
Hull). It opened a year later with 14 departments in pure sciences and the arts and 39
students. The college at that time consisted of one building, the Venn Building (named after
the mathematician John Venn, who was born in Hull) on Cottingham Road (above left). The
college gained its Royal Charter in 1954 which empowered it to award its own degrees,
making it the third university in Yorkshire and the 14th in England.
The 1920’s and 1930’s saw industrial decline, exacerbated by over-production in the fishing
industry, however this period saw many improvements in housing. The landmark ‘Addison
Housing and Town Planning Act’ of 1919 followed on from Lloyd George’s famous speech in
1918 promising “to make Britain a fit country for heroes to live in”. This act brought radical
changes across the country, including Hull. For the first time, legislation forced local
authorities to build new houses in working class areas and all towns and cities with
populations over 20,000 had to prepare
development schemes. Central
government gave financial help for this
between 1919 to 1923. Local authorities
were required to do surveys of their areas
to find out what the housing problems
were (right) and the municipal housing
created had to be let at a low rent so
poorer families could afford them. This resulted in the construction of 518 local authority
homes in Hull, with the main sites being Gipsyville, Preston Road and Greenwood Avenue
estates. In the private sector there was extensive ribbon housing development along the main
arterial roads, particularly to the west of the city.
The ‘Chamberlain Housing Act’ of 1923 sought to encourage private housing development
through the use of subsides, this led to the construction of 2,667 private homes (which
continued until the early 1930’s) also known as ‘subsidy’ housing. The main areas being
Chanterlands/Bricknell Avenue, Calvert Lane and Belgrave Road in west Hull and James
Reckitt Avenue/Gillshill Road and Southcoates Lane in the east. In response to concerns that
the 1923 housing act was not benefiting the majority of the population, the ‘Wheatley Housing
Act’ (1924) put the focus back on providing homes for the working classes. ‘Subsidy’ housing
was unaffordable for most low paid working families. The ‘Greenwood Housing Act’ (1930)
introduced a five year programme for slum
clearance and forced local authorities to provide
housing for those who had lost their homes through
clearance schemes (left). Slums had developed in
British cities for economic reasons and Hull was no
exception. Working class families traditionally lived
in the city centre and close to their places of work.
A 1925 medical report on Hull stated that 2,578
houses were needed to re - house persons living in unhealthy areas. The report also
mentioned “much overcrowding” in the “narrow courts” with demolition as the only solution.
Under these two acts 4,000 new homes were built in the city. In total there were 34 demolition
orders between April 1931 and September 1938 involving 10,578 people, 2,790 houses and
numerous businesses.
During this period the Garden City Movement was particularly influential in offering a vision for
improved housing conditions. It promoted good quality housing in a heavily landscaped
setting, complemented by community facilities. In Hull this is probably best realised by the
aptly named ‘Garden Village’ which was started in 1907 but had another phase of
construction from 1923. Another example is ‘Broadway’, also in east Hull which was built by
British Oil and Cake Mills Ltd for its employees. The public sector adopted the space
standards of the Garden City Movement as well but owing to public funding constraints,
estates lacked the variety, architectural detailing and maintenance regimes that enhanced
private sector garden cities.
Approximately 10, 000 council houses were developed in west Hull during the inter-war period
following the slum clearances. These developments tended to follow the arterial roads and
included purpose-built centres and public open space. As a result of this expansion, by 1939
12% of housing stock in the city was council owned.
During the Second World War Hull’s port and industrial facilities, coupled with its proximity to
mainland Europe, saw it devastated by bombing raids. Much of
the city centre was completely destroyed. The city was the most
severely bombed British city or town apart from London, with 92%
of houses being damaged or destroyed (left). Of a population of
approximately 320,000 at the beginning of the war, approximately
192,000 were made homeless as a result of bomb damage. The
worst of the bombing occurred during March and May 1941. Little
was known about the extent of this destruction by the rest of the
country at the time since most of the radio and newspaper reports did not reveal Hull by name
but referred to it as a “North- East” town.
Post War Years (1945 – 1980) Following the widespread destruction in Hull in the Second World War, the services of two
great town planners, Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Patrick Abercrombie were secured to draw up
a reconstruction plan for the city – ‘A Plan for the City and County
of Kingston upon Hull – 1945’ (right) which also involved the
wholesale re-planning of the city centre. Among the more radical
ideas suggested in the plan included proposals to build a satellite
town for 60,000 people at Burton Constable and an inner ring road to run along a widened
High Street. Most of the proposals where not implemented, although some, including the
inner ring road, were incorporated in the City Council’s own Development Plan (1954), to the
detriment of the Old Town.
Housing clearance accelerated after the war, with council housing forming most of the
replacement development. Between 1945 and
1989 the number of council homes rose from
10,000 to over 50,000 accounting for almost
fifty per cent of the city’s housing stock. In
east Hull this development took place around
Bilton Grange, Greatfield (right) and Longhill
and in west Hull at Boothferry Estate and
Priory Road/Bricknell Avenue. These early
estates mainly followed the inter war patterns
of development.
Some inner city redevelopment (1960 - 80) took place, principally between Anlaby Road and
Hessle Road, south of Spring Bank and east of Beverley Road, but most building happened
on the peripheral edges of the built up area, Ings and Bransholme (east Hull) and Orchard
Park (west Hull) are foremost examples. Bransholme was built as a largely self-sufficient
residential community incorporating a number of schools,
churches, community facilities and retail areas. It had
come into being following the war when it became
necessary (largely due to the devastation caused during
the war) to re-house on a massive scale. The City Council
already owned a lot of undeveloped land on the northern
margin of the city and acquired more by 1948. The
intention of the council at the time was to provide a new
town rather than a large estate but government approval
was not forthcoming. The ‘Bransholme Estate’ (left) was
originally planned to house a population of 26,000 and this
figure grew to over 30,000 at its height. It was built in the
late 1960’s and early 70’s with the first homes officially opened on 1st May 1967.
