Fact 16. Television's Lord Peter Wimsey was born in Hull.

Ian Carmichael was born in Hull in June 1920. His father was an optician and was partner in a shop on George Street in Hull that sold jewelry, glass and china wares that started in 1902. The shop branched out into other high quality items and became known as the 'Harrods of Hull'. It remained in the family until it was bought by Woolworth's in 1962. It was later bought from them by the Manager and accountant in 1989 to become a high status shop. Unfortunately the financial timing was bad and they closed down in 1991.

Carmichael's Store on George Street, Hull.

Ian went to school at Scarborough College and hated it. He later went to Bromsgrove School which he liked a little better. His family reluctantly paid for him to attend RADA and he made his stage debut as a robot in 1939 at the People's Palace at Mile End. WWII intervened and he joined the Royal Armoured Corp and saw service in Normandy. He lost the end of a finger when a Valentine tank hatch dropped on him. By the time he left the Army in 1947 he had attained the rank of Major.

Ian Carmichael.

Carmichael appeared in many films after the war such as Betrayal with Clark Gable in 1954 and the Colditz Story 1955. He made many Boulting Bros. films with Peter Sellers and Terry Thomas such as Privates Progress 1956, Brothers in Arms 1957 and I'm All Right Jack 1959.

In the 1960's and 70's he moved into television and was successful with roles as P.G. Wodehouse's Bertie Wooster and  Dorothy L. Sawyers Lord Peter Wimsey. He wrote his autobiography 'Will the Real Ian Carmichael...' in 1979.

Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey.

Ian Carmichael as Bertie Wooster.

Carmichael also appeared in Wives and Daughters, Heartbeat and The Royal until a year before his death.

Ian Carmichael receiving his OBE given in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2003.

He died at his home in the Esk Valley in North Yorkshire. He was married for forty years to his first wife who died in 1983 Jean Maclean. They had two daughters Lee and Sally. He married his second wife Kate Fenton, an English novelist and radio producer. He died of natural causes at age 89 in February 2010.

Fact 15. Hull is famous for the 'pattie' and Bob Carvers chip shop.

Hull is home to Bob Carver Fish and Chip shop that started business over 125 years ago in 1888. This is the third Generation in the business and they have all been Bob. There are two further Bob's to come too. The business started with a stall at Hull's open market. It was a temporary stall that used coke stoves and had trestles and benches for the eating, with table cloths. It was a big tent as there were twenty waitresses! They moved from the market to their current location on Trinity House Lane. Since the business started they have been producing the 'pattie'. This is a made of mashed potato, sage and onion and usually deep fried. Bod Carver's how ever coat theirs in bread crumbs before frying. They don't seem to be sold any many other places and are often mistaken for fish cakes but there is definitely no fish in them. Carver's make them by hand.

Trinity House Lane shop with restaurant above.

Carver's have had a stall at the massive annual travelling Hull Fair in October since the the start of the 19th Century. They have occupied the same site on Walton Street since 1947. Since that time they do not produce fish at all at the Fair as they still use the four coke fires for the frying and they just could not keep up with the demand. It is just chips, pattie and mushy peas in any combination. They sell well over 2000 patties a day at the fair.

Carver's at the fair.

It takes about 12 or 14 hours to set up the stall. The coke fires are started using wood and take about 45 mins to get going properly. It is almost an institution that when at the fair you have to pay a visit to Carver's. The ten people working there are kept very busy during the night shift.

Carver's at night at the Fair.

In a recent poll to find Hull's favourite food the Pattie came second with 39% to the Yorkshire Pudding with 45%.

Pattie peas and chips at Hull fair.

If you have never tried a pattie it is something that is authentic Hull food. Try asking for them anywhere else in the country and nobody knows what you are talking about. Try telling them they are fish cakes with no fish!

Fact 14. Hull is home to God's House..

There had been a a religious house to the north of the walls of Hull since the time of Edward I (Late 13th Century). In the 14th Century the land belonged to William De La Pole and he built a hospital there around 1350, and its name was Maison Dieu, God's House. De La Pole got a licence from the Pope to build a monastry but died before it was completed. His son Michael completed it in 1377 and it was dedicated to St Michael and housed monks for the Carthusian Order.

Despite doing well with an income £230 it was not dissolved by Henry VIII in 1535, only to fall prey in 1538. The priory was destroyed but the hospital survived as it was already held by the crown due to supposed misdeeds of Edmund De La Pole who had a claim to the throne of Henry VII and tried to bring help from abroad. The hospital was given back to the Hull Corporation in 1553. It became known as the Charterhouse after the Priory.

These buildings were pulled down before the first siege of Hull, in 1642, during the English Civil War and the area used as a battery of two guns to protect the city walls. The inmates moved to Whitefriar Gate with in the walls of the town. The place was rebuilt in 1645 at a cost of £474 and further cells and rooms added in 1663 and 1673. In 1780 the complex was again rebuilt and the current buildings are from these times. It was extended further in 1803.

