High Street

High Street was the commercial heart of the town for over 500 years until the start of the 19th century when the opening up of new docks altered the balance of the town. It was originally known as Hull Street, reflecting its position as the main street in the medieval town. The street runs parallel to the River Hull and it was the trade on the river which the merchants living on High Street built their wealth from. Many of the buildings along High Street survived the World War 2 bombings, and so walking down High Street today with its mix of wealthy merchant houses, converted warehouses, atmospheric pubs and cobbled streets really does take you back in time.

Start your tour at the bottom of High Street, close to the Deep and Humber Street. After you pass under Myton Bridge, you will notice on your left archways in modern brick. Above each archway are the names of the small streets which ran from here until quite recently. Densely packed houses and courtyards would have run between here and Lowgate, another main thoroughfare of the medieval city.

As the place where fortunes were made and sailors from all over the world mixed, High Street was undoubtedly a place of high drama and human emotion. A fine instance of this was the reaction to the work of the Royal Navy’s press gangs, which were used by the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic wars to find rich pickings amongst Hull’s seething pubs. These gangs of men would force unsuspecting drinkers onto ships waiting in the Humber and then whisk them away for naval service. Popular feeling against the activities of these gangs grew to such a state that the rendezvous points for the gangs, such as at the corner of Church Lane Staithe on High Street, were destroyed by rioters.

High Street would once have been full of pubs, and while their numbers have reduced, the quality and charm certainly haven’t, with the Sailmakers Arms, Ye Old Black Boy and Durty Nellies all worthy of greater exploration. Records for Ye Old Black Boy site in particular go back to 1720, from when they show it serving both as a pipe shop and also a brothel.

Nearly opposite Durty Nellies on Scale Lane is the oldest domestic building in the city. Dating back to the 15th century, its projecting first and second floors and its timber framed construction are unique in Hull and give an indication of how the Old Town would have looked around this period.

One thing to note along the whole length of High Street are the cobbled staithes which run down to the River Hull. The word ‘staithe’ comes from the Scandinavian meaning small jetty or landing stage and would have been the principal means of conveyance of goods from the port to the warehouses on High Street. Even today, the grooves caused by cartwheels can clearly be seen in the cobbled surfaces, as can the metal sheet coverings on street corners protecting the buildings from damage. The staithes were often treated as the personal property of important traders. For example Scale Lane Staithe belonged to the 14th century merchant John Scale, or further up High Street, Blaides Staithe from the famous 18th century Blaydes family.

Merchants both lived and worked in the High Street and their opulent residences can still be seen and visited. Highlights include Wilberforce House and Crowle House from the 17th century and Maister House and Blaydes House from the Georgian period. Crowle House is at No 41 High Street and can be accessed via one of the staithes. Its frontage shows a clear Dutch influence and the initials of both George Crowle and his wife Elizabeth Crowle can be seen on the building’s facade, as can the date of construction, 1664.

As you continue up High Street, you pass by the warehouse complex built by the Pease family of merchants. It was also the site of the first bank in Yorkshire, created in 1745. You then reach Alfred Gelder Street. This was built at the end of the 19th century and was one of the biggest changes to High Street in hundreds of years as it effectively cut the street in two. Just beyond this junction is another fine example of a typical merchants house, Blaydes House, home of the world renowned HMS Bounty.

Continuing beyond Blaydes House takes you to the top of High Street. Here you can see the cupula topped building which used to be the first Dock Office. This was used to control the movement of ships into Hull’s first purpose built dock which opened in 1778 and, at over 500 metres long, was one of the largest docks in the world at the time. The lock pit where ships entered from the River Hull can still be seen. Just before that, and running down one side of Hull College, is the route of the town’s medieval walls, most of which were destroyed in order to build the new dock.

Maister House is a National Trust owned property and is free to visit during office hours Monday to Friday.

Blaydes House is home to the University of Hull’s Maritime Historical Studies Centre. Visits by appointment Monday to Friday, call 01482 305110.