Larkin 25

Last updated

Larkin 25 – Arts Festival
Larkin25poster(320x200).JPG
Dates14 June to 2 December 2010
Location(s) Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire
Website http://www.larkin25.co.uk/ [ dead link ]

Larkin 25 was an arts festival and cultural event in Kingston upon Hull, England, organised to mark the 25th anniversary of the death of the poet and University of Hull librarian, Philip Larkin. The festival was launched at Hull Truck Theatre on 14 June 2010 and concluded on 2 December 2010, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the poet's death, with the unveiling of a statue in his likeness at Hull Paragon Interchange. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Philip Larkin

Larkin was born in Coventry and lived in Hull while he was head librarian at the Brynmor Jones Library [6] from 1955 until his death in 1985. Larkin was a jazz critic for The Daily Telegraph between 1961 and 1971. [7] He lived for much of this time in a flat in Pearson Park in Hull [8] near the University, and later in a house at Newland Park. [9]

Festival

The Larkin 25 festival coincided with Hull's annual literature festival, 'Humber Mouth', [10] and included walking tours, art and photography exhibitions, musical events and an exhibition of Larkin memorabilia. A compilation of Larkin's favourite jazz recordings titled "Larkin's Jazz" was released in conjunction with the festival. [7] In June, Sir Tom Courtenay visited the University of Hull to perform a one-man play, Larkin Revisited, and repeated the performance at Hull Truck Theatre in November 2010. A Hull city bus was named "Philip Larkin" by Sir Andrew Motion in honour of the poet. On 7 October 2010, "Poetry on the Buses" was launched in Hull and East Yorkshire to coincide with National Poetry Day. Forty of Larkin's poems were displayed on East Yorkshire Motor Services vehicles until the end of the festival in December 2010. [11] [12]

Larkin with Toads

Number 10: representation of Larkin as a toad, Princes Quay Shopping Centre, Kingston upon Hull Art installation Larkin with Toads 28.jpg
Number 10: representation of Larkin as a toad, Princes Quay Shopping Centre, Kingston upon Hull

The centrepiece of the festival was a public art display and trail, "Larkin with Toads", launched in the city centre on Saturday 17 July. [13] It consisted of 40 fibre-glass toad sculptures, each painted with a unique design created by artists and local people inspired by Larkin's poems about working life, Toads and Toads Revisited. [14] [15] [16] Examples of the designs included a "Larkin toad", a "Punk toad", a "Tiger Toad" (based on the mascot of Hull City A.F.C.) and a "Typographical toad" adorned with Larkin's poetry. [15] The toads were auctioned for charity at the end of the event, though there were calls to make them a permanent feature. Most of the sculptures have been removed and transported to their new owners [17] but some remained in situ after the sale. On 26 September 2010 it was reported that the toads had been auctioned for £60,000 though some had hoped their popularity could have made them a permanent feature. [17] [18]

Larkin toad, Hull (2) - geograph.org.uk - 1965740.jpg
The vandalised toad - geograph.org.uk - 1971540.jpg
The "punk toad" before and after being vandalised.

The Larkin toad trail covered many locations in the city centre, such as Hull Paragon Interchange, Hull Truck Theatre, the Museums Quarter and The Deep. There were toads in the St Stephen's, Princes Quay and Prospect shopping centres. Other toads were located in outlying areas, such as The Avenues and the university, with some beyond Hull's boundaries in areas of the East Riding of Yorkshire familiar to Larkin, including one in Beverley.

