Hull, Yorkshire, England

Hull is properly Kingston upon Hull since the King at the time (Edward the First, in the year 1299) bought the land for a useful seaport to help in his wars against the Scots. It's still a seaport with daily ferry connections to Europort and Zeebrugge, and quite a lot of container and bulk cargo. We used to be the biggest whaling port in the world in the first part of the 19th century, but we've grown up now. We also used to be the biggest fishing port in the world, but disagreement with Iceland and agreements with the European Community put a stop to all that. We have about a quarter million people in Hull and quite a few more in the suburbs.

We used to have a very famous folk club (Folk Union One at the Blubell), started originally by the Watersons and no doubt known to many 'catters. But that closed through lack of interest. Still, there are a couple of good clubs nearby, Nellie's in Beverley and Cottingham Folk Club. There are a few reasonable sessions and open mikes. Friday night in Hull to many of us means the Kingston, in Cumberland Street for a good general session of songs, tunes, poems and jokes.

Every year we have the Hull Shanty Festival - the UK's premier shanty festival.