Hessle Road

Hessle Road in Hull, best street for shopping in the country.

Sometimes when my Mum and Dad want something when they come to visit, anything at all, bike tyre mending kits, little roses for putting on knitted baby's bonnets, straw boaters (I am not kidding) they go to Hessle Road and they know they will find it.

Note the lack of blandness on the part of the shops. This is not the sort of high street you often see nowadays with all the shops the same as every other town's high street, these are proper shops, family businesses, and each peculiar to Hessle Road.

Note the flags. People are very patriotic round here and Tony's Textiles is the shop you go to if you want an England flag for your car. Tony's Textiles has bins of every conceivable textile:dusters, tea towels according to season (eg Xmas t towels),lace nets(everybody is very much in to their lace nets, if you live in terraced housing facing other terraced housing they are a necessity, not tacky, a necessity. I myself vowed never to have them but was forced by reality to get some, from Tony's Textiles) furry cushion covers, leopard skin cushion covers, elaborate bedspeads and swags to transform your boudoir into something akin to the Arabian Nights.

Lots of people have dogs round here and here is the Charity Shop. Setams, old fashioned L-shaped department store with many interesting things. If you fancy a cheap day out with small children you can just spend the day looking round Hessle Road where they will see indoor water fountains, African masks, glass snow storms with a variety of different scenes or, if they are an older boy, unusual army surplus gear.

Note the coffee shop. That little sign says 'New York Coffee'. Who says Hull isn't sophisticated?