The Charterhouse from 1780.

The Master's House also from 1780. This buildings are said to have parts of the 1600's buildings incorporated within.

The Charterhouse was damaged on the first raid of the war in Hull and wasn't repaired until 1950.

The Hull poet Andrew Marvel was brought up here as his Father was the Master of the School here.

The 18th Century Chapel within the Charterhouse.

Detail below the entrance porch.

The Charterhose still serves as Alms houses providing accommodation for up to 40 people in one or two bedroom flats, half on the ground floor. Rent is a very reasonable £64/74.

The accommodation at Charthouse.

The Charterhouse is in a very quiet area of the city that is a short walk away from the city centre and is well worth a visit.

Fact 13. The Dock was the largest dock in Britain.

The trading centre of Hull was the Old Harbour, or the mouth of the River Hull. As trade got greater and the vessels got larger it became seriously congested. There was also no place where a legal quay could be made as the the ships discharged directly into private warehouses and so tax couldn't be collected properly. It was decided an enclosed dock was needed. In 1773 the Hull Corporation, Hull Trinity House and several Hull merchants got together to found a 'Dock Company' and it was the first statutory dock company in Britain. The Crown gave them the land which included the area of the northern walls and a Bill was passed in 1774 which allowed them to raise £100,000.

The dock entrance from the River Hull. After the dock was closed it was used as a dry dock.

The dock was designed by Henry Berry from Liverpool and later amended by John Grundy. It was to be 518 long x 75 m wide. The construction began on 19th October 1775 with the first stone being laid by Joseph Outram the Mayor at the time. The Dock was opened in September 1778 and was the largest enclosed dock in Britain. It was just called 'The Dock' as it was the only one. It actually cost £65,000 to build.

A WW1 torpedo boat drawing crowds in Queens Dock.

Queens Dock with the new Dock Offices in the distance and many barges and keels for the movement of cargoes around the docks and up the rivers.

The dock was in use for 150 years. It was finally called Queens Dock following the visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1854. That was the first since 1642 and Monarchs don't seem to visit Hull very often. Much the same as other people I suspect! 

Queens Dock, Hull showing Alfred Gelder Street with the statues at the top of the Guild Hall in the middle at the rear.

The Dock was for exporting manufactured goods from Yorkshire, the Midlands and Lancashire that came via the rivers and railways of the regions. Raw materials were brought in from Europe. It also became the centre of the whaling ships between the seasons. Hull was a big whaling port with sailing vessels travelling to Greenland to hunt them.

Aerial view of Queens Dock. with the Guild Hall in the middle of the photograph.

An aerial photograph with the new Dock Offices at the end and the Town Hall at the bottom. It also shows Monument Bridge which connected to Prince's Dock that was built later. The Monument between the two is the Wilberforce Monument that was later moved to the east end of the Queens Gardens.

In 1930 the dock became redundant due to the size of vessels becoming too large and other much larger docks being built around Hull. Hull Corporation bought the dock for £100,000 and started to fill it in. This took four years and then it was laid out as a park area, and is now used as the location for concerts etc.

Fact 12. Hull's first public park was The People's Park.

People's Park son became known as Pearson Park after the benefactor that donated the land.

Hull had the Botanic Gardens that had opened in 1812, but you had to pay to enter these. As industry and urban sprawl increased in Victorian times it was deemed beneficial to have open spaces within a city for the populace to exercise and relax. Some early schemes failed. One was to build a broad walk round the outside of the site of the demolished city walls and another to take over the site of the Citadel. This finally failed after Hull Corporation sued the government and lost.

In 1860 Zachariah Pearson, the Mayor that year and a local ship owner, donated 27 acres to the north west of the built up area to be used as a park for the public benefit. He kept another 10 acres around the edges to build an access road and to construct substantial homes facing the park. Pearson thought that having these high class villas would ensure the local wealthy would not leave the city.

The opening ceremony took place on 28-Aug-1860 and was very grand affair. At least 30000 arrived in Hull by boat and train to witness the event. A parade was organised by Enderby Jackson and it stretched  two miles from the Station Hotel to the park with brass bands and carriages of dignitaries. The handing over of the deeds was followed by the planting of a Wellingtonia Gigantica (Giant Sequoia/Giant Redwood). A sumptuous banquet and fireworks followed.

The park was originally designed by J.C. Niven who was the curator of the Botanic Gardens in Hull. By 1864 the park had a cricket pitch and areas for bowls, archery and gymnastics. There was also a small lake and a folly called 'The Ruins', along with a cast iron drinking fountain and a statue of Queen Victoria and Ceres (the Goddess for Fertility). The statue of Victoria was commissioned by Pearson to commemorate her visit to the city in 1854 by putting a £100 deposit on a flawless piece of carrara marble and gave the task to Thomas Earle of Hull. A statue of Price Albert was added in 1868.

