Hull prepares Queens Gardens overhaul
The gardens have now closed ahead of a 14-month phase of redevelopment as the council looks to pave the way to host major events there.
From Thursday 1 June, the main work to improve the paving around the Rose Bowl and Guildhall Road will get under way, said Hull City Council.
The paving will be natural granite stone, with the paths along Guildhall Road also being widened.
Other improvements include accessibility interventions and the replacement of boundary walls around the Rose Bowl, as well as a new substation infrastructure to enable more flexible and large-scale events to take place.
Phase one is expected to take 14 months. Contractor CR Reynolds is now preparing the site ahead of the June start.
Improved ramps and steps will be installed to enable better public access and much needed structural repairs to the failing boundary walls will be undertaken.
Art installations from Katayoun Dowlatshahi and Heinrich & Palmer will be introduced, including integrated artworks on new amphitheatre-style seating, as well as maritime-inspired installations along the boundary of the gardens.
New railings and waymarking bollards using 3D scans of artefacts from the Maritime Museum collection will also be added.
Later this year, poplar trees nearing the latter stages of their anticipated lifespan will be removed and replaced with semi-mature Metasequoia trees – the council said this would replicate the formal avenue evident within the original Frederick Gibberd design. The poplars will be re-planted elsewhere in the city.
Cllr Mike Ross, leader of Hull City Council, said: “Queens Gardens is an important and cherished open green space. These improvements will futureproof the space for us all to enjoy and learn about its history for years to come.
“It’s great to see work get underway and I am looking forward to seeing it progress.”
The gardens are set out over 9.75 acres, on land that was formerly taken up by the Queen’s Dock.
Their refurbishment is an integral part of the Hull Maritime project, as it will link the Hull Maritime Museum to the North End Shipyard, set to be home to the restored Arctic Corsair, and undergoing its own transformation into a visitor attraction.
The council is the major funder and delivery team behind Hull Maritime, using “significant” funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Along with the projects above, Hull Maritime interventions include the Dock Office Chambers and a further ship project, the Spurn Lightship.
