Context 165 - August 2020

C O N T E X T 1 6 5 : A U G U S T 2 0 2 0 17 Food and drink Chesters came up with the idea of celebrating the life of Philip Larkin, the poet, novelist and librarian of the University of Hull. The programme received £200,000 of funding from the council to develop a series of celebrations. Many local businesses supported the idea, and £750,000 was raised for the festivities, demonstrating the pride that many businesses and residents had for Hull. The city spirit and momentum that developed between 2007 and 2010 led to Hull being awarded the national accolade of City of Culture 2017. There was a concern of what the lasting effects of City of Culture would be, but it led to areas of the city receiving heavy investment.The Fruit Market is one of those areas where things have really taken off. ‘For years establishments worked in unison to make the street a destination, a hub of culture with the crescendo being the 2017 City of Culture,’ Joe Morizzo says. ‘There have been festivals and events down there for years now. It grew with the City of Culture funding: an art gallery has popped up, and there are some quirky shops and restaurants.’ Start-ups include the Humber Street Distillery, which makes its own gin, and Thieving Harry’s restaurant, which has over 8,000 followers on Instagram. Ali Hubbard, owner of Thieving Harry’s, appreciates the Fruit Market’s archi- tecture. ‘The building itself is why we started Thieving Harry’s,’ she says. ‘I can’t imagine doing what we do anywhere else, and I think a lot of people feel the same way about the building.’ The city continues to support its own, with local artist Joe Cox providing illustrations for the renovated Fruit Market. Other investment has followed with the flagship aquarium The Deep, arguably the single most powerful regenerative force in the renaissance of Hull. Other projects include the Scale Lane swing bridge, which provides better pedestrian access to the Old Town, and the new scheme for the Prince’s Quay bridge. Many of the buildings in the Fruit Market and the Old Town have been saved, thanks to the people of Hull. Their ambition and drive to change the city have led to regeneration and new businesses, including big business such as Siemens’ renewable energy plant at Alexandra Dock. Ali Hubbard agrees that the area has benefitted from the new start-up businesses. ‘There wasn’t a whole lot in and around the Fruit Market when we started, just us, Fruit and three galleries,’ she says. ‘The area became a bit of a go-to destina- tion due to the proximity to the water and boats, and the development that has happened in the last four years has been significant.’ Hull still has a long way to go, with parts of the heart of the city still needing investment and regeneration, but with the Hullites’ grit and spirit anything is possible. A restaurant at the Fruit Market (Photo: Neil Holmes) Louise Priestman is a conservation architect at Arup, working in their heritage sector. Acknowledgements Thanks to Graham Chesters, board director of the Deep; Joe Morizzo, director at Morizzo Architects; Ali Hubbard ofThieving Harry’s; photographers Paul Gibson and Neil Holmes; Janey Revill at Meehan Media; id architecture; and local artist Joe Cox.