This later council building (1960 – 80) was influenced by the 1961 report on housing space
standards in public housing entitled ‘Homes for Today and Tomorrow’ published by the Parker
Morris Housing Committee. The report concluded that the quality of social housing needed to
be improved to match the rise in living standards and made a number of recommendations,
resulting in the ‘Parker Morris Standards’. In 1967 these space standards became mandatory
of all housing built in new towns and was extended to all new council housing in 1969. In Hull
in this period new types of development were tried including (i) non-traditional pre-fabricated
building techniques, (ii) inward looking estates designed according to ‘Radburn principles’
with roads and parking at the edges of pedestrian housing areas, and (iii) high-rise
development. The ‘Ings Caspons’ estate is an example where all three ‘advances’ were tried
(probably unsuccessfully in hindsight).
The profile of trade and industry
changed in Hull after the war
which had a dramatic effect on
the city as a whole during this
period. By the 1950’s
trawlermen had made Hull a
wealthy city, at its peak almost
8,000 trawlermen worked out of
its docks (left). But in the later
part of the second half of the
century the industry was
plagued by over-fishing and
foreign competition. Trawlers had become bigger and more efficient and took more fish.
Relations with Iceland, where fishing was central to the national economy, deteriorated in the
1960’s leading to the ‘cod wars’ when British naval ships had to protect Hull’s trawler fleet.
The trawler industry was greatly damaged by the last of these ‘Cod Wars’ in the 70’s but
managed to survive by investing in new port facilities and building food-processing plants,
until 1980 when the whole Hull trawler fleet went bankrupt.
Post 1980’s From the 1980’s in terms of housing, the emphasis moved away from clearance to one of
recovery and refurbishment. Urban regeneration became the key concern for Hull. It
describes a wide range of activities designed to bring a new vitality and viability to previously
run down areas of the city. Regeneration involved refurbishing buildings, renewing
infrastructure and the built environment and redeveloping buildings that have reached the end
of their useful life. This gradual renewal and regeneration was generally considered to be less
socially and economically disruptive than the clearances of earlier in the century.
Successful examples of these regeneration schemes (in chronological order) include,
Coltman Street Housing Action Area, North Hull Housing Action Trust and The Garths and
Gipsyville Regeneration Priority Areas.
The first of these examples, Coltman Street, became a Housing Action Area (HAA) in 1983. It
gave the Council powers to make private landlords provide adequate accommodation and
improve the physical look of their properties. Private developers were also encouraged to
come into the area to build new houses and convert
and refurbish some of the historic older properties. In
the last two years of the HAA the Council also
undertook environmental works, such as repaving,
renewing railings and walls and creating roadside
islands to delineate car parking bays. Overall, the HAA
was considered a success and succeeded in saving
the historic character of Coltman Street (left).
Housing Action Trusts (HAT) were set up by the
government to redevelop some of the poorest council
housing estates in Britain, six Housing Action Trusts
were established under the ‘Housing Act of 1988’,
including North Hull Housing Action Trust. North Hull became the first HAT to begin after the
1988 act which allowed HATs to take over the running of local authority estates. The main
aim of the North Hull HAT was to achieve long lasting improvements in the living conditions of
residents by repairing and improving properties, managing the housing stock more effectively,
encouraging diversity of tenure and generally improving the overall social, environmental and
physical conditions of the estate. Work started in April 1991 on the £50 million five year
improvement scheme and by the end of the programme (in 1999, Hull was the first of the
original six areas to complete their schedule of works) the Trust had carried out renovation
work on 2,332 properties and a further 335 new properties had been built.
In east Hull, The Garths Geographical Priority Area (GPA) is another example of a major
housing modernisation and improvement programme in an existing local authority council
estate. GPAs took a more holistic approach to urban renewal, they moved the emphasis away
from only tackling physical problems to incorporate wider social issues, such as education,
health, social inclusion and sustainable development. In The Garths, these measures
included improving greenspace, creating jobs and new businesses, reinforcing lifelong
learning, providing leisure and cultural facilities and community support. The programme was
formally approved in December 1994, with funding secured under the Single Regeneration
Budget (SRB) Phase One and delivered by the City Council through City Vision Ltd. (its
regeneration delivery partner), a company based upon a partnership of organisations drawn
from across the public, private, community and voluntary sectors.
Through the Single Regeneration
Budget Phase Two, the Council and
City Vision were again successful in
obtaining £11.7 million (the final overall
value of this regeneration scheme was
£71 million when finished) for the
improvement of the Gipsyville council estate. This programme involved major redevelopment
of the estate including some demolition of the original properties and replacement by private
housing (see above).
In terms of private housing, the major developments have happened on reclaimed docklands
(in east and west Hull) and at Kingswood on the northern margin of the city. The profile of
trade in Hull had changed after the war and this continued into the 1980’s. Following the
closure of the smaller, older docks and the increase in container and passenger ferry traffic at
Queen Elizabeth and King George Docks, Associated British Ports decided to sell their
redundant sites at Victoria Dock and Priory Sidings (Summergroves). These were
redeveloped by private developers (from the late1980’s and completed by 2003) and have
evolved into successful communities. Kingswood was created within the last ten years on the
north edge of the city. The housing estate continues to spread northwards as construction is
completed (although completions have slowed in recent months due to the economic
recession) and the homes are considered ‘aspirational’ by much of Hull’s population.
