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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Hull
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(Kingston-upon-Hull, 263,000 in 1991)
City and port in Humberside, where the river Hull flows into the Humber estuary. It was selected by *Edward I as the location for a harbour in the 13C. The parish church of Holy Trinity, begun at that period and one of the largest in England, is notable for its early use of brick. William *Wilberforce was born in Hull and his 17C family home has been turned, together with neighbouring houses, into a historical museum with special emphasis on the slave trade. The Ferens Art Gallery, donated by Thomas Ferens (1847–1930) with contributions from Joseph *Duveen (another native of Hull), has a European collection but specializes in British painting.
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An oddity for which Hull has become famous is the retention of its own municipal telephone system, which survived the many years during which the rest of the country's network was nationalized (and was then floated on the stock exchange as a telecom company in 1999, bringing the council a major windfall). Hull's extensive modern docks stretch for miles along the Humber, but the older Town Docks form an inlet to the heart of the city at Queen Victoria Square, where their history is commemorated in the Town Docks Museum.
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