The story is that in 1862 the various attractions at the now closed Hull Zoological Gardens just north of Spring Bank were being sold off. We already know that at this time a fountain and rockery were transferred from the Gardens to the recently created Pearson Park but Folly Flaneuse tells us that also bought and transferred were ‘Ancient Church Architecture’, items of genuine church architectural stone which had formed a ‘ruin’ feature at the Zoological Gardens and which were then being sold off. Some of these items had been bought back in 1844 in York by an Honorary Secretary of Hull Zoological Society; this following a terrible fire which engulfed much of York Minster in May 1840 after which architectural features which could only be replaced by new were sold off to help fund the restoration. Folly Flaneuse writes ‘Ancient perforated Stone Parapet from the top of the North-West Tower’ at the cost of one guinea, and Hammond (the Hull buyer) then went on to buy a total of 27 lots. His haul included keystones, quatrefoils, carved flowers, carved lion heads, mouldings, marble flooring and, his most expensive item’ ‘Two Canopies, with Buttresses, Crockets, Springer and Finials complete which had been part of the the South side of the Nave’. These were then transported to Hull and collected together as the ‘ruin’ in the Zoological Gardens No picture of this ruin is known, the picture above is taken from Folly Flane use article plus the caption below.
Fragments of stone from other churches were included in the sale (see later).
To be continued.