Stepney, Kingston upon Hull
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Stepney is an area of
Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-east ...
within the larger area of
Sculcoates Sculcoates is a suburb of Kingston upon Hull, north of the city centre, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. For many centuries, much of what was called Hull came within the parish of St Mary's Church. Sculcoates railway station closed ...
, north of the city centre on the (
A1079 The A1079 is a major road in Northern England. It links the cities of York and Kingston upon Hull, both in Yorkshire. The road is noted for its past safety issues, and regularly features in the Road Safety Foundations reports on Britain's most ...
) Beverley-Hull main road. Before the mid-19th century the place was a small hamlet outside the urban area of Kingston upon Hull.


Geography

Modern Stepney is absorbed into the urban sprawl of Hull. The (
A1079 The A1079 is a major road in Northern England. It links the cities of York and Kingston upon Hull, both in Yorkshire. The road is noted for its past safety issues, and regularly features in the Road Safety Foundations reports on Britain's most ...
) Hull to Beverley main road passes directly through the area, with Stepney centred on its junction with Stepney Lane. To the west is
Pearson Park Pearson Park, originally known as the People's Park is a park in the west of Kingston upon Hull, England. It is situated about north-west of the city centre of Hull with its main entrance on Beverley Road and its western boundary adjoining P ...
; approximate boundaries are formed by Queens Road/Sculcoates Lane to the north; the
Beverley and Barmston Drain The Beverley and Barmston Drain is the main feature of a land drainage scheme authorised in 1798 to the west of the River Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The area consisted of salt marshes to the south and carrs to the north, fed ...
to the east, beyond which is Wincolmlee (
Sculcoates Sculcoates is a suburb of Kingston upon Hull, north of the city centre, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. For many centuries, much of what was called Hull came within the parish of St Mary's Church. Sculcoates railway station closed ...
); to the south is further urban development along
Beverley Road Beverley Road (known in local parlance as Bev Road) is one of several major roads that run out of the city of Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The road is noted for being a major arterial route into, and out of Hull. It also known ...
, leading to the city centre.Ordnance Survey. 1:25000. 2006 Stepney is an urban area, mostly housing, with shopping and services along the main road, and some light industry. The original (pre 1850s) village street survives as a minor kink in Beverley Road, and is indicated by a narrowing of the street, and by a section of more modest two-storey houses. The area falls within the Beverley Road and Sculcoates areas of Hull.


