Friday 14 November 2008

Queens Gardens

We added Queens Gardens in Hull in a bit of a hurry. The outline was about right, but most of the detail was missing, so today we had a wander around the garden (which is really a little park) and the fountain next to it.

At the east end are the various parts of what is now Hull college. It used to be the Art college, the college of architecture the college of commerce and the college of technology. All of this has been merged into Hull college and new buildings are being added. I want to map these more accurately over the winter.

Much of the city centre is at or below sea level. The river Hull has a tidal barrier on it to prevent the very highest tides flooding the city as happened in the past. Some of the ground in the city is wet fairly close to the surface so foundations need to be deep and strong.

The statue pictured is one of the city's famous sons, William Wilberforce, the driving force behind the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. It was moved to its present home from a nearby spot being redeveloped. The soggy ground was not stable enough and the monument started to settle and lean and had to be hastily supported until the foundations were reinforced with a concrete raft.

The paths and ponds in Queens Gardens are now on the map. The garden is somewhat sunken in what was once Queens Dock. The dock was filled in but settled unevenly and has been progressively filled and levelled. It is a popular spot with the students from the college. There are various docks and dry docks around this part of the city. Princes Quay shopping centre is built over one (Princes dock) , and this is another little project.

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