Context 165 - August 2020

16 C O N T E X T 1 6 5 : A U G U S T 2 0 2 0 such as fruit and vegetables were also imported. Fruit markets have had a presence in Hull since the 16th century; an area called the Fruit Market adjoined one of the docks. This market came into its own in the 19th century with the progression of imports and the storage of fresh produce. Fruits previously unseen in the UK became accessible to more of the population. This was a popular area, full of life, with a variety of architectural designs adding uniqueness and diversity to the area. The Fruit Market area, like much of the city, suffered bomb damage during the air raids, and many of the smaller domestic buildings were replaced with larger buildings in the 1940s and 50s.The Fruit Market continued to prosper and remained a hub of communal spirit until its gradual decline, around the same time as the loss of the fishing industry. Joe Morizzo, an architect who grew up in Hull, speaks of the role of the Fruit Market. ‘It was once a thriving hub of multiculturalism, the place where exotic fruits and vegetables were sold at wholesale to retailers across the city and further afield,’ he says. ‘After its heyday the boarded-up wholesale warehouses were old, cheap and available. Some argue that Castle Street amputated that particular limb of the city centre, although the economic climate would have done it sooner or later’. Morizzo’s com- ments reflect on the desire, for a while, for Hull to become a shopping and tourist destination, without thinking of the consequences of all those whose skills remained in industrial activities. Despite the excellent access to the sea and Europe, the prosperity of the city and its fishing trade following the second world war was to be short lived. In what was often referred to as ‘the cod wars’, in 1972 Iceland extended its fishing boundaries to 100 miles from its coast. Any foreign boat willing to break this new boundary would by threatened by gunboats. This crisis peaked in 1972 and Hull’s fishing trade eventu- ally collapsed. The end of the city’s main industry, combin- ing with pockets of deprivation that had never recovered from the second world war, led to severe deterioration in employment, prosper- ity and even population numbers. Swathes of the city were left to decline, particularly the fish docks, where large numbers of buildings became derelict and dangerous. The city was losing its identity. The conservation movement Amid the city’s depression, small numbers of faithful Hull residents, often referred to as ‘Hullites’, were looking to reverse the decline. One of those who joined the movement in the early 1990s was Professor Graham Chesters, recipient of Hull’s ‘Remarkable East Yorkshire Tourism Passion Award’ in 2019. ‘The 1980s saw the evolution of a new conservation move- ment,’ Chesters recalls. ‘While historic buildings were being torn down, locals were fighting for their protection. The old town had huge potential and there was a growing sense of pride in what we had versus what had been lost. A small group of us formed to support the cause of regenerating the city.’ The tide was turning, with the council approv- ing the Princes Quay Shopping Centre. This innovative and bold design, cleverly turning one of the old fishing docks into a shopping and entertainment centre, was completed in 1991. And new tidal surge barriers were constructed to protect the Old Town from frequent flooding. The movement developed with a group called the Action 90s emerging in the 1990s.This pro- vided a platform for the council to take interest: the new CityVision spending budget aimed to rebrand the city. The consultancy Wolf Ollins was commissioned to prepare a report which confirmed that Hull should set its sights on becoming a ‘top 10 British city’. Chesters and the team of willing local residents were the catalyst to the change in culture, despite the fears of many senior figures who felt that it was impossible. Celebrating identity Hull’s ambition grew as its people began to see its potential. The 200th anniversary of Wilberforce’s Slave Trade Act was celebrated in 2007 as the year-long Freedom Festival. The movement behind the regeneration of Hull had to build on the momentum of those celebrations. Following their success, Graham The renovated Fruit Market (Photo: id architecture)