It's Never Dull in Hull

By Nick Ikin

We don’t believe half the gab people say about Hull.

Which is why when we think of Hull we think of fish, ships and murals, modernist cinemas, William Wilberforce, Alan Boyson and American Chip Spice – all people and things that stand in true, modernist spirit.

Too often relegated to the butt of a joke, the City of Hull holds an array of municipal marvels. From East Park walls to William Mitchell reliefs, the city has a built culture that stands high above the negative reputation that often precedes it.

As a favoured spot for the Luftwaffe on the flyback to Germany, Hull was the worst bombed city in England during the Second World War. With half of its people made homeless overnight, the city rebuilt with a sense of fervour and ambition that has left concrete remnants in its DNA.

Half-poster, half-magazine, It’s Never Dull in Hull explores this built culture, with articles covering Boyson’s Three Ships, Hull’s Post-War plan and a modernist mooch around the city.

The publication has been written and edited by individuals who live in or have a strong connection to Hull, including SHIPS in the SKY campaigner Esther Johnson, authors Catherine Flinn and John Boughton, and photographer and blogger Stephen Marland.

Printed lithographically on A1, 135gsm G.F. Smith Gmund Blocker paper, this publication comes as a folded booklet.

The folded version folds to A4 size  and is priced £10 plus p&p but we have a very limited amount of unfolded versions which we can post rolled and can be hung as a poster - priced at £16.50 plus p&p. 

For the full Proustian effect, we recommend putting the poster on your bedroom wall, next to (or higher than) a tiger-clad Bryan Ferry or Stardust-era Bowie.

This publication has been made possible thanks to the kind support of Hull City Council, Ian Hazard Architect, Studio Six Architecture and G.F. Smith. We would like to take this chance to publicly thank them for their contributions.