In more recent times, the urban renaissance agenda, backed by government intervention,
aims to bring about more sustainable forms of development. In Hull, the Council has been
actively developing this agenda, by attempting to tackle the problem of urban drift, high levels
of vacancies in both public and private sector housing and surplus school places. Wards
within the city which display the highest levels of vacancies, market fragility and lack of
investment by owners have been prioritised for action. This action is being delivered by the
‘Gateway Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire Pathfinder Housing Market Renewal’ (usually
referred to as ‘Hull Gateway’) programme, it submitted its prospectus in 2004 and is
responsible for bidding for funding from the government’s housing renewal fund and attracting
additional public/private sector investment. To date Hull Gateway has secured over £150
million of government funding.
Gateway’s strategic regeneration area in east Hull is the Holderness Road Corridor (HRC).
Action is happening first in Ings and on Preston Road where a new generation of energy-
efficient homes are being built. At Ings, Gateway is demolishing 260 ‘Caspon’ houses and is
replacing them with new, energy-efficient
homes for rent, sale and shared ownership to
the east of Mitcham Road and Camberwell Way
(left).
On Preston Road, the first phase of house
building has been completed with the
construction of 107 homes at Ellerby Grove. A
scheme to demolish the sub-standard ‘Wild’ houses to the east of Holderness Drain is also
underway on Preston Road.
In west Hull the strategic regeneration programme is
underway in Newington and St. Andrews wards
(NaSA). The schemes include: a £12 million
development of over 100 eco-friendly homes at
Woodcock Street (right), a refurbishment of more
than 400 homes at Melrose Street, Plane Street,
Sandringham Street and St. Georges Road and the
acquisition of homes and commercial properties west of Hawthorn Avenue which will become
part of the redevelopment of the former Amy Johnson School site.
In terms of industry and trade for Hull in the post 80’s, many of the old industries which
originally developed in the city to process imported raw materials are still here, including
pharmaceutical firms Reckitt Benckiser and Smith and Nephew and the millers Maizecor. The
port is still, after over 700 years, a major importer of timber from northern Europe and a chief
passenger ferry terminal to the continent. There is also a larger awareness of the potential of
tourism as a generator of prosperity. Tourism is growing rapidly in the city and is recognised
as one of the most important industries by the Council: it relates closely to one of the
authority’s key priorities by providing a wider range of jobs. Like most other cities of its size,
there is a strategy in place for developing Hull as a
tourist destination. The city boasts a wealth of maritime
heritage and a range of museums and galleries. Its key
strengths include: ‘The Deep’, the Humber waterfront
and the Marina, the ‘Heritage Quarter’ – which includes
Wilberforce House, the Streetlife Museum, the ‘Fish
Trail’ (left) and the ‘Old Town’, shopping and numerous
interesting pubs and bars. Physical improvements have been incorporated by this promotion
of tourism, such as the pedestrianisation of the city centre and the construction of modern
shopping centres (Princes Quay and St. Stephens) and the travel interchange, which have
improved the overall appearance of the city in the past 30 years.
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Map 1Historic Growth Map of Hull
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Legend
Medieval Core and Sutton and Marfleet Villages
Georgian New Town Expansion
1870 to 1911
1912 to 1945
1946 to present
City Boundary
1800 to 1869
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4. Overall Character of Hull It is generally agreed that the city of Hull has a distinct character, identity and sense of place,
however it is more difficult to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes the city distinctive. To help
in this task, the City Council and the Architecture Centre for Hull and the Humber Region
(Arc) organised various events during summer 2009 to explore the concept of ‘Hullness’.
Perhaps not surprisingly, no definitive view was reached and the debate continues. However,
the responses to the events have highlighted some recurring themes and factors that
contribute to the distinct character of the city. These are set out below. ‘Hullness’ has been
concerned with ‘character’ in all its senses, including cultural, social, economic, environmental
and physical aspects. However, for the purposes of this study, ‘character’ is concerned with
the impact of the above elements on the built form of the city.
• The physical setting of Hull in a flat landscape where the River Hull joins the Humber
Estuary means that expanses of water and sky are characteristic features of the city.
Hull is an industrial port city located some distance away from other large towns and
set in the rural East Riding of Yorkshire. Traditionally it has looked to the sea and
continental Europe rather than the rest of England. Unlike most other northern and
midland cities, it is not part of a conurbation. This relative isolation has given it an
independent and distinctive character.
• Trade with Baltic, Dutch and French ports over the centuries has influenced the built
form, architecture, economy and culture of the city. 17th century prints show Hull to
resemble a Dutch town, walled and almost surrounded by water, with buildings of
Dutch-style bricks, gables and pantiled roofs. Construction of the Town Docks In the
late 18th century brought water inland to what would become the city centre and
development of the Georgian New Town began. The Old Town became, in effect, an
island and today it still retains a defined identity and medieval street pattern.
• The 19th century brought expansion of the docks and development of associated
industries. Distinctive communities developed linked to these industries: fishing in
west Hull, with migrants from other coastal areas of the UK; cargo handling in east
Hull; and oilseed processing to the north on both banks of the River Hull. The
industrial area along the River Hull retains its historic character in the Wincolmlee
area. The physical barrier of the River Hull and the limited number of bridge crossings
has meant that the west and east sides of the city have developed with differing
characters and identities, most notably manifested by the city producing two rival
rugby teams. Physical expansion of the city resulted in a series of long, straight radial
roads, with the streets between them packed with very high density housing of a type
that is unique to Hull – ‘courts’ of short terraces at right angles to the street with
pedestrian-only access. Although now far fewer in number, areas of these terraces
still exist in the inner area today. At the same time, early planned developments of
good quality houses began, such as the Avenues in west Hull and Garden Village in
east Hull. Improvements to the city centre in the late Victorian period brought
distinctively designed public buildings such as the Guildhall and City Hall, and wide
new streets of commercial buildings, e.g. Jameson Street and King Edward Street.
• In the 20th century, particularly following the two world wars, social factors came to
the fore with programmes of housing improvement through slum clearance and the
evolution of town planning. The radial roads were extended into tree-lined dual
carriageways and a ring of public housing estates were developed around the city.