By late July 2010 the Hull Daily Mail reported that over 30,000 guides had been distributed and a marketing company was employed to manage the high level of public interest. [19]

During the festival some Larkin toads were vandalised and stolen. [20] [21] A 'punk toad' near Hull Truck Theatre had its mohican hair ripped off, and an 'astronaut toad' outside the railway station was damaged. The organisers repaired the damage and made the toads more resilient to vandalism. [20] [22] The Magenta Toad was stolen from Melton. [23] [24] It was later found dumped by the A63 and recovered for repair. [25]

A report after the event has suggested that the toad trail brought about £1 million in to the local economy. [26]

Philip Larkin statue

Bronze Statue of Philip Larkin, by sculptor Martin Jennings, at Hull Paragon Interchange Philip Larkin Statue Hull.jpg
Bronze Statue of Philip Larkin, by sculptor Martin Jennings, at Hull Paragon Interchange

On the 25th anniversary of his Larkin's death, Thursday 2 December 2010, the festival concluded with the unveiling of a life-size bronze statue at Hull Paragon Interchange by the Lord Mayor. [1] [27] [28] Funding for the £100,000 statue was raised during the festival. [5] The unveiling was accompanied by Nathaniel Seaman's Fanfare for Larkin, specially composed to mark the occasion.

Martin Jennings produced the sculpture using photographs from the University of Hull's Larkin Research Centre and researched his poems and biography to "get a sense of the man." [29] He worked on the maquette for the finished casting at his studio in Coombe, Oxfordshire. Professor James Booth of the Philip Larkin Society described the statue as, "magnificent, poetic, refined, exactly the Larkin I'm familiar with." The statue was gifted to the people of Hull by the Philip Larkin Society. [30] On 2 December 2011, a year since the original unveiling ceremony, five additional slate roundels containing inscriptions of Larkin's poems were installed in the floor space around the statue. The sculpture has become a popular subject for photography at the Interchange. [31] In December 2012 a memorial bench was installed around a pillar near the statue. [32]

Reception

The Daily Telegraph opined that the reclusive Larkin would be unimpressed by the event [33] and Stephen McClarence in The Times observed that "the city is celebrating this year's 25th anniversary of his death in fine style." [34] Plans for the sculpture trail were initially criticised because of concerns about expenditure during the late-2000s recession [35] but the event went ahead. Artists were invited to design a toad and sponsorship invited. When the toads were displayed the Hull Daily Mail reported that opinion had shifted in favour of the sculptures and an online poll recorded a majority of readers favouring the event. [13] In December 2010 the Hull Daily Mail described the exhibition as "hugely successful". [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Larkin</span> English writer, jazz critic and librarian

Philip Arthur Larkin was an English poet, novelist, and librarian. His first book of poetry, The North Ship, was published in 1945, followed by two novels, Jill (1946) and A Girl in Winter (1947), and he came to prominence in 1955 with the publication of his second collection of poems, The Less Deceived, followed by The Whitsun Weddings (1964) and High Windows (1974). He contributed to The Daily Telegraph as its jazz critic from 1961 to 1971, with his articles gathered in All What Jazz: A Record Diary 1961–71 (1985), and edited The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse (1973). His many honours include the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. He was offered, but declined, the position of Poet Laureate in 1984, following the death of Sir John Betjeman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingston upon Hull</span> City in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England

Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority area in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, 25 miles (40 km) inland from the North Sea and 37 miles (60 km) south-east of York, the historic county town. With a population of 267,014 (2021), it is the fourth-largest city in the Yorkshire and the Humber region after Leeds, Sheffield and Bradford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Riding of Yorkshire</span> County of England

The East Riding of Yorkshire, often shortened to the East Riding and alternatively known as East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to the south-west, and Lincolnshire to the south across the Humber Estuary. The city of Kingston upon Hull is the largest settlement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Motion</span> English poet and writer (born 1952)

Sir Andrew Motion is an English poet, novelist, and biographer, who was Poet Laureate from 1999 to 2009. During the period of his laureateship, Motion founded the Poetry Archive, an online resource of poems and audio recordings of poets reading their own work. In 2012, he became President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, taking over from Bill Bryson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humberside</span> Former county of England

Humberside was a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in Northern England from 1 April 1974 until 1 April 1996. It was composed of land from either side of the Humber Estuary, created from portions of the East Riding of Yorkshire, West Riding of Yorkshire, and the northern part of Lindsey, Lincolnshire. The county council's headquarters was County Hall at Beverley, inherited from East Riding County Council. Its largest settlement and only city was Kingston upon Hull. Other notable towns included Goole, Beverley, Scunthorpe, Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Bridlington. The county stretched from Wold Newton in its northern tip to a different Wold Newton at its most southern point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Withernsea</span> Town and civil parish in Yorkshire, England

