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HULL 's most famous adopted son, the poet and university librarian Philip Larkin, wrote "I wish I could think of just one nice thing to tell you about Hull, oh yes ? it's very nice and flat for cycling ". Harsh perhaps, but it does capture something of the character of a town that reaches few heights, physical or otherwise. The town - rarely known by its full title of Kingston-upon-Hull - undoubtedly suited the poet's curmudgeonly temperament, but he might have mentioned Hull's self-reliant and no-nonsense atmosphere, or that the old docks and restored town centre are surprisingly appealing. Hull's maritime pre-eminence dates back to 1299, when it was laid out as a seaport by Edward I. It quickly became England's leading harbour, and was still a vital garrison when the gates were closed against Charles I in 1642, the first serious act of rebellion of what was to become the English Civil War. The central Princes Dock sets the tone for Hull's modern refurbishment, the once abandoned waters now lined by landscaped brick promenades and overlooked by Princes Quay , a multi-tier, glass-spangled shopping centre, with the revamped marina beyond. The town's maritime legacy is exhaustively detailed in the excellent Maritime Museum (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 1.30-4.30pm; free), housed in the Neoclassical headquarters of the former Town Docks Offices, flanking the east side of Queen Victoria Square, north of Princes Quay. The main boost to the town's coffers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was whaling, and the museum tells the story well, displaying gruesome whaling equipment, such as a blubber pot cauldron, alongside model ships, old photographs, Inuit relics and a whale skeleton. Leave Queen Victoria Square on its east side by pedestrianized Whitefriargate and, after about 200 yards, turn right down Trinity House Lane for Holy Trinity (April-Sept Mon-Fri 11am-3pm, Sat 9.30am-noon; Oct-March Tues-Fri 11am-2pm, Sat 9.30am-noon; free), among the most pleasing parish churches in the country, notable for its brick transepts and chancel. Close by is one of Hull's most revered relics - the Old Grammar School , a red-brick edifice built in 1583 and which for 120 years doubled as the town's Merchant Adventurers' Hall. As a school, it numbered amongst its pupils William Wilberforce, instigator of the abolition of slavery in the British Empire, and seventeenth-century poet Andrew Marvell, also MP for Hull. (Hull-born Stevie Smith, incidentally, completes the town's poetic triumvirate.) Two blocks east you hit the High Street , whose crop of older buildings and narrow cobbled alleys have seen it designated an "Old Town Conservation Area". At its northern end stands Wilberforce House (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 1.30-4.30pm; free), the former home of William and containing some fascinating exhibits on slavery and its abolition. The train station is on the west side of town, on the main drag of Ferensway, with the bus station just to the north. The main tourist office is bang in the centre on Paragon Street at Queen Victoria Square (Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 11am-3pm; tel 01482/223559, ). They co-ordinate richly anecdotal guided tours around the old town (April-Oct, Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri & Sat at 2pm; GBP2.50). Amongst several B&Bs , a good choice is the Clyde House Hotel , 13 John St (tel 01482/214981; GBP40-50), or try the Arches , 38 Saner St (tel 01482/211558; under GBP40). The Comfort Inn , just south of the train station at 11 Anlaby Rd (tel 01482/323299; GBP40-50), and the Quality Hotel Royal , 170 Ferensway (tel 01482/325087; GBP50-60), right by the station, have reasonable rooms too. For food , Cerutti's (tel 01482/328501; closed Sat lunch & Sun) leads the way in local seafood; it's down at the end of the east side of the marina at 10 Nelson St. Studio 10 1/2 (closed Sun), opposite Holy Trinity church on King Street, serves snacks and tasty veggie specials. Next door, Fiddleheads , 10 King St (tel 01482/224749; open eve, plus Fri & Sat lunch), is a well-thought-of vegetarian and vegan restaurant. Of Hull's many pubs , the YeOlde White Harte , 25 Silver St, has a pleasant courtyard and a history going back to the seventeenth century. Ye Olde Black Boy , 150 High St, specializes in real ales - and offers cider and fruit wines too.
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