History

Following the foundation of Hull by
Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...
in 1293 proceedings were undertaken to create permanent roads to the neighbouring towns, including one to Beverley; in 1302 a jury decided on the best routes for the roads. The road to Beverley became a
turnpike Turnpike often refers to: * A type of gate, another word for a turnstile * In the United States, a toll road Turnpike may also refer to: Roads United Kingdom * A turnpike road, a principal road maintained by a turnpike trust, a body with powers ...
under an act of 1744. The Beverley and Barmston Drain was authorised by an act of 1798, and was the largest of local drains, running roughly north–south about a third of a mile east of Stepney.Ordnance Survey. 1852–3. Sheet 226 A bridge on Stepney Lane dating from around 1800 crosses the drain, and is still extant. A smaller drain ran north–south between Barmston Drain and Beverley Road, ''Cottingham Drain'' – it was culverted in the latter half of the 20th century and part it now forms a cycle or footpath, other parts built over. The name "Stepney" is thought to derive from "Stepping Stone" or "Stepstone", from the presence of a
mounting block A mounting block, horse block, carriage stone, or in Scots a loupin'-on stane is an assistance for mounting and dismounting a horse or cart. Usage and locations Mounting blocks were especially useful for women riding sidesaddle or pillion, that ...
near the place. An estated house, Stepney Lodge was built in around the end of the 18th century, by 1817 housing had been built along Stepney Lane. By the 1850s Stepney included houses along the south side of Stepney Lane; the Bull Inn and Rose Tavern at the junction of Stepney Lane and the Beverley Road; a paper mill, ''Stepney Mills''; as well as houses "Stepney House" north along Beverley Road, and Stepney Lodge north of Stepney Lane. ''Zion Chapel'' (or Stepney chapel) was built in 1849 in a simple
classical style Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the works of the Roman architect V ...
with a
stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...
ed front for the New Connexion Methodists, James Rank (father of
Joseph Rank Joseph Rank (28 March 1854 – 13 November 1943) was the founder of Joseph Rank Limited, once one of Britain's largest Flour milling and bakery companies. He built his company into a leader in all aspects of the industry including the operatio ...
) had a mill in Stepney in the mid 1800s. The mills were initially wind powered. In the 1850s and 60s the area was still extensively agricultural, there were vineries at Stepney Lodge, and a large plant nursery was cultivating exotic and other greenhouse plants. From the 1850s onwards the area around and in Stepney developed substantially: the Victoria Dock Branch Line opened in 1853, on a circular route around Hull, passing through Stepney east-west approximately south of Stepney Lane. A station, west of the Hull to Beverley road, Stepney station, designed by
William Botterill William Botterill and Son was a prominent Kingston upon Hull architectural practice. The practice was founded by William Botterill (1820–1903), who worked with his son William Henry Botterill (1851–79), and after 1881 with John Bilson (1858 ...
opened at the same time;
Pearson Park Pearson Park, originally known as the People's Park is a park in the west of Kingston upon Hull, England. It is situated about north-west of the city centre of Hull with its main entrance on Beverley Road and its western boundary adjoining P ...
opened 1862; and in 1869 the 1849 Methodist chapel was replaced by a larger red and white brick gothic building to the design of W. Hill of Leeds, demolished . Some substantial buildings were built along Beverley Road and on the road leading to Pearson Park in the 1860s and 70s, including ''Dorchester House''. By the 1890s the northern urban spread encompassed Stepney, and had gone further north to St John's Wood; the
Hull and Barnsley Railway Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in a ...
(1885) now passed on the east side along the Barmston Drain; most of the area was now built up with the exception of the grounds of Stepney Lodge north of Stepney Lane, and allotments to the south; there was a small goods yard at Stepney station, and sidings associated with Sculcoates Goods station to the east.Also known as ''Temple Street goods yard''. In the mid-20th century the site included a goods shed. (OS. 1:2500, 1928, 1950–1, 1960) Housing on streets off the main road was generally of a more modest scale than the large houses on the main road.Ordnance Survey. 1888–1890. Sheet 226.SW In 1886/7 the Hull School board (formed 1872) opened, at a cost of £11,470, a new school in Stepney to a Queen Anne revival design by
William Botterill William Botterill and Son was a prominent Kingston upon Hull architectural practice. The practice was founded by William Botterill (1820–1903), who worked with his son William Henry Botterill (1851–79), and after 1881 with John Bilson (1858 ...
, built by J. Skinner of Hull. The building had a two main story block with attics and an octagonal bell turret/lantern providing ventilation, with boys accommodated on the ground floor and girls on the first; infants were housed in a separate department. The new school provided places for 889 children, and replaced some earlier schools. In 1908 the school was extended with a separate block for infants. The Hull Street Tramways opened a horse operated tram route on Beverley Road in 1875. In the 1890s the company was acquired by the