This type of development is found in most large towns and cities, and it reflects the
styles of the time, e.g. garden city style estates in the interwar period and non-
traditional layouts in the 1960s. These estates are a significant feature of the city, not
least because of the extensive areas of land they occupy. During the post WW2
period the out-migration of more affluent people to East Riding settlements just
beyond the city boundary, such as Cottingham and Willerby, has continued and
accelerated. This process began in the 19th century with the arrival of the railway,
while in the 20th century it has been largely enabled by the growth in incomes and car
ownership. This has meant that the city has continued to be dominated by terraced
housing for the less affluent, although this is being addressed with the development
of new ‘aspirational’ housing in areas such as Victoria Dock and Kingswood.
Economically, the period since the 1970s has seen a significant decline in Hull’s
traditional industries, with resulting dereliction, although the port continues to thrive
but with far fewer employees.
• Despite extensive war-time bombing and post-war redevelopment, the city centre
remains spacious and this is enhanced by extensive pedestrianisation and the
absence of through traffic. Neglect of the Old Town following WW2 inadvertently
helped to preserve it. Regeneration of the area since the 1980s has capitalised on an
asset that many visitors do not expect to find in Hull. A marked contrast is evident
between the narrow streets and confined buildings of the Old Town and the wide
streets and openness of the New Town, where much of the post-war commercial
development has taken place. Following a period of post-war reconstruction with plain
buildings of indifferent design, some distinctive buildings have been constructed in
recent years that reflect Hull’s maritime character, in particular the Princes Quay
shopping centre over the former Princes Dock and The Deep, a millennium visitor
attraction located where the River Humber joins the Humber Estuary. Similarly,
residential development on the former Victoria Dock has drawn inspiration from Hull’s
maritime past, though many other developments consist of standard volume house-
builder designs. Most recently the St Stephens shopping development adjacent to the
rail and bus station has brought a bespoke design to a prominent location. Even with
these developments, the city remains predominantly low-rise in character.
• The interaction of Hull’s physical setting with its economic and social development
over time, and the resulting built form, has created the character of the present-day
city. This character can be summarised, in simple terms, as an industrial port city set
on an estuary some distance from other towns and cities, where the flatness of the
land and expanses of sky and water are constantly evident. Particular features of Hull
include: the city centre where the narrow streets of the Old Town contrast with the
spaciousness of the New Town; radial roads lined by small shops giving way to tree-
lined dual carriageways; inner city areas where late Victorian/Edwardian terraces
stand alongside post-war redevelopment; extensive outer estates of public housing
that are known largely only to the people who live in them; and post-1980s
regeneration with distinctive new buildings in the city centre and waterfront area.
5. Townscape Types and Character Areas in Hull The second stage of the study has involved applying the landscape setting and historic
evolution sections of the first stage to a map base. 22 types of townscape were identified,
based on the type of land use and the age of development. These were then mapped across
the city to identify local character areas. For example, the ‘interwar council estates’
townscape type can be found in the Gipsyville, Derringham Bank, North Hull, Preston Road
and Old Bilton Grange areas of the city. However, this produced a very complex map of some
120 different local character areas. At first sight Hull is comprised of broad bands of different
ages of development (e.g. 19th century inner city, postwar peripheral estates) and broad areas
of different types of land use (e.g. housing, industry). But in fact there is often considerable
variety within areas characterised by these broad ages and types of development. For
example, Gipsyville is a relatively clearly defined local area characterised by an interwar
council estate; however, the area also comprises a radial road retail centre, pre First World
War terraced housing, 1990s housing redevelopment and an industrial area. Each of these
represents a different townscape type and therefore each would be a separate character
area. Similar mixes of uses/ ages are found in many other areas of the city, particularly where
there has been infill development or redevelopment. Many character areas would therefore be
very small in size, and it would be unrealistic in terms of resources to attempt to survey and
analyse them all in any detail.
As a consequence of this it was decided to simplify the process by identifying character areas
in terms of their predominant townscape type. This has reduced the total number by around
half to 58. They are identified by physical boundaries, such as main roads, railways, drains
and open spaces, which often define community boundaries, and the predominant age and
type of development. For example, the Gipsyville area described above is identified as a
single character area. The boundaries of some areas are more easily determined than others
– it is hoped that consultation will give some feedback on where boundaries should be
located. Within these larger areas, sub-areas can often be identified, representing the more
complex pattern of uses/ ages referred to above. These will be taken into account, and if
considered desirable can be explored in more detail, in the character area assessments. The
number of townscape types was reduced slightly to 19.
The proposed townscape types and character areas are set out in the following table and
identified on the map.
