Monday 21 June
Janet Adamson, Maritime Media Volunteer explores how street names are chosen and here's what she discovered.
I wonder if you have ever considered how street names are determined. Trawling through street names in Hull, I was struck by how many had a nautical link of some sort and began to explore.
Tucked into an area in West Hull known as Dairycoates were a collection of around fourteen streets all with a link to Hull’s fishing industry – but some more obvious than others and some no longer in existence due to remodelling of the area. Some of these are earlier than others and cover a period between about 1919 and 1980 in terms of the ship’s registrations.
There are street names representing the trawlers belonging to three notable owners – J. Marr and Son Ltd, Kingston Steam Trawling Co. Ltd., and Boyd Line. It would be reasonable to think that the names of trawlers were used as street names to signify the role they played in Hull’s economic and social history.
However, it must be remembered that many of these ships were also requisitioned in times of conflict, in both World Wars and the more recent Falklands War. Some of course, saw their own conflict in the Cod wars.
J. Marr and Son Ltd had ships mostly recognisable by their -ella suffix. In this area were streets showing this, Cordella Close, Starella Grove, Junella Close and Junella Field, Brucella Grove, Farnella Close and Swanella Grove.
Cordella Close
One of the historic images within the Fussey collection is the blockade of fishing Snibbies at Hull, on 1st April 1975, as a part of the Icelandic Cod Wars. A view of the 'Cordella' of Hull, as part of the Fishing Armada protest against the increased regulations and fishing quotas in the North Sea.
Swanella Grove
The Swanella was owned by J Marr and Son Ltd
The Junella, Cordella, Farnella and Northella were all commissioned by the Royal Navy during the Falklands War and served a variety of purposes, but predominantly for minesweeping.
Topaz Grove
Representing the Kingston Topaz shown here.
Kingston Steam Trawling Co. Ltd.
This company had about 50 ships named after precious and semi-precious stones between about 1918 and 1980. In this Dairycoates area of Hull we can find Jade Grove, Emerald Grove, Topaz Grove and Sapphire Grove.
Sapphire Grove
A negative of the Kingston Sapphire.
Although there is no evidence of the Kingston Emerald in the Hull Museums Collection, there is evidence to tell us that the Kingston Emerald was involved in the Cod Wars by being shot at by an Icelandic patrol vessel. A number of ‘Kingston’ ships were requisitioned by the Royal Navy to serve as patrol boats on anti-submarine duties during World War II.
Boyd Line
The Boyd Line ships are represented by Corsair Grove, Hunter Grove and Galliard Close.
Corsair Grove
The Arctic Corsair was Hull’s last sidewinder trawler which returned some record-breaking catches of white fish in its history. It was bought by Hull City Council as a museum and is currently being refurbished as part of the Hull, Yorkshire’s Maritime City Project before its re-location at the site of the North End Shipyard.
Hunter Grove Represents the Arctic Hunter which although a trawler, was requisitioned by the Royal Navy in 1939 and was principally involved in the clearance of magnetic mines from the English Channel and North Sea. She was armed and was credited with the destruction of 110 mines and a Dornier 217 bomber of the German Luftwaffe.
Galliard Close Originally named the Kirkella, re-named the Arctic Galliard and then the Arctic Outlaw.
With the exception of the Kirkella registered in 2018, currently the UK’s leading freezer trawler, all of the names of the ships mentioned are now in the annals of time but continue to be in our memories as street names in the city.