Hull Corporation (Kingston upon) Hull City Council is the governing body for the unitary authority and city of Kingston upon Hull. It was created in 1972 as the successor to the Corporation of (Kingston upon) Hull, which was also known as Hull Corporation and fou ...
and the decision made to electrify the route. A depot was opened south of Stepney Lane in 1898.The site was also known as ''Corporation Yard'' in the mid-20th century. Parts of the site were rail connected from the Victoria Dock Branch Line after the tram connections were removed. (OS 1:2500 1910, 1928, 1950–1, 1960) South of the railway line on Beverley Road the ''Northern Library'' opened in 1895 in a
gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
brick design. A branch of the Hull Savings Bank opened in 1901 across the Beverley Road from the railway station. The 'Bull Inn' was rebuilt to a design by Freeman, Son & Gaskell, the Rose Tavern was also rebuilt at around the same time. Beverley Road Baths opened in 1905 adjacent north of the 1886 Stepney school in an
Edwardian Baroque Edwardian architecture is a Neo-Baroque architectural style that was popular in the British Empire during the Edwardian era (1901–1910). Architecture up to the year 1914 may also be included in this style. Description Edwardian architecture is ...
design with a copper dome octagonal
cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, from ...
, and an
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
tiled entrance hall within. The baths underwent a £3.75 million refurbishment from June 2020 until reopening in August 2021. The baths are a Grade II
Listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
. The land of Stepney lodge was built over from the 1890s to the 1920s. At around the beginning of the 20th century a bottling factory was built on the north side of Park Lane (demolished in the late 20th century), over the site of James Rank's mill. The coal sidings and timber yard south of Stepney station became a saw mill by 1910, and by the 1920s had become a billiard hall and cinema, ''The Coliseum'' (opened 1912); whilst a saw mill, later a furniture factory developed further west, south of the Victoria Dock Branch Line. Stepney station closed in 1964, and in 1969 the Victoria Dock Branch Line closed. The track bed at Stepney was later converted to a foot and cycle path. The former "Coliseum" cinema (later the ''Rialto''; and after the Second World War ''The National'') closed in 1961 and became a
bowling alley A bowling alley (also known as a bowling center, bowling lounge, bowling arena, or historically bowling club) is a facility where the sport of bowling is played. It can be a dedicated facility or part of another, such as a Meetinghouse, clubhous ...
, but burnt down in 1974. (See also
Closed cinemas in Kingston upon Hull In 1898 William Morton's Theatre Royal showed a ' Veriscope' film, probably the first time any film was shown in a Hull theatre. The Prince's Hall was the first purpose-built cinema in Kingston upon Hull, and was opened in George Street by Morto ...
.) By the 1980s the site including the former sawmill was empty, and was used for parking. In 1966 the paper manufacturers A. Mayfield and Sons of Stepney Mills ceased trading. In 1976
General Accident General Accident plc was a large insurance business based in Perth, Scotland, Perth, Scotland. It merged with Commercial Union in 1998 to form CGU plc. History The Norie-Miller years The Employers' liability act of 1880 opened a new area of i ...
built office buildings on Beverley Road south of the former station. The "Coliseum" cinema site was redeveloped as an
Aldi Aldi (stylised as ALDI) is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 10,000 stores in 20 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946, when t ...
supermarket in the 1990s. A small industrial estate ''Temple Street Industrial Estate'' was developed in the late 1980s / early 1990s.e.g. see Hull City Council planning applications: 90/01259/PO, 90/01292/PF, 89/01867/PF, 89/01880/PF, 86/01033/PF A housing development for Chinese people was built on Park Lane opposite the Bull Inn . The former "Temple Street goods yard" and "corporation yard" site was developed as playing fields with a sports hall in the early 2000s (used by
Endeavour High School Endeavour Learning and Skills Centre is a centre operated by Hull Training & Adult Education (formerly HCC Training) offering adult education and further education. History Endeavour High School Endeavour High School was created in 2001 from a ...
). A combined medical centre and supermarket with car park and takeaway restaurant was developed on the site of the former "General Accident" building in 2002.


In popular culture

Poet
Douglas Dunn Douglas Eaglesham Dunn, OBE (born 23 October 1942) is a Scottish poet, academic, and critic. He is Professor of English and Director of St Andrew's Scottish Studies Institute at St Andrew's University. Background Dunn was born in Inchinnan, Re ...
's 1967 ''Terry Street'' takes its name from the street in Stepney where he lived in the late 1960s.


See also

*
List of areas in Kingston upon Hull This is a list of areas in Kingston upon Hull, England. {{TOC right Within Hull unitary authority East Hull * Bilton Grange Estate * Bransholme * Drypool ** Garrison Side ** The Groves, Kingston upon Hull, The Groves * The Garden Village, Kings ...


Notes


References


Sources

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External links

{{Kingston upon Hull, state=collapsed Geographic histories of Kingston upon Hull Wards and districts of Kingston upon Hull