Hull. Hardly the most inspiring sounding place in the world, is it? Never fear, however, because despite the city’s reputation as a crime-ridden hole of a place, generations of students have come and gone and thoroughly enjoyed their time here. Hull really is a city where entertainment is everywhere. For many this will involve many alcohol fuelled escapades in clubs such as the Sugar Mill or Pozition, while others may find other activities more suited to their tastes. Whatever is more your style, rest assured that there will be something here for you.
The first stop for any fresher should be the Student’s Union. Two bars, a club, the Athletic Union and a wide-range of societies of all sorts provide a ready source of activity for all students. The fresher’s bazaar in the first week is a great opportunity to take a look at the societies and teams that are available to join, so be sure to check it out. The Union runs club nights in Asylum (located within the Union building) on most nights, especially during Fresher’s Week, with Tower on Wednesdays being a particular favourite of the sports societies. The neighbouring bar, Sanctuary, is open every day until 11pm, serving a wide range of foods in addition to your favourite tipple.
For those staying at the Lawns, the Veranda Bar is in the Lawns Centre and is open every night from 7-11 providing a cheap and convenient alternative to pubs elsewhere. There are quizzes on various nights throughout the week, and they show most big football matches and other sporting events. Cottingham has a number of pubs within staggering distance of the Lawns; the Cross Keys, the Hallgate, the King William IV, and the Fair Maid are all in and around Cottingham village centre.
If you’re staying on Cranbrook Avenue, Cottingham Road, or anywhere else near the University there is plenty to do. Aside from the Union, the Gardner’s Arms and the Hayworth Arms are within easy walking distance, both having a student friendly atmosphere and great deals on food and drink, including a yellow discount card that’s definitely worthwhile for regular customers. Fusion is a relatively new bar on Cottingham Road which serves good food and hosts club nights on certain days.
Whenever you are in Hull you’ll never be short of places to go for a night out, with many clubs either in the city centre or on or near bus routes. The Sugar Mill is popular on Monday nights, but beware of long queues and it filling up quickly. Handily, queue-jump tickets are available from the box office in the Student’s Union, or from Mission and Schnapps, bars located behind the Sugar Mill. Alternatively the Piper, on Newland Avenue, hosts a very cheap night on Mondays, but queues can be a problem here too. Attic can be good on a Tuesday night, and Revolution sometimes has decent offers on cocktails. Wednesdays are unmistakeably Tower night in the Student’s Union, complete with the infamous Asylum Text Screen.
Thursdays give you a choice between Pozition and Welly. Pozition is located in the city centre and plays a wide range of music over several floors, while Welly is on Beverley Road and caters to a more alternative taste, including a Drum and Bass night once a month. Other clubs and bars in and around Hull that are worth checking out include Spiders, Sharkeys, the Adelphi, The Linnet and Lark and the Lamp, while Fuel is the centre of the city’s gay club scene. Many bands play Hull throughout the student year, with the Union, Welly, and the Adelphi all hosting gigs semi-regularly.
If clubbing isn’t really your thing, there are plenty of other options. Hull New Theatre and Hull Truck Theatre both regularly put on acclaimed plays, with the Truck Theatre moving into a new multi-million pound home this year. The Ferens Art Gallery is located in the city centre, displaying a wide range of sculpture and painting; in addition to art ranging from the medieval to the modern, it also houses arguably one of the best collections of contemporary art in the country. The Hull Maritime Museum, located close to the Ferens Art Gallery provides an interesting look into the past of the city and its connection with the sea. No article about activities in Hull would be complete without a mention of The Deep, “the world’s only submarium”. What’s a submarium? You could be forgiven for suspecting that nobody is entirely sure, although Wikipedia probably has a page explaining it, but it makes for a good tagline nonetheless. The Deep provides a stunning look at sea life and really is worth a visit. If your idea of a good day out involves plenty of shopping, even on a limited student budget, you’ll be well served by Hull.
The St Stephen’s complex, conveniently located next to the bus and train station, opened quite recently and offers a wide range of shops including Next, H&M, Topshop, and River Island. St Stephen’s also houses several restaurants and a Reel cinema, one of two in the city centre with the other, a Vue, being situated in the Prince’s Quay shopping centre. Prince’s Quay is bigger again than St Stephen’s with a large Primark, a Zavvi, and a host of other opportunities for blowing your student loan on things you’ll look back on and wonder “why?”. The Prospect Centre is probably the smallest of the three, but includes a Currys.Digital and a Wilkinson’s for bits and bobs for your accomodation. Outside of the shopping centres, Hull has the range of shops that you would expect in any other similarly sized city.
For those of a more sporting nature, there is ample opportunity to support a Hull team. Hull City AFC, playing at the KC Stadium in the south-west of the city, are riding high (well, eleventh at the time of writing, but it’s probably best not to expect that to last too long) in the Premier League, while the city is also home to two top Rugby League sides; Hull FC and Hull Kingston Rovers. Both play in the Super League and, as you can imagine, the rivalry is fierce. Hull FC have been the more successful of late and share the KC with Hull City AFC, being the “West Hull” team, while Hull KR play at Craven Park in the east of the city.
Hull is also home to the wonderfully named Land of Green Ginger, a street in the “old town” of the city, which is where you can see what is claimed to be the smallest window in England. Unfortunately, Hull suffered badly at the hands of the Luftwaffe in the Second World War, but some remains of the old part of the city are on view; located here is the Holy Trinity Church, reputed to be the largest parish church in the country. If you appreciate a nice building, this is definitely a place to have a wander around if you have a spare afternoon. Also in the old town, on Silver Street, is the Ye Olde White Harte. Ignore the farcical spelling and have a pint; upstairs is where the city elders are said to have planned what prompted the first military act in the English Civil War, refusing Charles I entry to the city in 1642. Just round the corner, High Street has several old pubs that have a fantastic atmosphere.
As you can see, Hull is a city that has something to offer everyone, so don’t be put off by its shaky reputation and get stuck in; whether you find something we’ve mentioned above, or a hidden gem of your own, you can be sure that by the time you leave the University of Hull you will have found a city that truly is never dull.
Jonathon Cobbe
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