Heading towards Hull city centre along the A63, one of the first intriguing buildings that people will see is a rather lonely-looking but very distinctive pub that has always interested me.
The Alexandra Hotel with its brownish-golden tint makes it stand out from its otherwise normal surroundings - but the building has enough history to fill an entire book.
Despite being on the other side of the Rawling Way roundabout, the grand pub is still a huge part of the fishing community of Hessle Road, and holds a relatively spooky past. Hull Live decided to spend an hour in the pub to see what it's like today.
Read more:
- I spent an hour at the Station Inn, Beverley Road, and enjoyed a crackling fire and an equally warm welcome
- Hessle Road in its glory days - amazing snaps from the 1960s
Walking by those iconic tiles, strolling into somewhere I've driven by hundreds of times was itself a weird feeling. The Victorian building is actually Grade-II listed, and it seems many of the features have been untouched. One of the main things that I only noticed up close were the huge Stars of David.
Hessle Road once had the biggest Jewish community in the city, with the Jewish cemetery still standing behind the pub. I had a walk past because it's something I'd never heard of, but tombstones are still standing in the locked away graveyard.
The ground was taken on over 200 years ago by Henry Levy, Samuel Levy, Lyon Levy, and George Alexander on a seven-year lease for £4 a year. in 1819, a freehold under the names of Alexander, John Symons, Bethel Jacobs, Ephraim Jacobs - and Barnard Barnard, who was the first person laid to rest in this ground.
Upon walking into the pub I genuinely had no idea what to expect. Does this place get plenty of regulars? Do people come in just for a taste of history? It seems that the answer was both. I came in an hour or so after opening on Friday and there were already a lot of people in.
Some of them were talking about the history of the place, with the name Dunbar being heard a few times. Tony Dunbar was the former landlord of the place for 31 years who passed away in 2018. When people speak in such high regard for someone who ran a pub, it gives a true understanding and appreciation of the tight-knit community of the area.
Apparently, this place had quite the tradition of having strippers play on a Friday afternoon some of the punters were saying. Thinking they were on the wind-up, when I went home to tell my parents where I'd been they even asked: "They still got the girls on in there on a Friday and Sunday?"
Doing some further reading on the place, it turns out that there once was a rather foul-mouthed resident African grey parrot called Sparky who once told Archbishop Sentamu to "eff off"!
The huge windows let in a tonne of natural light to see my surroundings - the great ceiling, the historic bar, lots of vintage motocross memorabilia and a blackboard showing what was available on the seven different taps. The pub features in the Good Beer Guide and changes its line-up weekly. I had a pint of Selby Stout from Jolly Sailor Brewery, which was lovely to sit down with while taking in the history of the place. I imagined how many people went straight from the docks to the pubc after a stretch at sea - with some of the custom still coming in from the Albert Dock I overheard.
Although it seemed that the bar room was small, when I had a walk across it opened up massively - with more features. A grand piano, a period fireplace and more memorabilia making it look like the perfect little corner for the live music that the place organises from time to time.
Throughout my hour, the place was filling up at a solid rate and thriving - something that put a smile on my face knowing that these sort of pubs absolutely brimming with personality are still loved. If only the walls could talk. If I'm in the area again, I'll definitely be popping back.
The Alexandra Hotel is open Thursday 7pm - 11pm, Friday 3pm - 11pm, Saturday 2pm - 11pm, and Sunday 3pm - 9pm.