Withernsea is a seaside resort town and civil parish in Holderness, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Its white inland lighthouse, rising around 127 feet (39 m) above Hull Road, now houses a museum to 1950s actress Kay Kendall, who was born in the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Levy (presenter)</span> British television and radio presenter

Peter Levy is a BBC television and occasional radio presenter on BBC Radio Humberside. He previously worked in commercial radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hull Paragon Interchange</span> Transport interchange in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England

Hull Paragon Interchange is a transport interchange providing rail, bus and coach services located in the city centre of Kingston upon Hull, England. The G. T. Andrews-designed station was originally named Paragon Station, and together with the adjoining Station Hotel, it opened in 1847 as the new Hull terminus for the growing traffic of the York and North Midland (Y&NMR) leased to the Hull and Selby Railway (H&S). As well as trains to the west, the station was the terminus of the Y&NMR and H&S railway's Hull to Scarborough Line. From the 1860s the station also became the terminus of the Hull and Holderness and Hull and Hornsea railways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humberside Police</span> English territorial police force

Humberside Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing The East Riding of Yorkshire including Hull and northern parts of Lincolnshire including Grimsby and Scunthorpe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hull Truck Theatre</span> Theatre in Kingston upon Hull, England

Hull Truck Theatre is a theatre in Kingston upon Hull, England, which presents drama productions, and also tours. In March 2022, the theatre's original premises on Coltman Street, Hull, was recognised by a blue plaque to coincide with the theatre's 50-year anniversary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beverley Road</span> Road in Kingston upon Hull, England

Beverley Road is one of several major roads that run out of the city of Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The road is noted for being a major arterial route into, and out of Hull. It also known for its student population and being the location of a shop (Turners), whose slogan was used by the pop band, Everything But the Girl. In 1994, just over 1-mile (1.6 km) of the road was designated as a conservation area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humberside Fire and Rescue Service</span> Fire and rescue service in eastern England

Humberside Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) is the statutory fire and rescue service covering the area of what was the county of Humberside (1974–1996), but now consists of the unitary authorities of East Riding of Yorkshire, Kingston upon Hull, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire in northern England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom Festival, Hull</span> Music and performance arts festival held annually in Kingston upon Hull, England

The Freedom Festival is an annual music and performance arts festival held in the city of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is named in honour of the slave trade abolitionist, MP and son of Hull, William Wilberforce. The festival was established in 2007 to mark the 200th anniversary of Wilberforce's law, the Slave Trade Act 1807, to abolish the slave trade in the British Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Riding College</span>

East Riding College is a further education college located in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.

Lewis Smales is a British actor. A native of Swanland, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Smales is probably best known for playing the character of gamekeeper Lee Naylor in the British television soap Emmerdale.

Cottingham Springboard Festival is a live grassroots music festival that takes place annually in the village of Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire, England.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England.

Jean Hartley was an English autobiographer and publisher. She and her husband George Hartley co-founded the publication company Marvell Press in 1954, which published volumes of poetry. They also founded the record company Listen Records. After Hartley separated from her husband and left Marvell Press, she earned degrees in English Literature and Victorian Studies from the University of Hull in the early 1970s. She taught English at her former secondary school and lectured at the Hull College of Further Education. In 1995, Hartley was made vice-chairman of the Philip Larkin Society to promote the life and works of her friend and poet Philip Larkin. She was on the steering committee of the Larkin 25 committee in 2010. The Hull History Centre holds a collection of items on Hartley's life and career.

