18 years of living next to the same people does stand for something nowadays even though we may feel that community spirit and consideration for others has declined under the pressure of modern lifestyles.
That was the case with my place of work and Kingston Upon Hull Central Fire Station.
The Fire Brigade were interesting as neighbours. There was never a dull moment, be it the frequent disturbance to our quiet office activities by the raising of the alarm to mobilise the fire fighters or the reassuring sound of an energetic game of football in the Station Yard as a bit of rest and recreation between "shouts"- yes we soon got to know the terminology.
My office staff would often be found gazing out of the window for the chance to catch a glimpse of the heroic firemen. I would qualify that statement as applying equally to female and male employees although their motivations would be a little bit different to stand and stare. Reflecting basic human nature, the former wanted one, the latter to be one.
There was much excitement and swooning when one of the Officers actually called at the office to ask about some experience in my sphere of work as he was obviously not fully engaged in his current employment. I thought him mad.
There were also some amusing incidents, one in particular.
On a hazy and hot summers afternoon there was quite a commotion in the street in front of my office.
The windscreen of a car parked in a metered bay had been smashed.
The driver could be seen standing in a bemused state holding in his hand a large piece of cement encased masonry. I ventured out into the heat to see if I could be of assistance. I was thinking that this had been a bit of random car crime as over the 18 years in occupation in that part of the City Centre there had certainly been a few incidents of theft from vehicles as well as the more violent and dramatic crime of taking without consent and driving away.
In fact the car owner had been in his vehicle as the glass had been smashed.
There had been no-one else in the street as far as he could make out to perpetrate such a thing. The offending lump of masonry, on closer inspection was the large part of a brick with a familiar colour wash render coating on what will have been its outer face.
I tried to recall where I had seen that particular greyish shade. I do get to see hundreds of properties a year and so the processing of the image could take some time. I gazed upwards into the bright blue, cloudless sky seeking inspiration to assist the innocent victim of the inflicted damage. The source of the flying rubble revealed itself to me, not in a Eureka moment or third party intervention but from an observation in plain sight up on the wall of the Fire Station.
There was a matching, gaping hole in the render finish of the building of my longtime neighbour.
It was broadly mid way along the south west wall of the premises which stretched from the street corner along to the Municipal Theatre.
As the two of us squinted against the hot, reflective glare of the painted finish the reason for the brick mortar bomb became all too evident.
The expanse of wall had absorbed considerable solar energy on what could actually have been the hottest day of the year, to date. In the absence of any slack in the fabric of the structure to cater for the expanding elements of bricks and mortar the pressure had built up to an intolerable level. Nothing like it had happened before in the 80 or so years since the Fire Station was erected but it was pretty inevitable that something would give way under what were after all the combined influence of a few of the principles of physics.
Consistent with an evolving urban environment that part of the Central Hull Fire Station ejecting the brick missile was demolished just in the last few months to allow for expansion of the adjoining New Theatre. The distinctive eastern elevation with its Engine Bays was vacated by the Brigade in readiness for a brand new premises across the city and now stands forlornly awaiting its fate. It is in comparison to its Georgian and Victorian surroundings a modern, functional building and so may not be able to be saved on the basis of any architectural or historic merits.
Presently it is in the process of being overwhelmed by construction of a tower structure at the New Theatre and on part of the former Yard and periodic football ground the immense rectangular mass of an inner city college building.
Even I moved away to an out of town office park recently and by doing so forfeited my duty to defend and support a good neighbour.
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| Hull Central, 1939 to 1945 |
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