Table 1: Townscape Types and Character Areas in Hull
Townscape Type Townscape Character Areas
1. Medieval Core A. Old Town
2. 18th Century Expansion A. New Town
3. 19th, 20th and 21st Century City Centre Development – mixed uses but predominantly commercial
A. Jameson Street/King Edward Street/Freetown Way/Ferensway/Prospect Centre/Princes Quay/St Stephens/Hull College/Marina
4. Historic Village Core A. Sutton
5. Pre World War 1 Terraces (1800-1919)
A. St. Andrews B. Newington C. Albert Avenue D. Botanic E. Dukeries/Sunnybank/Chanterlands Avenue F. Newland Avenue G. Sculcoates H. Mersey Street I. New Bridge Road
6. Pre World War 1 Suburbs (1800-1919) A. Avenues/Pearson Park B. Garden Village
7. Interwar Council Estates (1919-1945)
A. Gipsyville B. North Hull Estate C. Preston Road D. Old Bilton Grange
8. Interwar Private Suburbs (1919-1945)
A. Anlaby High Road B. Derringham/Willerby Road/Wold Road/Priory Road C. Bricknell Avenue/Fairfax Avenue D. Beverley High Road E. Chamberlain Road F. James Reckitt Avenue/Gillshill Road/Ings Road G. Holderness High Road/Broadway/Southcoates Lane
9. Post World War 2 Council Estates (traditional) (mainly 1945-1960)
A. Boothferry Estate B. Longhill C. New Bilton Grange D. Greatfield
10. Post World War 2 Council Estates (non-traditional) (mainly 1960-1980)
A. Orchard Park B. North Bransholme C. Bransholme D. Ings Estate
11. Interwar & Post World War 2 Council Inner City Redevelopment (1930-39 & 1955-90)
A. Porter Street/Thornton Estate B. Londesborogh Street C. Bridlington Avenue
12 Post World War 2 Private Suburbs (1945-1980)
A. Downfield Avenue/Compass Road/Stanbury Road B. Sutton Park C. Fleet Estate
13. Post 1980 Private Estates
A. Summergroves B. Kingswood C. Howdale Road/Salthouse Road D. Victoria Dock
14. Pre World War 1 Industrial (1800-1919)
A. Wincolmlee B. DrypoolWilmington/Stoneferry
15. Interwar Industrial (1919-1945) A. National Avenue B. Clough Road
16. Post World War 2 Industrial A. Hessle Road B. Sutton Fields C. Hedon Road
17. Docks A. Albert/William Wright Docks B. Alexandra Dock C. Queen Elizabeth/King George Docks
18. Post 1980 Business and Retail Parks A. St Andrew’s Quay B. Priory Park C. Kingswood
19. Agricultural Land A. North of Kingswood B. East of Bransholme C. East of Greatfield
19
8. B
10. C
8. C
8. D
19
7. B
8. F
17. C
14. B
8. A
16. C
7. A
9. C
9. A
7. C
8. G
9. D
12. B
5. A
8. E
5. C3. A
16. B
13. C
10. D
16. A
6. A
13. B
9. B
5. E
10. A
4. A
10. B
5. F
5. B
7. D
19
12. A
17. B
15. B
14. A
5. G
5. D 5. I
11. A
18. B
13. D1. A
6. B
5. H
2. A
18. C
15. A
12. C
11. B
11. C
13. A18. A
17. A
Map 2Location of Townscape Types in Hull
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KeyMedieval Core1
18th Century Expansion2
19th/20th/21st Century City Centre Development3
Historic Village Core4
Pre World War One Terraces (1800 - 1919)5
Pre World War One Suburbs (1800 - 1919)6
Interwar Council Estates (1919 - 1945)7
8 Interwar Private Suburbs (1919 - 1945)
9 Post World War Two Council Estates (1945 - 1960)
Post World War Two Council Estates (1960 - 1980)10
Interwar/Post World War Two Council InnerCity Redevelopment (1930 - 39 and 1955 - 90)11
13 Post 1980 Private Estates
Post World War Two Private Suburbs (1945 - 1980)12
14 Pre World War One Industrial (1800 - 1919)
15 Interwar Industrial (1919 - 1945)
17 Docks
16 Post World War Two Industrial
19 Agricultural Land
18 Post 1980 Business and Retail Parks
6. Townscape Types Assessment 1. Medieval Core Generic Description: Mixed use commercial, retail, leisure and residential area. Layout is
generally determined by historic street pattern with varying widths of street, dependant on
period of development and use at the time of development. The built form has buildings of a
variety of scales dependant on period of development and importance of the buildings. Older
buildings tend to be brick, later replaced with stone and more modern materials latterly.
Character Areas: Old Town* 2. 18th Century Expansion Generic Description: The first substantial development to occur outside Hull's Town Walls,
this area is characterised by the rectilinear street layout. The built form remaining from that
period consists primarily of brick terraces of houses (many with partial basements and use of
attics), along with public buildings and planned open space of Kingston Square.
Character Areas: New Town* 3. 19th, 20th and 21st Century City Centre Development Generic Description: (a) Late 19th century wide new streets developed with grander
commercial and public buildings, often stone or glazed, e.g. King Edward Street, Jameson
Street, Alfred Gelder Street. (b) Some continuation of this after WW1 e.g. Ferensway. (c) Post
World War 2 redevelopment following bombing e.g.Paragon Street, and purpose built covered
shopping centres e.g. Prospect Centre, Princes Quay and St Stephens. Mainly aimed at retail
and related uses with considerable provision for cars. Modern buildings with limited
architectural detailing and tend to be lower in height. Early postwar buildings often brick, more
recent are concrete, glass, steel.
Character Areas: City Centre
4. Historic Village Cores Generic Description: Rural village settlements incorporated into the city as it expanded.
These areas have retained their historic character, distinctly different from the surrounding
areas and subsequent developments.
Character Areas: Sutton*, Marfleet*
5. Pre World War I Terraces (1800 – 1919) Generic Description: Smaller, typically terraced houses built between 1800 and 1919. These
areas are characterised by high density, predominantly 2 storey brick terraced houses. The
layout is typically in the form of grid arranged streets, and (with the exception of The
Dukeries) small pedestrian ‘court’ housing at right angles to the houses fronting the street.
Communal back-alleys (‘tenfoots’) provide rear service access. Variations are subtle and
relate to whether properties have a front garden and/or bay window, the level of architectural
detailing, if they have a back yard or garden, and on the internal space standards.
Character Areas:, Hawthorn Avenue/St. Georges Road, Albert Avenue, Dukeries, Newland
Avenue, Sculcoates Lane, Abbey Street, Mersey Street/ Westcott Street, New Bridge Road.
6. Pre World War I Suburbs (1800 – 1919) Generic Description: Larger housing built between 1800 and 1919. These areas have larger
properties in more spacious plots with front and rear gardens. Streets tend to be tree-lined
and public open space within or in proximity to the development was also a feature. The
densities, layout and type of housing built vary considerably between the character areas.
