shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited Kingdom

on the Humber Estuary, at the east edge of Yorkshire

Kingston upon Hull

— a port town that still works for a living.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.

— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand

— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines

— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall

— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround

— a note from the studio

“An old fishing and trading port at the mouth of the River Hull, where it slips into the Humber Estuary on Yorkshire's east coast. The cobbled Old Town still holds Holy Trinity, the largest parish church in England by floor area, and the marina that replaced the disused docks now sits quiet between the museums and the working wharves further out.

from the studio

— bring it home

Kingston upon Hull, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?

One tile — square or rectangle.

How big?

the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand

6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb

Surface finish

A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.

How it sits

A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.

$58

Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.

— size

6 × 6 in

15 cm

— weighs

1.6 lb

solid in the hand

— surface

ceramic, hand-finished

art rests beneath a thin glossy finish

— from

Knoxville, TN

our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies

— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Kingston upon Hull

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.

— the place

Kingston upon Hull, usually shortened to Hull, is a port city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, sitting where the small River Hull meets the broad Humber Estuary about thirty kilometres inland from the North Sea. Founded as a trading port in the late twelfth century by the monks of Meaux Abbey and chartered by Edward I in 1299, it remains one of England's busier commercial ports. The population is around 267,000. The city held the title of UK City of Culture in 2017.

— informed by Wikipedia, Hull City Council

— the stone

Hull's Old Town survived the Second World War better than most of the city around it, and its narrow cobbled lanes still hold Holy Trinity, now Hull Minster. By floor area it is the largest parish church in England, with foundations from the late thirteenth century and the central tower added in the fifteenth. Wilberforce House on the High Street, the birthplace of the abolitionist William Wilberforce in 1759, stands a few minutes' walk away. The buildings sit lower and quieter than the dock works behind them.

— informed by Hull Minster

— the water

The city takes its name from the small river that runs through it, but the working water is the Humber Estuary, five kilometres wide at Hull and tidal almost to the city centre. The 2.2-kilometre Humber Bridge, the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world when it opened in 1981, crosses to the south bank just upstream. Fishing trawlers no longer sail from the city dock. Container ships and ro-ro ferries still leave nightly for Rotterdam and Zeebrugge from the King George and Queen Elizabeth docks.

— informed by Wikipedia: Humber Bridge

— where

United Kingdom · Kingston upon Hull, England

— position

53.7457° N · 0.3367° W

— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.

0.3 km N

Hull Minster

parish church

0.3 km E

Wilberforce House

museum

0.5 km E

The Deep

aquarium

10 km W

Humber Bridge

suspension bridge

12 km N

Beverley Minster

gothic church

Kingston upon Hull

Hull Minster

Wilberforce House

The Deep

Humber Bridge

Beverley Minster

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Kingston upon Hull — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

On the north bank of the Humber Estuary in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, where the River Hull joins it. The city sits about thirty kilometres inland from the North Sea and roughly three hours by train from London King's Cross.

Edward I bought the small port from Meaux Abbey in 1293 and rechartered it as King's town upon Hull in 1299. The full name is still official; locals and most signage use the shorter form, Hull.

Sea trade, fishing, and abolitionism. William Wilberforce, born in Hull in 1759, led the parliamentary campaign against the British slave trade. The city was UK City of Culture in 2017 and remains one of England's principal commercial ports.

The abolitionist William Wilberforce was born there in 1759. The poet Philip Larkin lived and worked in Hull as university librarian from 1955 until his death in 1985, and is associated with the city as closely as anywhere in his life.

Hull Minster, formerly Holy Trinity Church, in Hull's Old Town. By floor area it is the largest parish church in England, with construction beginning in the late thirteenth century and the central tower added in the fifteenth.

— about the piece in your home

Often, yes. Hull people tend to respond with recognition rather than tourist warmth. The Old Town and the estuary read as home rather than as a postcard. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio sits well in a hallway or kitchen.

The estuary blues, brick reds and weathered stone palette suit British coastal-modern, industrial-eclectic and Yorkshire farmhouse interiors. It also lands in nautical libraries and pubs where the working-port reference is part of the room.

Above a standard sofa or long console, a single Large reads as the focal piece. For wider walls, a 4-tile Mural fills the field, and a 9-tile Mural carries a long entry wall or staircase landing.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so steam and splashes do not affect it. Glossy is best kept to drier rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth with a little water is all it needs. No abrasive sponges, no ammonia or bleach sprays. The thin glossy finish wipes clean like a tile, because that is what it is.

— if this one stayed with you

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