Pearson Park Folly.

Drinking fountain, restored 2008.

Queen Victoria's statue Pearson Park.

The eastern entrance on the road to the road around the park was built an impressive archway. The villas around the park were largely completed by 1890. Philip Larkin lived in a flat in one whilst working at the University. Many of them are now listed buildings.

Pearson Park entrance arch.

In 1897 a memorial to the park's benefactor was raised in the form of an ironstone monolith from the Cleveland Hills with an inscribed tablet on it.

Pearson's Ironstone memorial.

A band satnd followed in 1908 and then a rescued cupola from the Cuthbert Brodick Town Hall that had been demolished to make way for the new Guildhall was moved to the park. A Victorian style conservatory was built in the 1930's.

Cupola rescued from the Cuthbert Brodick designed Town Hall.

During WW2 the park was covered with nissan hutrs and air raid shelters that weren't removed until 1954. The band stand and ornamental bridge were lost the war effort for scrap metal.

The park has continued to evolve with the times but is still a very popular place to visit and to live in the area. On the 150th anniversary another Giant Redwood was planted. It makes a lovely haven of peace between the busy areas of Beverley Road and Princess Avenue and well worth a visit.

Formal gardens of Pearson Park.

Fact 11. Hull is twinned with Chisinau.

Following the last blogs link with current events with a Russian connection today's also links with the current 'unrest in the region.

Chisinau is the capital of Moldova and became twinned with Hull in 1982, out second longest link with a twinned city.

             The City of Chisinau flag.                                            The national flag of Moldova.

In 2013 there was a population of 800,600 in greater Chisinau. 72% of the population were Moldavian or Romanian and Russians about 14%. &6% have Romanian as their first language and this is the state language. Since independence there has been much debate as to whether Romanian and Moldavian are the same language or even ethnic grouping or are distinct from each other. 16% have Russian as their first language and this is also an official language in some regions along with Gagauzia which is a Turkic language.

The city was founded in 1436 as a monastery town and in the 16th Century was part of the Otterman Empire. By the 19th Century there  was a population of 7000. Following the Russian-Turkish War in 1812 East Moldavia, called Bessarabia, was passed to Russia and Chisinau became the capital of this region, with a population of 9200. By 1862 it had become 125750. During this period the town planning and building developed on a modern grid  system with wide boulevards other than around the old town. Following anti Jewish sentiments in other parts of Russian the Jewish population swelled to 47%. Even here though there were several pograms against them.

The Orthodox Cathedral built in 1830. It was badly damaged in WW2 and the Russians pulled down the bell tower in 1960's. It was restored in 1990's.

After the Russian Revolution Bessarabia became independent and then joined Romania. The development of the city that took place over this period was destroyed in WW2. It started in 1940 when the Red Army occupied the city. That November a 7.3 earthquake caused severe damage to the city. The Nazis and their puppet Romanian Army bombarded the city but it is said that more damage was caused by the Russian  troops that were tasked with denying the Germans anything useful in their scorched earth policy. The Jewish population suffered severely like elsewhere under the control of the Germans and in August 1944 the city was retaken by the Russians following a decisive pincer movement offensive when around 100000 Germans were killed and 115000 were captured. After the war Bessarabia was integrated into the Soviet Union. 70% of it passed to the Moldavian Soviet Republic and 30% to the Ukraine  Soviet Republic. 70% of all the buildings had been destroyed over the period of the war and it was rebuilt in the Stalinist style of severe looking buildings, built quickly and cheaply. There was a quite severe earthquake in 1977 when several people were killed and independence finally came in 1991.

Modern architecture in Chisinau.

90% of Chisinau are Christians of which 88% are Orthodox. The money is Leu and there are roughly 22 to the Pound Sterling. The city is not rich compared with western Europe but is developing quickly  with universities and museums, theaters etc. Some of the sights are the Stephen III statue that was erected in 1927. Stephen stood up to and prevented the advance of the Turks further in to Europe. The statue was removed and hidden and replaced at various times in its history depending on the political climate of the times.

Stephen III Statue, Chisinau.

Triumphal Arch erected in 1841 and restored in 1973 and to remember the Russian-Turkish war.

With the tensions in eastern Europe over Ukraine Moldovia will be hoping problems are resolved peacefully as they have a Russian minority which could give excuses for problems with their nations borders.

I can find no reason why Chisinau and Hull became twinned, and can find no information about any recent exchanges between the two cities. I assume that the twinning occurred during  the time of a Left Wing Council in Hull. Hopefully links will be built up for the Year of the City of Culture as they have a distinctive culture that would add colour and diversity to Hull's big year

Fact 10. Hull nearly caused a war with Russia.