The properties tend to have distinctive architectural styles and features. Internally, the
properties tend have generous space standards.
Character Areas: Boulevard*, Coltman Street*, Avenues*, Newland Park*, Garden Village*,
Anlaby Park*
7. Interwar Council Estates (1919 – 1945) Generic Description: These areas consist of predominantly two-storey semi-detached and
terraced housing with front and back gardens. The areas typically have good space
standards, both internally and externally, although minimal architectural detailing was
incorporated to the buildings. The areas were typically laid out on a pattern-adapted-grid
network of wide streets, and sometimes including small open spaces and grass verges. Some
elements of garden city principles were incorporated into the layouts. Character Areas: Gipsyville, Derringham Bank, North Hull, Preston Road, Old Bilton Grange
8. Interwar Private Suburbs (1919 – 1945) Generic Description: Predominantly detached and semi-detached medium density housing,
provided with front and back gardens (adopting some garden city principles), good space
standards internally and externally, with more architectural detailing than public housing from
the same era. Typically loosely laid out on a network of wide roads, including some cul-de-sac
and small greens. Parking tends to be on-plot.
Character Areas: Willerby Road, Chanterlands Avenue, Bricknell Avenue, Desmond Avenue/
Welwyn Park Avenue, James Reckitt Avenue/Gillshill Road, Southcoates Lane, Broadway
9. Post World War II Council Estates – traditional build (1945 – 1960) Generic Description: Predominantly brick semi-detached housing with blocks of terraced
housing. Housing is typically medium density, with front and back gardens (adopting some
garden city principles). Normally laid out on a network of wide streets, with some cul-de-sac
and small greens. There are good space standards internally and externally. The buildings
have minimal architectural detailing. Car parking is either on-plot, on-street or within small
parking courts.
Character Areas: Boothferry Estate, Priory Road, Grammar School Road, Spring Cottage,
Longhill, New Bilton Grange, Greatfield
10. Post World War II Council Estates – non - traditional build (1960 – 1980) Generic Description: Predominantly small blocks of terraced housing and low/medium/high-
rise apartment blocks of non-traditional materials and/ or construction. Housing is normally
provided at medium densities overall but with localised variations. Houses are typically
provided with small front and back gardens, while higher flat blocks tend to be set in open
space. Many of the areas use Radburn urban design principles (with roads and car parking at
the periphery of pedestrianised housing areas). Often these areas present a bleak
perspective with poor public realm.
Character Areas: Orchard Park, North Bransholme, Bransholme, Ings Estate
11. Interwar and Post World War II Council Inner Centre Redevelopment (1930-1939 & 1955-1990) Generic Description: Pre-war areas comprise relatively high density brick terraced houses
and small blocks of flats on early slum clearance sites. Post-war, these areas usually reflect
the era in which they were built following slum clearances. Most are 1960s/ 70s and typified
by a grid type layout of terraced houses with first floor bedsits above pedestrian
passageways. Houses tend to have front and back gardens, both with access to the street.
The front of the properties tends to face onto pedestrian areas with greenspaces, while
vehicular access and parking areas to the rear of properties. Pedestrian permeability tends to
have been reduced by closing of the walkways underneath bedsits which frequently are
vacant. Sometimes these areas present a bleak perspective with poor public realm.
Character Areas: Porter Street/Thornton, Redbourne Street/Constable Street, Selby Street/
Dairycoates/Newington Street, Walton Street, New George Street, Londesborough Street,
Grosvenor Street, Queens Road, Fountain Road/ Bridlington Avenue, Sculcoates Lane,
Barnsley Street, Victor Street
12. Post World War II Private Suburbs (1945 – 1980) Generic Description: This type of development is typically found on what were the outskirts
of the city to the north and the east. It consists of predominantly semi-detached housing and
detached housing. Some developments do contain elements of terraced housing and there is
a limited amount of low-rise flat development, typically above shops or commercial space.
The density of these developments is commonly low-medium. Houses are typically provided
with front and back gardens, good space standards externally, subtle architecture with limited
detailing and an emphasis on simplicity and function, normally laid out on a flowing network of
connected streets and cul-de-sac. Car parking for houses is normally provided on-plot either
on drives or in garages. Car parking for apartments is normally provided in communal
parking/garage courts.
Character Areas: Haworth Park, Sutton Park, Fleet Estate
13. Post 1980 Private Estates Generic Description: These areas typically consist of predominantly detached and semi-
detached housing set on winding and cul-de-sac roads and typically low density. The housing
is spatially economic both internally and externally in terms of the plots and also in terms of
public realm. Car parking tends to be on plot. The more recent developments in these areas
have begun to include medium-rise apartments and terraces. Densities appear to be
increasing, and greater pedestrian permeability is increasingly becoming an issue.
Character Areas: Summergroves, Kingswood, Howdale Road, Victoria Dock
14. Pre World War I Industrial (1800 – 1919) Generic Description: The built form of these areas is varied between original brick built
premises (which often display architectural character and detailing), and more modern frame-
built structures. The scale of premises is equally diverse, as is the range of employment and
business uses. The historic road layouts remain in place which can cause issues around
parking and servicing.
Character Areas: Wincolmlee, Drypool, Wilmington, Stoneferry,
15. Interwar Industrial (1919 – 1945) Generic Description: Original development consisted of large employment uses, in proximity
to housing to allow workers to access the site.
Character Areas: National Avenue, Clough Road 16. Post World War II Industrial Generic Description: Industrial development typically consists of metal-clad one-storey shed
developments of little architectural merit. Sizeable office areas include business parks with
large areas of surface parking.
