Have your say on plans for historic South Blockhouse visitor attraction

FUTURE LOOK?: A drawing of the proposed entrance to the South Blockhouse site. Image by Hull City Council / The Manser Practice

By Simon Bristow

Residents can share their views on developing the South Blockhouse visitor attraction at two events next month.

Taking place at Trinity Market, between 10.30am and 4pm on Friday, February 10, and Saturday, February 11, plans will be on display for residents and visitors to learn more about the site as well as providing their feedback on the proposals to create a new heritage visitor space that conserves and protects the South Blockhouse site for the future.

The plans were made publicly available for the first time at an event on Humber Street in December.

The proposals will see the site completely transformed, with hard and soft landscaping framing the footprint of the South Blockhouse and majestic, ghostly structures rising from the ground to give a sense of the structure and scale of the original building. 

This follows an 11-week archaeological dig between June and September 2022, which saw 120 volunteers working alongside Hull archaeologists to reveal almost 60 per cent of the monument. As well as allowing hundreds of visitors a rare glimpse of the magnificent structures hidden beneath the ground, the results from these explorations will help bring the history of the site back to life.

Councillor Paul Drake-Davis, Hull City Council portfolio holder for regeneration, said: “I’m keen for residents to get involved and be part of the future of this historic site.

“The council will listen to the feedback from residents and incorporate them into the plans that will tell the story and celebrate the site for us all to learn more about the local and national importance of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.”

A planning application for the proposals will be submitted at the end of February. Work is expected to get underway in the autumn.

Located on the east bank of the River Hull, the South Blockhouse is a Scheduled Ancient Monument of both national and local importance, with a rare cloverleaf design. Its construction was ordered by Henry VIII in 1541 to support military campaigns and to protect Hull as a vital port from internal and external threats, working as one element in a larger scheme of then state-of-the art defences on the east side of the river.

The project is linked to Hull Maritime, a locally-led project funded by Hull City Council and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, a key cultural regeneration scheme in the heart of the city centre that will protect and celebrate 800 years of Hull’s maritime heritage.

The South Blockhouse Project has been made possible by feasibility funding from National Highways, who have Government funding to deliver benefits to communities above and beyond maintaining and operating England’s strategic road network. The project, worth around £1.25m in total, is being put forward for a further £1m in funding for the design and delivery.