South Blockhouse, Hull: Plans for Henry VIII fortress attraction in Yorkshire take next step with artists hired

Hull-based artist Adele Howitt and Bettina Furnee have been commissioned to create artworks for the South Blockhouse ahead of works starting this summer. They will be tasked with creating works to tell the stories of the people who manned the fortress over three centuries and help visitors explore and learn about the site.

Hull City Council’s Regeneration Portfolio Holder Coun Paul Drake-Davis said the attraction would help write another chapter in Hull’s maritime history. The commissioning marks the latest step in the £1.25m project which is set to see parts of the fortress recreated in wire and mesh on the site near The Deep.

They are designed to show the scale of the original fortress, with mesh chosen over rebuilding parts of the fortress because they would damage the existing archaeological remains. National Highways and the council have funded the project, with Ms Howitt’s and Ms Furnee’s artworks costing £85,000 in total including production and installation, according to a council decision record.

Ms Howitt, whose previous work includes a ceramic trail around Hornsea, said she was interested in bringing people, their history and landscapes together through creativity.

She said: “As a designer and maker, I am interested in the local identity and how the specific environment combined with its history, is expressed, explored, and celebrated.”

Ms Furnee’s past projects include public art schemes in Bedfordshire and a project with residents in a new housing development in Milton Keynes.

The South Blockhouse once formed part of Hull Castle which was built between 1541-3 after Henry VIII visited the city. Hull at that time was a key maritime city in England and the fortress was part of efforts to bolster coastal defences in strategically important ports. A stone tower featured on the South Blockhouse which stood at the mouth of the River Hull, along with gun platforms for cannons.

The South Blockhouse was also in operation during the English Civil War when Hull was under siege from Charles I’s Royalist forces. It and the later 17th Century Hull Citadel were torn down in 1864 to make way for Hull’s expansion during the Industrial Revolution. A dig which took place at the site in summer 2022 uncovered the remains of walls, earthworks and even a cannon.

Regeneration Portfolio Holder Coun Drake-Davis said he looked forward to the storytelling experience the artists are set to create.

Coun Drake-Davis said: “The South Blockhouse project will help write another chapter in Hull’s wonderful, maritime history. The wire mesh structures intended to represent the original Blockhouse walls are one aspect that gives visitors an idea of its mass and scale.

“But equally important are the stories that will be told about the lives of people who used these buildings over the three centuries it stood guarding the east bank of the River Hull.”