Places · Yorkshire · Hull
Façade & building consultants in Hull.
A great North Sea port on the Humber, Hull has a medieval Old Town, grand docks buildings and post-war landmarks, and is now building new homes on its riverside. McKay Turner Consulting provides façade condition surveys, defect and water ingress investigations, external wall fire risk appraisals, design reviews and expert witness work across Hull.
HULL 53.74° N, 0.33° W
A short history
A king's town on the Humber
Hull was founded as a royal port and grew rich on trade, whaling and fishing. Heavily bombed in the Second World War, it has been rebuilding its centre ever since.
- 1299
Royal charter
Edward I buys the town and names it Kingston upon Hull.
- 1642
Civil War
The town refuses Charles I entry, one of the first acts of the Civil War.
- 1778
First dock
Hull's first enclosed dock opens, later Queen's Gardens.
- 1941
The Blitz
Hull is one of the most heavily bombed British cities.
- 1981
Humber Bridge
The bridge opens, then the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world.
- 2002
The Deep
Terry Farrell's aquarium opens on the point where the rivers meet.
- 2017
City of Culture
Hull is the UK City of Culture, and many buildings are restored.
- 2026
East Bank & Albion Square
Plans go in for new riverside homes, and a partner is chosen for Albion Square.
Architecture
What makes Hull's buildings distinctive
Hull is a brick city, from the medieval Hull Minster to Victorian warehouses. Stone civic buildings, post-war mosaics and new riverside buildings complete the picture.
Key styles
Medieval
Hull Minster and the Old Town's narrow streets, in early English brick.
Merchant town
Brick merchant houses, warehouses and staithes along the River Hull.
Victorian & Edwardian civic
Stone civic buildings such as the Guildhall and the former Dock Offices.
Post-war rebuild
Shops and offices with mosaics, such as the Three Ships mural.
Housing
Council estates and tower blocks across the city.
Contemporary
The Deep, the Fruit Market and new riverside homes.
Hull's material palette
Did you know?
Hull Minster is one of the earliest large buildings in England built mainly of brick.
The Grade II listed Three Ships mosaic on the former Co-op building is being protected during demolition works.
Hull kept its own telephone company, so its phone boxes are cream, not red.
Typical building types
What Hull is built of today
Hull's compact centre is surrounded by Victorian terraces, post-war estates and the docks, with new homes planned on the riverside.
Old Town buildings
Listed merchant houses, warehouses and offices.
Where: High Street, Old Town
Victorian terraces
Brick terraces and shops.
Where: Avenues, Newland, Hessle Road
Post-war housing
Council estates and tower blocks.
Where: Orchard Park, Bransholme, city centre
Port & industrial
Dock, port and factory buildings.
Where: Alexandra Dock, Saltend
Offices
Victorian and post-war offices.
Where: City centre
Student accommodation
Blocks for the University of Hull.
Where: Cottingham Road, city centre
Retail & leisure
Shopping centres and venues.
Where: St Stephen's, Princes Quay
Heritage
Medieval, Georgian and Victorian listed buildings.
Where: Hull Minster, Guildhall, Maritime Museum
Current construction trends
Where Hull is building now
New riverside neighbourhoods and the rebuilding of a vacant city-centre block are leading Hull's regeneration.
East Bank Urban Village
The English Cities Fund has applied for the first 115 affordable homes of a riverside neighbourhood.
Albion Square
Capital&Centric is the development partner for the vacant city-centre site.
Former BHS building
Demolition approved, with a steel frame to protect the Three Ships mural.
Flood resilience
New buildings in low-lying Hull must be designed for flood risk from the Humber.
Cladding Safety Scheme
Government funding for unsafe cladding on residential buildings over 11m in England. Every application starts with a PAS 9980 fire risk appraisal of the external walls.
Higher-risk buildings
Residential buildings of 18m or seven storeys and above, with at least two homes, must be registered with the Building Safety Regulator and have a safety case that covers their external walls.
How we help in Hull
Every era of building has its own risks
We match our inspections and advice to the age and construction of your building.
Medieval and Georgianto c.1840
Weathered brick, failed pointing, damp and decayed timber.
Victorian and Edwardianc.1840–1914
Eroded stone and brick, failed roofs and water getting in.
Post-war buildingsc.1950–1980
Spalling concrete, loose mosaics and tiles, and failed joints.
Apartments and student blocksc.2000–today
Combustible cladding or insulation, missing cavity barriers and leaking junctions.
New buildtoday
Design gaps, flood resilience and exposure to wind-driven rain.
North Point, Leeds: measuring a building to Approved Document B to settle whether it was over the 18-metre threshold and its Building Safety Act status.
Read the North Point case study →FAQs
Façade services in Hull
Do you work in Hull?
Yes. We work across the UK from our base in the North West, including in Hull. A Director-level consultant leads every instruction from the first conversation to the final report.
Can you assess the external walls of residential buildings in Hull?
Yes. Our intrusive investigations confirm how the cladding, insulation and cavity barriers are actually built. We then assess the fire risk using PAS 9980, which is also the starting point for Cladding Safety Scheme applications.
Can you survey older buildings in the Old Town?
Yes. We carry out close-up condition surveys of brick, stone and timber, find the causes of damp and decay, and set out repairs that suit listed buildings.
Which other services do you offer in Hull?
Façade condition surveys, defect and leak investigations, thermographic surveys, technical due diligence, façade design reviews and expert witness work in façade disputes.
Work with us
Own or manage a building in Hull?
We provide façade condition surveys, defect and water ingress investigations, external wall fire risk appraisals, design reviews and expert witness work in Hull and across East Yorkshire.
Photographs: 43 Clicks North and Robert Stirling on Unsplash.