DBA Initial Research

So we had a little meeting after the briefing, to talk about what we would all bring to our major meeting on Thursday...

We all decided we would research into one of the four cities, this would give up indepth information to find a link.

I chose Hull, from flipping a coin so therefore we decided we would get some key started points so people don't go off on a tangent.



Hull

Things I already know...

Linked to the Humber Bridge.
You can get to it from the M62.

So not much...

Now onto research,

10 things you don't know about Hull.

1. Civil War spark

Ye Olde White Harte pub on Silver Street in Hull is believed to have played a key role in the start of the English Civil War.
In the room now known as the Plotting Parlour, the decision was reputedly taken in 1642 to refuse Charles I entry to the town.
This sparked the first siege of Hull, which was the first major action of the Civil War.

2. Bligh's nemesis

The Bounty, skippered by the infamous Captain William Bligh, was built and launched in Hull.
Originally a merchant ship called the Bethia, it was built in the city in 1784.
In 1787, the Admiralty bought the ship for a voyage in the Pacific which, two years later, would see Captain Bligh cast adrift by his own mutinous crew.

3. Flying legend

Amy Johnson, the first female pilot to fly alone from Britain to Australia, was born in Hull on 1 July 1903.
In 1930, just two years after starting flying lessons, she completed an 11,000-mile journey alone in a single engine Gypsy Moth plane named Jason.
The pioneering pilot drowned on 5 January 1941 when the plane she was flying crashed into the Thames Estuary during rough weather. 

4. Fantastic voyage

Daniel Defoe's famous fictional castaway, Robinson Crusoe, set sail from Queen's Dock in Hull on 1 September 1651.
As Defoe writes, it was a journey to remember from the very start: "The ship was no sooner out of the Humber than the wind began to blow and the sea to rise in a most frightful manner; and, as I had never been at sea before, I was most inexpressibly sick in body and terrified in mind."

5. Size matters

Not only is the George Hotel in Hull one of the oldest surviving pubs in the city, dating back to 1683, it also boasts what is claimed to be the smallest window in England.
Originally a coaching inn, its window - which is more like a slit in the wall - is said to have been used by the porter to look out for stagecoaches and customers so they could be given immediate attention.

6. Miniature marvels

Used by generations of model plane fans to decorate anything from Spitfires to Boeing 737s, tiny tins of Humbrol paints were manufactured for many years in Hull.
Humbrol, originally known as the Humber Oil Company, was founded in the city in 1919 and initially supplied bicycle oil.
However, in the middle of the 20th Century, plastic model kits by companies such as Airfix became hugely popular.
As a result, the firm began to manufacture "tinlets" of paint designed especially to make these models look as close to the real thing as possible.

7. What's in a name?

The Land of Green Ginger, at the bottom of Whitefriargate in Hull's Old Town, is undoubtedly one of the UK's strangest street names.
There have been many theories as to the origin of the name but it remains a mystery as none has been proved conclusively.
One idea is that it was named after the Lindegreens, a Dutch family who are believed to have lived there sometime in the 19th Century.

8. Godber's Gold

Bouncers, written by Hull playwright John Godber, is one of the most frequently performed plays in the English language.
On average, it is performed at least eight times a year by small to mid-scale repertory venues, and is toured at least twice a year by various companies, according to Hull Truck Theatre.

9. Film founder

The Rank Organisation, which owned five leading film studios including Pinewood Studios, was founded by Hull-born J. Arthur Rank in 1937.
Classic Rank film productions include Brief Encounter, Great Expectations, In Which We Serve and, of course, several of the Carry On series.

10. Medicine man

In 1856, Thomas James Smith opened a chemist's shop in Hull and established his business selling cod liver oil to hospitals.
Smith and Nephew, now a FTSE 100 company, was formed when he was joined in 1896 by his nephew Horatio Nelson Smith and is now a successful billion-pound global medical devices business.

Hull the city of culture.

Hull is making its final push to be named the UK City of Culture 2017 as it presents its bid to the judges in Londonderry, along with Leicester, Dundee and Swansea Bay.

But with the massive expense involved in winning the accolade at a time when the council is having to make more than £40m of budget cuts, why does Hull want the title?
The bid team has promised to spend £15m to provide 365 days of cultural activities - including 25 different festivals, an "aerial spectacular", and 12 artists' residencies.
But this is not just about providing a year's worth of entertainment. That might be hard to sell to a city where 20,000 people are out of work, libraries are closing and council tax is going up.

The team claims securing the accolade could generate an extra £184m for the East Yorkshire city over five years.

The £15m budget would be underwritten by Hull City Council, which has so far received sponsorship pledges from 20 local companies.
"We've got to invest," says councillor Stephen Bayes.
"It's about investing, building and supporting the development of an infrastructure. People will feel more proud of where they live and it will create jobs and employment.
"It's also about perceptions - in Liverpool and Glasgow perceptions have changed."

The UK City of Culture title was created following the success of Liverpool's year as European Capital of Culture (ECoC) in 2008.
A report commissioned by Liverpool City Council found the city had 9.7 million more visitors than normal that year, generating an extra £735m in additional visitor spend across Merseyside.

Crucially perhaps for Hull, it also dramatically changed attitudes. The researchers found positive stories about Liverpool in the national press grew by 71% before and during its year in the spotlight.
And this is why Diana Johnson, Labour MP for Hull North, wants to win.

"A lot of people have an old-fashioned view that Hull's a place where there's fish and a port," she said.
"I want visitors to come to the city and see everything it's got going for it. Everyone who visits attractions like The Deep [aquarium] enjoys it, but we need more visitors."
She said part of the problem was inevitably the city's somewhat isolated location.
"We are tucked away. You don't go through Hull to get anywhere else."


 
Hull Attractions.

Dinostar
The Deep
East Park
Hull Old Town
Queens Garden
Pearson Park
Streetlife Museum
Hull & Riding Museum
Artic Corsair
Wilberforce House
The Larkin Trail
Seven Seas Fish Trail
Ale trail