Today I went for a wander down Hessle Road whilst my car was being serviced. I wanted to see the murals that are scattered about on the walls of shops and on street corners. I also wanted to revisit the area where my grandad Carrick would have spent his very precious time ashore when he wasn’t skippering trawlers.

Hessle Road has changed massively since it became the heart of Hull’s fishing industry. There are many empty and abandoned shops and pubs, which would have been the hub of this once close-knit community. Brexit has caused further decline along with fishing quotas and decommissioning schemes, as well as problems with labour.

I walked along the length of Hessle Road from one end near the Asda store, right along to the part that joins the A63 near Smith and Nephew. I saw the Halfway Hotel that has a large mural of a fisherman wearing his overalls.

Further along, on the opposite side of the road is the long-standing Maltby Stores, which was founded in 1904. It stocks pet foods and also miscellaneous garden supplies. It has some great murals on two sides proudly showing how the frontage has changed over the years.

Further down is a mural that was commissioned, along with the one at Halfway Hotel, to celebrate the lives of the people of Hessle Road. This was done as part of Hull’s City of Culture 2017 celebrations. This is displayed on a wall owned by Turbo Systems.

The next mural, on the side of Dixon’s Bakery, is a tribute to Yvonne Blenkinsop, who was one of the Headscarf Revolutionaries. She was the last surviving campaigner until her death aged 83. Although this was dedicated to Yvonne Blenkinsop, it also has images of Mary Denness, Christine Jensen and Lillian Bilocca. Lillian, Yvonne and these other women took on Parliament after three fishing trawlers were lost with all men in 1968, within three weeks of each other. The women successfully got the laws changed regarding safety on board trawlers. This mural has since been signed underneath by some of the ladies’ family members.

The mural also has an image of the Hull Bullnose Heritage Group, a registered Charity that archives the history of the trawlermen and their families. This is based at the Hull Fishing Heritage Centre which is a place that I called into, on the corner of Boulevard. The men there were really helpful when I asked about finding information about my grandad. There were plenty of Carricks surprisingly, but not my grandad’s name. I will have to dig out the copies of his seaman’s book and skipper certificates that are stored safely away, as a starting point, before I call back.

Further along from Dixon’s Bakery is another mural on the side of a hair and beauty salon called Fe’Male Ego. There are numerous fishing industry images alongside Rayner’s well known former landlady Flo Hemingway. Waistells is also mentioned, which was a popular outfitters for fisherman in its heyday and where Fe’Male Ego stands today.

Along Hessle Road, there are large metal plaques with the names of all men that have been lost at sea whilst fishing. I looked to see if I recognised any names. I found two with the name Albert Reeve on, so worth looking into, as there could be a connection.

Further towards the city end of the Road is another mural on the side of Fotoworx. This is another dedicated to the Triple Trawler Tragedy of 1968. The mural shows the patron saint of fishermen, St Andrew, however there have been complaints that the picture resembles Jesus.

On the opposite side of the road to this mural is the Hullywood sign painted on a wall, which looks like a very familiar sign seen in the hills of Los Angeles, California.

So I picked my car up and the last place I had to drive to, just over a mile away by road, was the mural of Lillian Bilocca. This is on the corner of Pease Street/Anlaby Road. This mural was commissioned by BBC’s One Show in March 2016 and was completed in five days despite bad weather. Lillian became a TV star in her day and an international celebrity. The Headscarf Revolutionaries have inspired others with their passion and gritty determination which has since changed the lives of the fisherman and families in this community for the better.

If you get chance, go and pay this part of Hull a visit. The fishing community is not what it was, but the memories live on in these amazing murals.