Hidden away in the back streets of Hull's industrial estate is a pub with a growing local following.
In an era where it seems that being in the pub game is a constant struggle, with CAMRA suggesting that 29 watering holes close a week, a pub that seemingly is in the middle of nowhere that continues to open its doors is borderline miraculous.
I spent an hour in The Ship Inn on Hodgson Street.
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Quite frankly, The Ship Inn was a pub I was unaware of until my aunty mentioned it to me. She knew that I liked going to Whalebone before its sudden closure last year, and suggested that I check out The Ship.
The outside has undergone a recent lick of paint, looking pristine against its industrial surroundings. The way I'd describe the inside was as if someone had picked up traits from how a pub should be - plenty of benches, tables, games.
I was greeted by a four-legged local called Hugo, and the sausage dog's owners greeted me as if I was a regular - even though it was my first time stepping foot in the place. Though there were only a handful of locals in, everybody was conversing on a first-name basis. Though it could've been a cliquey clientele, they included me in all their conversations.
The Ship had four taps of beers that were constantly updated, with taps for Bluemoon, Battleaxe and John Smiths. The staff could see me assessing what was on tap and offered a taster of them. I settled on the Hard Yakka - a coffee-flavoured stout to sup.
The Ship has been open on and off for around 200 years. Every time a new ship was launched, the whole of Hodgson Street used to flood. The ship theme runs more than just its namesake, with paintings of vessels in the main bar area - and one of the Ross Cleveland caught my eye upon having a wander.
As I was directed to the toilet, it also led into the garden, which was decorated with hanging baskets of flowers of all different colours - it was actually a bit of a well-disguised sun trap - with a huge crane adding a different backdrop to one usually seen outside a pub.
People were coming and going throughout my stay, and yet everybody knew each other. It's something I don't think I've ever seen in a pub, but when it's a pub this out of the way the sense of community is vital in keeping the doors open. It was quite a sight, and everybody was talking to one another across different parties.
One man even came in with a pub quiz sheet from a different pub the previous night, and we all had a go at a few of the questions. Although it wasn't a packed-out pub, everybody was tight-knit, but still welcoming to newbies such as myself. A great little pub.
