Recently Will. Jennings and I, once work colleague and ex-Head-teacher at Cottingham High School, undertook one of my favourite short circular walks. Starting in Paull village we followed the ‘dockside’ where fishing smacks and shrimp boats once tied and below the outer rampart of Paull Fort. Having looked at the, now redundant, ‘high and low lights’ (see Landmarks and Beacons) on the foreshore we walked to the Thorngumbald road alongside one of the four Humber-side ‘areas of managed retreat’ and on to the church. Paull church has an interesting mix of materials in the building fabric (again see relevant section in Landmarks and Beacons) while W.J., being more of a ‘people historian’, studied an elegant Georgian monument to a once justice-of-the-peace for the East Riding, this sited just east of the north transept. W.J. is a musician and, along with his ‘group’, has just produced his/their second cd ‘No Hand Left to Show’ – the first is called ‘Powder River Stories’ and the third, apparently, is nearing completion.
Our initial plan to go on the previous Thursday had to be postponed, but I went on the following interesting walk. Starting at ‘Julian’s Bower’ in Alkborough village Molly (dog) and I walked the scarp-top footpath to Burton on Stather church. Normally this fine path affords panoramic views west across the Vale of Axholme and the Trent plain but that day the weather was hazy. Having passed through Burton village with its coursed rubble ‘ironstone’ wallings a path led downhill and along the bottom of the wooded scarp slope, carpeted with flowering bluebells, to the site of Flixborough river-side port and industrial estate. Now intensively farmed with arable crops, the lowland west of the path was once the outer limit of the Vale of Trent floodplain. Walking up the scarp slope to Flixborough village we rested on benches outside the recently refurbished village hall. Returning north to Normanby village and Burton the path passed along field headlands alongside sandy-loam land now mostly devoted to turf production. And so back along the scarp-top to Alkborough. Probably 10 – 12 miles.
Yesterday Rachael (daughter) and I visited East Park, Hull before going to visit Kerry (daughter). Had not been to East Park for long time and was amazed at the way it has been developed while having retained a density of mature deciduous trees and shrubs un-rivalled in other Hull public parks. Incidentally have submitted a project to the Hull 2017 organisation whereby I would research and write a history of Hull’s parks, allotments and open spaces if they publish. Even if they don’t will continue the research anyway and have started map research at Hull History Centre. Any help and/or relevant information would be appreciated (I have copy of Paul Gibson’s excellent booklet on West Park).
Sad to hear of the recent death of John Markham who for many years has written for the Hull Daily Mail as well as being an author and Chairman of Hedon Local History Society.