Yesterday’s photo and today’s was of the network of rail lines feeding into and out of St. Andrew’s Dock when the fishing industry was at its height, probably 1950s. This because I didn’t have a more appropriate photo on hand.
The other unsurprising Heritage at Risk area in Hull (s.p.b.) is the Beverley Road Conservation Area. Apparently this is in the top ten of the country’s conservation areas under threat.
Over the last few years the members of the Beverley Road Townscape Heritage Scheme have tried hard to find ways of improving the linear site with some funding from the town council and some outside funding I think (I maybe wrong here). The Committee comprising council employees and interested individuals, mostly local, have tried to forge links with the diverse immigrant groups that populate the area, especially with individuals that have some influence and or investment in the area such as shopkeepers and landlords. It has clearly been an uphill struggle but not without visible achievements, such as the standard design railings fronting many of the early-mid-19th century middle class terraced housing at the town-end of the Road. Socially and economically it is an area of considerable deprivation.
My personal opinion is that the members of the Scheme have come in late to an area that had been allowed for too long to go downhill. This is particularly evidenced in the housing stock where large older houses have almost always been allowed to be converted to flats (at best), bedsits or houses in multiple occupation, situations in which landlords are most guaranteed a regular income. Although such changes have to pass planning scrutiny there is no follow-up quality control over the standard of work. Even more and more three-bedroomed working class accommodation of the early 20th century has been subdivided resulting in a down-at-heel look to streets that families were once proud to live in.
And as for shop fronts along the main road into and out of town!! I had better stop here as I may get into trouble. Next time I’ll focus on some history about the Beverley Road area, conservation area.