Character Areas: Hessle Road, Argyle Street, Temple Street, Sutton Fields, Drypool, Hedon
Road
17. Docks Generic Description: Working docks remain within the city; used as commercial docks and
for passenger/ vehicle ferries. Mostly located in the east of the city. Working docks in the west
of the city tend to be underused at present.
Character Areas: Albert/William Wright Docks, Alexandra Dock, King George/Queen
Elizabeth Docks
Also worthy of note are the reused docks within the city: Queens Gardens is an in filled dock,
as is the Victoria Dock residential development. Princes Quay shopping centre and the
Marina are in the former Princes, Humber and Railway docks where water and dock features
remain apparent.
18. Post 1980 Business and Retail Parks Generic Description: Commercial areas, typically based around large expanses of surface
car parking. Built form tends to be large, clad buildings with some additions to add interest
and significant advertisements
Character Areas: St Andrew’s Quay, Priory Park, Kingswood
19. Agricultural land Generic Description: land used for crops or grazing
Character Areas: North of Kingswood, East of Bransholme, East of Greatfield
The following townscape types were identified on the first version of the map; however, they
contributed to its complexity and were therefore excluded from the second simplified map.
Estuary, River and Drain Banks Generic Description: Walkways alongside water corridors in the city. Includes: (a) the
Humber frontage, which where accessible tends to be hard landscaping; as is (b) the Hull
south of Stoneferry Bridge. North of this, the Hull has a green bank, much of which can be
walked along and forms an important natural break and green corridor in the city; and (c) the
drain banks, which are commonly grassed with undergrowth in places.
Character Areas: Humber Estuary, River Hull, Barmston Drain, Holderness Drain
Urban Greenspace Generic Description: Includes (a) formal parks, gardens, cemeteries and allotments; (b)
other greenspace such as playing fields, golf courses and informal open space; (c) natural
areas such as wood, meadow, heath and marsh; and (d) derelict land, which may be awaiting
redevelopment.
Character Areas: Pickering Park, West Park, Pearson Park, East Park; Western and General
Cemeteries, Northern Cemetery, Eastern Cemetery, Hedon Road Cemetery; Costello playing
fields, University sports ground, Oak Road playing fields, Bude Road/ Ennerdale playing
fields, Rockford Fields, Alderman Kneeshaw recreation ground, Greatfield playing fields,
Sutton Park golf course; derelict land at St. Andrews Dock and Kingswood.
Radial Roads including Retail Centres Generic Description: Main radial roads leading in to the city centre. Inner sections are
relatively wide and lined by late 19th/ early 20th century 3 storey brick terraces, often with
architectural detailing. Most were built as substantial houses for the well-off, but many are
now in use as small local shops or divided into low-rent flats. About 2 miles out the radial
roads become dual carriageways, typically developed in the interwar period, tree lined and
well landscaped. They are lined by large semi-detached and detached houses with large
gardens, with small groups of local shops at main road junctions.
Character Areas: Hessle Road*, Anlaby Road, Spring Bank, Princes Avenue*, Newland
Avenue, Chanterlands Avenue, Beverley Road*, Holderness Road* Estate Retail Centres/ Major Community Uses Generic Description: Local and district shopping centres in postwar residential areas,
usually developed on council housing estates and sometimes on private estates. They tend to
be away from main roads and are sometimes pedestrianised and inward-looking. They
typically have an adjoining car park and their architectural style is generally functional.
Major community uses include facilities such as the hospitals, universities and the prison. Character Areas: Bethune Avenue, Ellerburn Avenue, Grandale, North Point, Grampian
Way, Savoy Road, Shannon Road, Greenwich Avenue, Annandale Road shopping centres;
Hull Royal Infirmary, University of Hull, Hull Prison. * Conservation Area Character Appraisals exist for these areas (Old Town is divided into 3 separate areas; Holderness Road has 2)
Sources PPS1 Delivering Sustainable Development (ODPM, 2005)
PPS3 Housing (DCLG, 2006)
English Heritage website (www.english-heritage.org.uk)
Historic Environment – Local Management website (www.helm.org.uk)
A Character Assessment of Oxford in its Landscape Setting (Land Use Consultants for Oxford
City Council/ Countryside Agency, March 2002)
Plymouth Rapid Urban Character Study (Alan Baxter & Associates for English Heritage South
West Region, February 2005)
Brighton and Hove Urban Character Study (Brighton & Hove City Council, January 2009)
East Riding of Yorkshire Landscape Character Assessment (Carl Bro & Golder Associates for
East Riding of Yorkshire Council, November 2005)
Hull Extensive Heritage Appraisal (Taylor Young for Gateway Pathfinder Hull & East Riding of
Yorkshire, March 2006)
Neighbourhood Profiling work for Hull (DTZ Pieda for Gateway Pathfinder/ Hull City Council,
2005 – present)
Buildings of England: Yorkshire: York & the East Riding (N Pevsner & D Neave, 1995)
Historic maps of Hull
Aerial photographs of Hull
Appendix 1: Participation and Informal Consultation
Participation and informal consultation on the Hull Character Study included the following:
• CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) workshop sessions
on 28th November 2008 and 2nd July 2009 where CABE gave advice on the built
environment, design and the character study;
• Hull Development Framework (HDF) Forum sessions on 11th December 2008 and
29th May 2009 where the ‘Hullness’ concept and proposed character areas were
discussed;
• ‘Hullness’ event at Arc (Architecture Centre for Hull and the Humber Region) on 24th
June 2009 where essayists presented their views on ‘Hullness’ and a panel debated
this before an invited audience; and
• the views of relevant organisations were sought during a 4 week period of informal
consultation between 4th November and 4th December 2009.
Appendix 2: Hull Character Study – Informal Consultation, November 2009 – Comments Received Consultee Document
reference Comment City Council Response
Arc General Comprehensive and interesting work. Particularly pleased that the ‘Hullness’ debates from last summer have helped inform the document.