References

  1. 1 2 "Philip Larkin statue unveiled in Hull". BBC News Online. BBC. 2 December 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  2. ↑ "Philip Larkin statue at Paragon Station". Larkin 25. 2 December 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  3. ↑ "Events December 2010". Philip Larkin Society. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  4. ↑ Youngs, Ian (2 December 2010). "Remembering Philip Larkin 25 years on". BBC News Online. BBC. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 "Bronze tribute depicts Philip Larkin rushing for train at Paragon". Hull Daily Mail. 3 December 2010. Archived from the original on 11 December 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2010.
  6. ↑ Paul Harrop. "Brynmor Jones Library, University of Hull".
  7. 1 2 Spencer, Charles (7 August 2010). "Philip Larkin's box-set will be pure poetry". The Daily Telegraph . London. Archived from the original on 11 August 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  8. ↑ Paul Harrop. "31 and 32 Pearson Park, Hull".
  9. ↑ Paul Harrop. "105 Newland Park, Hull".
  10. ↑
  11. ↑ "Philip Larkin's poetry aboard East Yorkshire buses". BBC News. 7 October 2010. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
  12. ↑ "Buses are fare way to celebrate city poet". Yorkshire Evening Post. 6 July 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  13. 1 2 "Weird and wonderful toads hop onto city streets for Larkin 25 celebrations". This is Hull and East Riding. Northcliffe Media Ltd. 17 July 2010. Archived from the original on 20 July 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  14. ↑ "Picking a Tigger toad for Larkin Festival". This is Hull and East Riding. Northcliffe Media Ltd. 9 April 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  15. 1 2 Flood, Alison (12 May 2010). "Hull to mark 25th anniversary of Larkin's death with giant model toads". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  16. ↑ "Larkin toads get finishing touches". This is Hull and East Riding. Northcliffe Media Ltd. 13 July 2010. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  17. 1 2 "City's toad invasion could be here to stay after 'incredibly positive' response". This is Hull and East Riding. Northcliffe Media Ltd. 20 July 2010. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
  18. ↑ "Hull's Larkin toads make £60,000 at charity auction". BBC News Humberside. 26 September 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  19. ↑ "Toad trail maps leap off shelves". This is Hull and East Riding. Northcliffe Media Ltd. 27 July 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  20. 1 2 "Hull's Larkin toads attacked by vandals". BBC News Humberside. 21 July 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
  21. ↑ "Toads in a hole as tributes hit by pond life". Yorkshire Post. 20 July 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  22. ↑ Adams, Stephen (21 July 2010). "Philip Larkin toads vandalised". The Telegraph. London: Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  23. ↑ "Thieves steal giant Philip Larkin toad in Hull". BBC News Humberside. 6 September 2010. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  24. ↑ "Larkin Toad stolen from North Ferriby". This is Hull and East Riding. Northcliffe Media Ltd. 6 September 2010. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  25. ↑ "Stolen toad found dumped by A63". This is Hull and East Riding. Northcliffe Media Ltd. 7 September 2010. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  26. ↑ "Hull's toads sculpture trail brings £1m to city". BBC News Humberside. BBC. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  27. ↑ The statue portrays Larkin hurrying to catch a train with a manuscript under his arm and is inscribed with the first line of his poem, "The Whitsun Weddings".* "Council go-ahead for Larkin statue". BBC News Humberside. BBC. 5 August 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  28. ↑ "Hull's buses display Larkin's poems in tribute to poet". BBC News Humberside. 7 July 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  29. ↑ "Sculptor captures poetry in motion: Martin Jennings on his Philip Larkin statue". Hull Daily Mail. 6 December 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  30. ↑ "Poet's deep affection for Hull recognised in statue". Yorkshire Post. 2 December 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2010.
  31. ↑ "Larkins words set to greet visitors". Hull Daily Mail. 23 November 2011. Archived from the original on 24 November 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  32. ↑ "Philip Larkin honoured at Hull Paragon station". BBC News. BBC. 2 December 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  33. ↑ "Hull organises tourist tour for 25th anniversary of death". The Daily Telegraph (Culture section ed.). London. 12 January 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
  34. ↑ McClarence, Steve (18 June 2010). "Poetry in the provincial: Philip Larkin's Hull". The Times. London. Retrieved 18 June 2010.(subscription required)
  35. ↑ Thornhill, Ted (15 March 2010). "Hull council spends £200,000 on toads". Metro.co.uk. Associated Newspapers Limited. Retrieved 5 June 2010.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.