Save the jokes, this is a serious geological article by our geology, biology and paleontology correspondent Angus Young about the prehistoric artefacts to be found littering the centre of Hull.
Spare a thought for poor old fossils. First they die, then they hang around embedded in rock for millions of years not bothering anyone in particular and suddenly through no fault of their own they’re turned into fuel which could well end up destroying the planet. Before the climate change apocalypse happens, there’s probably just enough time to see some of the little blighters in their natural state the next time you pop into town.
I’m not talking about casting an eye over the geology section at the Hull and East Museum or taking a trip to Dinostar on Humber Street, although both are worth a visit. Instead, try spotting them hiding in plain sight dotted about the place on decorative stone used to clad numerous buildings you normally pass by without giving a second glance.
Before setting off, it’s probably best to heed the advice of Hull Geological Society members Ron Harrison and Mike Horne who published their own fossil-spotting guide back in 1991. “To attack shop fronts with a bottle of acid and a 2lb geological hammer in the name of science may be regarded as a little anti-social by the police!” The pair suggest taking a magnifying glass instead and warn that curious stares are to be expected from people in the street wondering why you’re examining a wall in microscopic detail.
While many of the shops and businesses have changed since they came up with a suggested two-hour stroll around the city centre, the various stones, fossils, crystals and unusual minerals they identify are still present and correct. The exception is the crystal-filled Larvikite granite used to clad the Burton building in Whitefriargate which was removed as part of the current restoration of the 1930s Art deco landmark. Happily, new Larvikite – known as ’Blue Pearl’ – is being installed after being sourced from the same quarry in Norway where the original was taken nearly a century ago..
Other exotic stones used to decorate buildings in the city centre include red granite from Finland on the Punch Hotel in Queen Victoria Square, Italian marble on Calla cafe bar in Whitefriargate and Italian travertine on McDonald’s in Jameson Street.
As for the fossils, they come in all shapes and tiny sizes. There’s a 350 million-year-old Horsetail in the sandstone steps of the Ferens Art Gallery. Back in the day, the plant formed the forests that dinosaurs lived in. The galley’s predominant Portland stone is also peppered with fossils from the Jurassic period.
Across Queen Victoria Square, the City Hall’s limestone pillars feature Burrow fossils, which are the remains of holes or tunnels once dug into the ground or seabed by animals looking for a place to live. The limestone statues on either side of the hall’s main entrance contain the shells of Bivalves, an aquatic mollusc which first appeared more than 500 years ago.
Probably the most striking display of fossils can be seen in the marble facade of Williamsons solicitors in Lowgate. While most of the marble has unfortunately been covered by advertising signs for the company, you can still see fossilised corals, Crinoids (distant relatives of starfish) and extinct sea sponges called Stromatoporoids within the green and grey-coloured stone.
If you fancy a tougher challenge, try finding a bullet-shaped squid-like Belemnite in one of the bricks of the former Job Centre in Market Place.
Finally, there are fossils galore inside and outside Hull Minster captured forever in a series of commemorative burial ledgers laid on the floor and made from Carboniferous Tournai marble originally sourced from Belgium.
Angus Young