Support welcomed.
Arc Stage 3 ‘Vistas’ is an important issue for consideration when looking in detail at specific character areas. Much damage can be done to townscape and roofscape views by developments that that do not consider the visual context in terms of long distance views. Highlighting key views and vistas in the next stage of the character study could help to address this.
The document contains a section on vistas in Chapter 2 Landscape Setting. Agree that this issue need to be examined in more detail in the next stage of the study. Reference to this can be made by adding the following to the 3rd bullet point under ‘Characterisation’ in Chapter 1: ‘and at a citywide level, the identification of key views’ ; and at the end of the last para under ‘Methodology’: ‘and citywide the identification of important views’
Arc Chapter 5 Agree with pragmatic approach of defining predominant character, but would emphasise the importance of unravelling this at the next more detailed stage of the assessment.
Support welcomed. The second para of Chapter 5 Townscape Types and Character Areas refers to the identification of sub-areas which can be examined in more detail.
Arc Chapter 6 The list of townscape types could be enhanced by the inclusion photographs to give the features a visual representation – this may be something for the next stage.
Agree – these will be added at the next stage.
Hull Civic Society
General In general an excellent document that brings together many of the tangible things which define and identify the city. An interesting and readable resume of the political and economic forces which have formed the city of today.
Support welcomed.
Hull Civic Society
Chapter 1, Characterisation
Welcome reference to improving the quality of life as a key aspect of the city’s character.
Support welcomed.
Hull Civic Society
Chapter 1, Characterisation
More could be made of reference to the importance of social and economic factors as drivers of the character and development of the city.
This can be reinforced by adding the following sentence before the last sentence in the 1st para under ‘Characterisation’: ‘Physical factors are explored in Chapter 2, and economic and social factors in Chapter 3. All are considered together in Chapter 4.’
Hull Civic Chapter 1, The document should make more reference to the concept Agree that this is relevant to the built form of Hull and
Society Methodology of the ‘City Region’ and so embrace the importance of the contiguous and surrounding villages which help to define Hull and its physical, social and economic characteristics. The more affluent suburbs are outside the city boundary and this detrimentally affects the socio-economic statistics of Hull.
reference to it is lacking in the document. Propose to add the following sentences before the last sentence in the 4th bullet point under Chapter 4 Overall Character: ‘During the post WW2 period the out-migration of more affluent people to East Riding settlements just beyond the city boundary, such as Cottingham and Willerby, has continued and accelerated. This process began in the 19th century with the arrival of the railway, while in the 20th century it has been largely enabled by the growth in incomes and car ownership. This has meant that the city has continued to be dominated by terraced housing for the less affluent, although this is being addressed with the development of new ‘aspirational’ housing in areas such as Victoria Dock and Kingswood.’
Hull Civic Society
Map 2 The townscape types should in some way reflect the west Hull villages functioning as part of the city.
The difficulty with this is that these areas are outside the city boundary and we are not in a position to undertake work on areas that we are not responsible for. This is a role of the ERYC. However, see above for reference to the significance of the west Hull villages.
Hull Civic Society
Chapter 2 Landscape Setting
Geology, last sentence: perhaps change ‘allows’ to ‘requires’ – this means that drains are needed.
Amend sentence to read: ‘which means that rainfall runs off the surface rather than infiltrates into the soil.’
Hull Civic Society
Chapter 2 Landscape Setting
Land use, first sentence: contest that Hull is ‘independent’ of the largely agricultural East Riding in view of the intimate socio-economic relationship between city and country.
As an industrial city, Hull has much less in common with the rural East Riding than market towns such as Beverley and Driffield. The main socio-economic relationship is with the Haltemprice area which contains commuter settlements rather than agricultural villages. Suggest amending sentence to read: ‘and largely independent from the agricultural East Riding.’
Hull Civic Society
Chapter 3 Historic Evolution
Medieval, 4th para: could make more of reference to the ‘largest Medieval brick structure’ in terms of exploiting the city’s heritage.
The character study is concerned with the process of historical evolution and how this has resulted in the city of today. Individual historic buildings, although important, are only part of the bigger picture and they are usually covered in detail elsewhere as Listed Buildings or within Conservation Areas.
Hull Civic Chapter 4 Overall More could be made of the ‘benign neglect’ of the Old Agree – after the 1st sentence of the 5th bullet point add the
Society Character Town between WW2 and the 1980s which resulted in it being preserved largely intact.
following sentences: ‘Neglect of the Old Town following WW2 inadvertently helped to preserve it. Regeneration of the area since the 1980s has capitalised on an asset that many visitors do not expect to find in Hull.’
Hull Civic Society
Chapter 4 Overall Character
More could be made of the extensive and historical radial road system which has enabled Hull to enjoy an efficient traffic flow with low levels of congestion.
The radial roads are already referred to 3 times in this section, in the 3rd, 4th and 6th bullet points.
Hull Civic Society
Chapter 4 Overall Character
Last 2 paras are a good overall summary that could be used as a preface to the document.
These paras may be used as a Preface in the final document.
Hull Civic Society
Chapter 6 Townscape Assessments
Types 9&10 (Post WW1&2 council estates): a general characteristic of these areas is the bleak perspective with poor public realm.
Agree, although traditional-build estates tend to have a better public realm. Chapter 6 Townscape Types Assessment, add final sentence to 10: ‘Often these areas present a bleak perspective with poor public realm.’; and 11: ‘Sometimes these areas present a bleak perspective with poor public realm.’
Hull Civic Society
Chapter 6 Townscape Assessments
More could be made of the Conservation Areas (although recognise that this might come in part 2 of the study).
Agree – Chapter 1 Introduction – Urban Characterisation, 1st para, add the following as a final sentence: ‘Characterisation therefore differs from conservation area appraisal, but is complementary to it.’