Ten Amazing Facts About Hull

I have put together a list of 10 facts that I think represent Hull in a great way. So here are 10 interesting facts about my home city Hull.

1. Hull was first discovered by King Edward during a hunting party. King Edward was actually pursuing a hare that was startled by his fellow hunters when he came across Hull.

2. Hull is just the short form of “Kingston Upon Hull” which is the proper name of the city.

3. Hull boasts of its own independent telephone network company called Kingston Communications. The company sponsors Hull’s Stadium. No other city in the entire UK has matched that feat.

4. The people from Hull are called “Hullensians”. The city is actually the place of birth and city of domicile to several famous people such as Maureen Lipman and David Bowie. Most notably, Amy Johnson, who was the first female pilot to fly by herself from Britain all the way to Australia, was also born in Hull in 1903.

5. In 1981 when the Humber Bridge was completed, it was the biggest suspension bridge worldwide. It links the town of Hull to Grimsby. Over time, several other bridges such as Millau Viaduct of France, Great Belt Bridge of Denmark and Akashi Kaikyo of Japan have surpassed the bridge.

6. Hull was bombed heavily in the 1941 war and thousands people were consequently rendered homeless. Funnily, the city was said to have been improved by the bombing. As a result, the damaged places were never restored.

7. It is possible to travel by a ferry to Holland from Hull. It is said that Holland was actually named after Hull, which is also the reason their respective soccer teams i.e. Holland’s national soccer team and Hull City F.C. both play in orange outfit.

8. Hull has one of the oldest pubs that still survive to date known as George Hotel. The club dates back to 1683. Most interestingly, it also boasts of what is said to be the tiniest window in the entire England. The window looks like a little slit on the wall and was neither used to pass light nor to air but to look out for customers for advance preparation.

9. Bouncers, a play that was written by Hull playwright by the name John Godber, make the list of the plays that are most frequently performed in the English language. The play is approximately performed more than eight times each year by repertory venues of varying scales.

10. The English Civil War was ignited in a pub in Hull known as Ye Olde White Harte. It is in the said pub where the decision to deny Charles I entry into the town was made in 1642. The decision caused the first siege of Hull, an event that marked the beginning of the Civil War. The pub was consequently dubbed the “Plotting Parlour”.