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Audio Description
We will now take a tour clockwise around the 7th floor, but feel free to browse the sights of the city at your leisure – throughout this floor you will find markers on the walls above the windows, pointing out some of the city’s landmarks.
We will start the tour from the eastern windows – that's the left hand side as you walk out of the lifts. In the immediate distance, you can see the Eastern part of campus. Amongst the campus buildings, you will be able to see the Allam Sport Centre, The Courtyard accommodation, the Student Union building and many more. If you would like a Campus Map to explore the campus in your own time, speak to a member of staff at the Welcome Desk on your way out of the library.
Several of our university buildings are named after historical local figures – for example, the Larkin building is named after the poet and novelist Philip Larkin, who was librarian here for over 30 years. The Librarian’s Office on the First Floor still features the original parquet floor, fireplace and Larkin’s desk. Elsewhere on campus, we also have the Venn building, named after the mathematician and philosopher John Venn – if you’re wondering, yes, he did introduce the Venn diagram!
Looking out to the distance, on a clear day you’ll be able to see out to the coast and the Port of Hull. Seabourn trade here can be traced back to before the 13th century, and the maritime economy has been an important part of the city ever since. In present times, the port is mostly used for commercial shipping, but you can also catch a passenger ferry across to the Netherlands on a mini-cruise. If you’d like to find out more about the history of the port, you can visit the Hull History Centre.
Take a look out through the eastern corner, and you will be able to see The Avenues and the City Centre. Historically, The Avenues were an area of high status Victorian housing, and if you take a walk through this area today, you will find many green plaques to mark where famous residents of Hull lived, including Philip Larkin and Amy Johnson. On Newland Avenue and Princes Avenue, you can also find lots of independent cafes and small businesses, as well as bars and restaurants.
Within the City Centre you can find loads of things to do – there are plenty of shops and restaurants, several music venues as well as an abundance of free museums. To get to the City Centre from the university, you can catch a quick bus at the front of campus which will take you into the heart of the city. From where you’re standing, you can see the domed green roof of the Maritime Museum, which is nearby to Hull City Hall and Ferens Art Gallery. The wavy glass roof you can see is the top of St Stephens, one of the main shopping areas in the city. Look closely and you may be able to see the Wilberforce Monument – a statue honoring the abolitionist William Wilberforce, who was born in Hull.
Looking to the west of the City Centre, you will see a large rectangular blue building – this is the Hull Royal Infirmary.
To the right of the infirmary, you’ll see a crown-like roof to the MKM Stadium. This is home to two of the city’s main sporting teams: Hull City and Hull FC. The stadium has a capacity of over 25,000, and hosts a mixture of sporting and musical events throughout the year.
Now, walk along to the southwest corner, where you will be able to see the Humber Bridge. Completed over 40 years ago, the bridge can be seen for miles around, even on a cloudy day! Across the bridge you can find Barton Upon Humber and Lincoln, which you can visit by car or bus for a day out.
Closer to campus, you will be able to see the Hull Business School, as well as more of our accommodation at Westfield Court. Next to the library, you’ll also find the award-winning Allam Medical Building. This is the home of the Faculty of Health Sciences, and boasts a simulated operating theatre, hospital ward and intensive care unit.
Now, turn to face the west windows. On a clear day, you will be able to see out towards the Yorkshire Wolds, Cottingham and Beverley. In Beverley you can find lots of independent shops and pubs, as well as Beverley Minster, part of which inspired the design of Westminster Abbey in London. You can visit Beverley by car, bus or train from Hull, and it’s the perfect day out whatever you’re looking for.
You’ve now reached the end of this audio tour, thank you for listening, we hope you have enjoyed it. If you have any questions, you can speak to a member of staff or contact us via library live chat on our webpage, or via social media.