An infamous seafarers’ pub that is in the process of rising from the rubble of a demolition site will be celebrated in song along with other elements of Hull’s nautical heritage at an evening of maritime folk music.
Songs from the Earl de Grey folk opera will be included in a performance by the London Sea Shanty Collective (LSSC), who have strong links with Hull and will be joining forces with local musicians Wolfy O’Hare and Sam Martyn at Nordic House on Saturday, May 3.
Wolfy is a trained classical singer and a professional medieval music specialist with a keen interest in folk music. Sam is an experienced musician and singer with an extensive and varied performance history.
Wolfy said: “We will be performing some of our original content as well and the result will be a meld of maritime music to celebrate the city’s heritage.”
Chris Wilson, who comes from Hull and is a member of the LSSC, said: “I’m from a fishing family myself. We love Hull, its people and culture, and we always have the best time when we visit. We played as part of the UK City of Culture programme in 2017 and since then we have been coming back as often as we can.”
The Earl de Grey, which dates back to the 1840s, stood on Castle Street and gained widespread notoriety as a popular haunt for seafarers and sailors from around the world who docked in the city and availed themselves of all sorts of often illicit local services.
In 2020, the Grade II-listed pub’s historic frontage was painstakingly removed brick by brick before being placed into storage, prior to the start of the ongoing A63 improvement scheme to relieve congestion on the main route through Hull.
Plans are progressing to renovate the adjacent Castle Street Chambers, before the frontage of the Earl de Grey is brought back to the site and reassembled, facing the Connexin Live arena.
Chris said: “We’re looking forward to seeing the Earl de Grey in its new position and we’ll be remembering it as part of our performance.”
The Hessle Road fishing community in the early 1950s is the inspiration for the story of Rita Scarr, her husband Jack and how their precarious lives become intertwined with Ezra, who works at the Earl de Grey.
The music and lyrics are the work of Chris and his colleagues in the LSSC, and Rosie and John Butler of the Hull Folk Collective.
The LSSC comprises about 40 singers and around 15 will travel to make their first appearance at Nordic House, which presents cultural and social events at the Danish Church at the corner of Ferensway and Osborne Street.
The performance will raise money for Nordic House and for the Sailors’ Children’s Society, which is 204 years old this year and works to support disadvantaged children from the Royal Navy, merchant navy, offshore wind industry, fishing fleets and inland waterways.
Wolfy added: “As far as we are aware this will be the first folk music event in this iconic building and it will certainly be the first visit for many people. Nordic House is steeped in maritime tradition and the perfect setting for music that celebrates the sea and all who work on it. The LSSC have a strong connection to Hull and we are very much looking forward to collaborating with them in concert.
“You cannot escape the sea in Hull – centuries upon centuries of sailing have permeated the stones of the city and, by some magic, music releases it into the air again, creating new communities bound by the spell of the oceans and its songs.”
The maritime music evening will take place at 7.30pm on Saturday, May 3. Tickets are £10 each with all proceeds going to Nordic House and the Sailors’ Children’s Society. To book, visit eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-maritime-evening-at-nordic-house-tickets-1298333814389
