High Street, Lanes and River Hull

This area comprises the length of High Street where the earliest development in the city is believed to have occurred. The street has a strong sense of enclosure created by narrow roadway and footpaths fronted almost continuously by buildings of predominantly 3 & 4 storeys. This is particularly notable between Scale Lane and Chapel Lane where High Street retains its intimate character with former houses and warehouses on long thin plots continuously fronting the street.

South of Scale Lane the western side of High Street was cleared following WWII bomb damage. The eastern side retains few original warehouses but there is an almost continuous series of narrow building frontages, a characteristic that should be retained in redevelopment.

North of Chapel Lane High Street follows a curved alignment and the built frontage is no longer continuous and the character less homogeneous, with buildings ranging from the 17th to the late 20th Century.

North of Alfred Gelder Street High Street extends into Dock Office Row. Here it continues to follow a curved alignment, with some surviving Georgian houses fronting the street. The three Dry Docks to the north remained in use until the late C20 and are key features in this area.

The cross streets between High Street and Market Place/Lowgate are also well preserved narrow streets enclosed by a continuous frontage of domestic scale, mainly Georgian buildings. Behind the frontages lie a complex pattern of plot subdivision with alleys accessing internal courtyards and buildings.

Most cross streets extend to the river along the line of former staithes, affording characteristic views of the river between narrow warehouses. The river frontage itself is a well-preserved line of tall brick warehouses between Chapel Street and Scale Lane, fronted by a walkway with limited public access.

Another notable characteristic of the area is the varied roofscape, resulting from the piecemeal nature of development and redevelopment and from the varied storey heights and roof designs.

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