Hull Lit & Phil celebrates bicentenary with talk by former Home Secretary Alan Johnson
GUEST SPEAKER: Former Hull MP Alan Johnson
By Simon Bristow
An historic Hull society will celebrate its bicentenary with a special President’s dinner at the Guildhall tomorrow evening.
The Hull Literary and Philosophical Society, which was formed on November 6, 1822, is hosting the event in the company of local dignitaries, special guests and members, who will hear a talk by Alan Johnson, the former Home Secretary and Hull West and Hessle MP.
The society is also marking its milestone by holding a series of weekly Tuesday lectures at the Guildhall until February 28, which start at 7.30pm. The full programme is available on its website.
President Stephen Larard said: “To reach our bicentenary is a landmark very few societies have achieved. Looking back over two centuries our society has shown remarkable resilience by meeting the changing needs of society and its members.
“We will be celebrating the bicentenary with a special President’s dinner on 8th November in the Guildhall in the company of local dignitaries, special guests and members, featuring a talk by Alan Johnson, the former Hull West and Hessle MP and Home Secretary.”
The organisation was initiated at the Dog & Duck pub in High Street with the aim of promoting literature, science, and the arts. Its members were also concerned with the social problems of the area particularly education, housing, sanitation, and public health.
It was one of the many self-educational societies that were springing up all over the country to meet the needs of an emerging urban middle-class. It moved to the Royal Institution in Albion Street, which had been granted by Queen Victoria and opened by Prince Albert on October 14, 1854.
Records show it had a cast list of hundreds ranging from civic leaders to caretakers, ships captains to captains of industry, doctors, lawyers, clerics, teachers, musicians, and business owners.
Among its most notable events was a demonstration to the society of the new Bell telephone in 1877, the first public use of a telephone in the country. It caused such a sensation that 120 new members joined the society.
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Its educational campaigns, efforts to improve the health and welfare of citizens, and a major role in founding many of the city’s cultural institutions, were highlights of its activities up until the First World War.
It also had a turbulent past with “warring personalities” and financial crises, plus the loss of its home, the Royal Institution, in the blitz of 1943.
A season’s membership costs £50 per person. Guests can attend the talks with a minimum £5 donation at the door, although there is 50 per cent discount for students. Tickets for the President’s dinner cost £32.50.