Earl de Grey, Kingston upon Hull

The Earl de Grey before relocation

The Earl de Grey is a pub constructed in the early 19th century in the centre of Kingston upon Hull, England. The building is three storeys high with a slate roof. It had green faience (tiling) covering the front of the ground floor, which was added around 1913, decorated with Ionic pilasters. Cream-coloured fascia above the ground-floor windows featured "EARL DE GREY" signage.[1]

The first records of the pub appear in 1831, when it was originally named "Junction Dock Tavern"; it was renamed in the 1860s after the Earl de Grey at the time, George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon.[1] The Earl de Grey was popular with seafarers, being located close to the docks and in what was at the time Hull's red-light district.[2]

The faience of the ground floor was likely added around 1913, when the interior was renovated by the then owner, Bentley's Yorkshire Brewery.[1] The exterior of the building was given grade II listed status for its historic value in 1994. Since then, it has had extended periods of closure and disuse.[1]

According to a local legend, in the 1980s, the pub was home to two parrots, Cha Cha and Ringo. A burglar broke in, and fearing that the parrots would alert the pub's landlord, stabbed Cha Cha to death. Following the ordeal, Ringo never spoke again.[3] The two parrots are thought to be buried nearby.[2]

In 2018, property developer Wykeland announced that the Earl de Grey would be moved to make room for redevelopment of Castle Street.[4] The Earl de Grey's new location is about 100 feet (30 m) west of where it stood originally.[5] The front of the building was disassembled and placed into storage in 2020.[6] Reconstruction work began in January 2024[7] and is due to be completed in 2025, forming part of a restored Castle Street Chambers.[8]

  1. ^ a b c d Historic England. "Earl de Grey Public House (Grade II) (1297037)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b Angus Young (16 July 2020). "Notorious Hull pub 'could return' as punters asked to share their memories". Hull Daily Mail. Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  3. ^ James Campbell (28 November 2020). "Hull's most bizarre urban myths - and the truth behind them". Hull Daily Mail. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  4. ^ Alex Grove (15 March 2018). "Iconic Earl De Grey pub to be demolished and moved as part of A63 Castle Street upgrade". Hull Daily Mail. Archived from the original on 8 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Earl de Grey, Hull: Deconstruction of historic pub starts". BBC News. 19 October 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  6. ^ "£2m restoration project to revive Hull's Castle Street Chambers building begins". Hull What's On. 24 January 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Work starts on restoring landmark dockside pub". BBC News. 24 January 2024. Archived from the original on 8 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Restoration of Hull landmark begins to breathe new life into key site". Construction Industry News. 24 January 2024. Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.