At these times of heightened tension with Russia it reminded me of an other occasion when Hull was at the centre of events. 110 years ago, and 99 years after the Battle of Trafalgar Russia and Japan went to war in Feb. 1904. Both countries were trying to extend their power over Manchuria in China and the Korean peninsula. Japan had carried out a preemptive strike over Russia by striking the Russian fleet in Port Arthur, their naval base which was leased from China. The Japanese then blockaded and put the port under siege.  The Russians decided to mobilize their Baltic Fleet to lift the siege. They assembled a fleet of 42 ships and after a few false starts they set of 15th October 1904. Russia had suffered many setbacks at the hands of the Japanese and they were paranoid that the Japanese would again strike early and attack the fleet on the way there with either mines or torpedo boats. The Russian Admiral Rozhestvensky had his men at a high state of alert and they saw danger everywhere. They fired on a Japanese torpedo boat that turned out to be a Swedish freighter. Eventually they got in to the North Sea and 'avoided' an imaginary minefield.

The Russian fleet included 8 battleships and one of them still survives. The Aurora is a floating museum in St Petersburg and played a part in the revolution of 1917.

Approaching midnight on 21st October 1904, 99 years after the Battle of Trafalgar the scouting ships of the Baltic Fleet reported sightings of torpedo ships. It so happened that the Gamecock Fishing Fleet from Hull, about 38 ships, was in the path of the Russians. Along with other trawlers they were operating on the Dogger Bank fishing grounds as a fleet with their own 'Admiral' Henry Foot. The trawlers remained on the grounds as directed by the 'Admiral' and transferred their catch to other ships that took the fish to market. The 'Admiral' directed the trawlers by flag and lights which could well have added to the suspicions of the Russians. The fishermen thought that it could the British Channel Fleet returning south after a port visit and they were not worried although the boats were told to head to windward, most would have their nets down making any movement very slow. The first wave of warships passed and then all hell broke out. At first the fisherman thought it was gunnery practice but then searchlights shone and fire was directed at them.

A postcard from the time. The attack came to be called the Dogger Bank Incident.

Fire was directed at the trawler 'Crane'. She was badly hit and the the Skipper George Smith and the 3rd Hand were killed by severe head wounds. The Skippers son Joseph was aboard as cook for his first voyage and found his father dead. Most of the rest of the crew were injured, some severely. Damage was also done to the Mino, Snipe and  Moulmein.

The Crane started to sink and the trawler Gull bravely launched their boat and went alongside and managed to take off the dead and injured and transferring the injured to the hospital ship 'Joseph and Sarah Miles'. The Doctor aboard probably saved several lives by his swift work.

The action stopped after about  25 minutes after midnight as they had 'spotted' large vessels attacking. This turned out to be vessels of their own fleet! It resulted in a death of a Russian seaman and a Padre.

The trawlers damaged or with injured aboard went back to Hull with the news. The public were outraged and the British Fleet raised steam to attack the Russians. Cool heads prevailed but the Russians were denied use of the Suez Canal and British and their allies also prevented the Russians using their coaling stations around the world. The Russians had to employ 60 German vessels to supply them with coal etc. Whilst in Madagascar the Russians heard that Port Arthur had fallen so the reason for their voyage had gone. They continued to try to get to Vladivostok to replace the sunk Pacific Fleet. They chose to pass through the Straits of Tsushima and the Japanese Fleet lay in wait. The battle was decisive with eight battle ships and 5000 men lost by the Russians and only three of their  fleet actually made it to Vladivostok where as the Japanese lost three torpedo boats and 116 men.

The memorial Statue that was erected by public subscription in 1906. The statue was in Portland stone by Arthur Leake of a life size George Smith, Skipper on the Crane, and with a memorial to William Leggett 3rd Hand of the Crane who died on the night and also to Walter Whelpton the Skipper of the Mino who died of his wounds (or shock as it states on the memorial) in May 1905. The King donated 200 guineas to the fund.

Later the King presented four Albert Medals for the action. Albert Medal 1st Class went to W. Smith, Mate and A. Rea 2nd Eng. of the 'Crane' for their steadfastness and bravery under fire and 2nd Class Medal to C. Beer Mate and H. Smith Ch. Eng of the Gull for their rescue of the crew of the Crane. Another 2nd Class medal was awarded to E. Costello, Bosun of the Gull but he was unable to make it to the ceremony at Buckingham Palace so it was presented later.

After an international enquiry later the Fishermen were awarded £68000 but I don't know how it was shared out. The death and damage would have been much greater if the Russians had been at all competent in  fire direction and gunnery. The current tension in Ukraine seems to be history repeating itself in so many ways. I hope that cool heads on all sides will once again pull us back from war with Russia.