Rough Justice

How can you express an opinion on a City when you have;

1) never been there
2) only briefly visited, or
3) just go with what you think is the big, funny, clever or popular stereotype for the place.

My home City of Hull, East Yorkshire, England,  has suffered from unjustified negativity for decades.

Many just form an opinion based on a visual characterisation of the name. In his book,  "The Meaning of  Liff", the author Douglas Adams provides a definition for Hull as "the smell of a weekend cottage". That did not help much.

The ignorance displayed in such throwaway comments may partly be down to Hull's geographical position at the end of the line just inland from the North Sea Coast although this has since Roman Times and earlier given direct access into England from mainland Europe. No-one passes through Hull unless on their way to the Port and Ferry. Nobody just stumbles across it on a meandering tourist trail.

Its citizens are  industrious, artistic and enterprising and this has been attained on their own through necessity and a certain amount of independence and pride.

The bleak years of the Second World War saw Hull pummelled severely by enemy bombing on an almost nightly basis, either through primary targeting of the docks and key industries or by default with aircraft dumping their payloads on their way back after raids on other northern cities. Secrecy and national morale prevented Hull being identified in name as being so much on the front line, in fact second only to London for damage and casualties.

It remains one of the few cities in the UK to retain a bombed out building, unfortunately still with an undecided future whether for a Civic Commemorative use or demolition for flats.

In 2007 the city was devastated by flooding with 10,000 homes affected. Little media attention was given to this significant event.

There is a well known saying from a work published in 1639 to the effect "From Hull, from Hell, from Halifax....Good Lord, Deliver Us". This seems to have become well established in the intervening four centuries in the psyche of the UK public and is often quoted at the merest mention of the City in popular culture and entertainment.

A few mainstream comedians have built their illustrious careers and incomes on knocking Hull.It has been an easy target for a cheap laugh.

Perhaps the lowest point in the national perception of Hull came in 2003 with the unfortunate awarding of the most "Crap Town" in the country. I had to defend the reputation of Hull on many occasions when it's top of the table status in this demeaning category was alluded to by colleagues from other areas.

There has, however, over the last 5 years been a very dramatic and positive change in attitudes towards Hull.

The two season stint in the Premier League of Hull City started the upward trend, ironically given the finishing positions in that pre-eminent competition. Further small increments included an Olympic Gold Medallist at London 2012, annual high profile music and arts festivals, nice comments from visiting celebrities, less jibes by comics, endorsements of the affordability of housing and quality of living and all compounded by winning the vote for UK City of Culture for 2017.

The accolades continue, not before time and indeed very much overdue. A knock-back in 2015 was the naming of Hull as the least romantic city in the UK but that is hardly an important category is it, particularly as this just contradicts the opinion that it is the most poetic city in England.

I have just read today about a major boost to the position of the city in being listed by the highly regarded "Rough Guides" as one of their recommended Top Ten World Cities to be visited in 2016, in fact number 8.

This is and in descending order alongside Reykjavik in Iceland, Mexico City, Seoul, Ljubliana in Slovenia, Wroclaw in Poland, Nashville, Amsterdam, Vancouver and Agra in India.

It is time for you to form your own opinion of our great City of Hull.

See you all soon, or as the City of Culture slogan invites "Everyone back to ours!!!"