Things you’ll know if you grew up in Hull

It’s never dull in Hull


If you are to ever venture far enough into the East side of Yorkshire, you will come across the city of Kingston Upon Hull and, as the saying most famously states, you’ll never have a dull time in Hull.

Yes, Hull may only be seven miles long and yes, it is home to the largest council estate in Europe, but it is a place that is growing and flourishing into a tremendous city in its own right. We’re a community that drop our Hs and Ts on a regular basis, but that hasn’t stopped us from being labelled 2017’s City of Culture.

Hull bears with it a staggeringly vast history that spans all the way across the globe, yet all anyone can seem to vaguely remember of this City is it’s high number of Council Estates and cream telephone boxes. So, this article is here to finally give this City the recognition it deserves. Ranging from it’s varied music scene to the historical Hull Fair, Hull has something for everyone.

2017 City of Culture

A result that shocked many, Hull was crowned 2017’s City of Culture. “‘Ull is cultured?” I hear you ask, but the answer is yes. With home-grown events such as Humber Street Sesh and Freedom Festival, hundreds of musicians and artists are brought to Hull from all over the world to showcase their art and performances. Combined with the renown Thomas Ferrens art gallery and the Hull Truck theater,  you have yourself a huge choice of different arts from all around the world.

You can also jump on a ferry direct to Amsterdam for forty quid in Hull. If that isn’t cultured, I don’t know what is.

Spiders nightclub

A club that should be considered a national treasure, Hull is home to the famous Spiders. A place where Doc Martins and black lipstick are required for entry, you’re guaranteed a good night in Spiders. The club opened it’s Gothic doors in 1979 and it hasn’t looked back since. Probably the only club in the world that hasn’t conformed to the ever changing needs of society, Spiders has consistently stuck to it’s roots. And by that, I mean you won’t ever hear the likes of Taylor Swift while you’re sipping on your £1.75 double vodka coke (my Granddad got kicked out in 1980 for being too well dressed. No word of a lie). With a playlist ranging from Slipknot, to Hendrix and all the way over to Chuck Berry, there’s something for everyone.

The cuisine

You’ve just left spiders and the ritual greasy takeaway is calling. Pizza? Kebab? Chinese? You can treat yourself to any of these, but because it’s Hull, there’s an extra item on the menu. Go into any chippy in this city and you can indulge in something known as a ‘pattie’ – a tantalizing mix of mashed potato and sage and onion, deep fried. Just a huge slab of fried mash essentially. Hull born chef, Alex Holgate, however, impressed the BBC Masterchef panel last year with her take on a pattie butty, and they LOVED it. Just saying.

Friendly locals

Hull is in the heart of the North so, of course, the people are great. In the South it is somewhat frowned upon to have brief eye contact with a stranger, so staring intensely at the floor is adopted. Not in Hull. Yes, we may sound a little bit common, with the ‘Ull accent, and all. But, I highly doubt you will come across a nicer bunch of people. We even have a nightclub that stresses about the ‘good vibes’ at the entrance. Peace.

Sport

You can’t deny it, we have a pretty decent football team. Hull AFC are in the Premier League, which I’ve been told is pretty good. Come on, you Tigers.

When we’re not watching the football, we’re cheering on/fighting over our two rugby teams. Hull boasts two major rugby teams – Hull KR and Hull FC. Not unlike the North/South conflict this country has going on, these rugby teams represent two sides of Hull, KR being the East and FC being the West. Now, obviously, where’s the fun in rugby without a little bit of (mostly) friendly rivalry? Derby days in Hull are always guaranteed to go off, and are undoubtedly one of the biggest and most anticipated rivalries in Rugby League.

The Deep

You can see marine life all the way from The Great Barrier Reef in Yorkshire. What’s not to love?
One of the UK’s biggest aquariums, The Deep plays home to over 3,000 different species of fish and reptiles, including seven different species of shark. Cool AF, right?
A tremendous amount of research on Marine life and conservation is also conducted in the huge ‘submarium’, which means Hull is playing it’s part in helping the environment. Not as bad as you once thought, no?

Hull University is actually decent

With a student-body of around 17,000, Hull University clearly isn’t a frowned upon place to go and get a degree. The university is most commonly known for it’s multi-million pound Allam biomedical research facility, where research to create a cure for cancer is currently underway.
And, not forgetting student living. There is a £3.2 million club venue on campus. Yep, on campus. And this isn’t including the number of other nightclubs and bars Hull has to offer. Making a hasty transfer to Hull University? Yep, thought so.