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Everyday journeys / Hessle Road, Hull
Getting About on Hessle Road
Trams, buses, bicycles and walks: explore the journeys that connect Hessle Road memories.Horse tramsElectric tramsTrolleybusesMotor busesBicyclesOn foot
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Our illustrated heritage collection.Artwork No. 7 · Read, remember and contribute.
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Getting about is part of a place's story: a ride into town, a shopping trip, the walk to school or the journey home from work. This illustrated collection brings together six ways of travelling associated with Hessle Road and invites you to add the memories behind them.
01
Horse trams
Before the electric era, horses pulled passenger tramcars along rails. Hull History Centre records Hessle Road among the horse-tram routes authorised in 1871, with the network's routes opening between 1875 and 1877. The Council's conservation appraisal also reproduces an 1890 map showing horse-tram lines here.
02
Electric trams
Hessle Road and Anlaby Road were the first routes of Hull's new electric tram system, opening on 5 July 1899. Rails and overhead power became part of the street scene. The service linked local neighbourhoods with the city centre.
03
Trolleybuses
A trolleybus used electricity from overhead wires but ran on rubber tyres rather than rails. Hull History Centre records the end of the city's trams in 1945, their replacement by trolleybuses and the closure of the last Hessle Road tram depot that year.
04
Motor buses
Hull's transport history also includes motor buses. Unlike trolleybuses, they did not need overhead wires. Our painted scene evokes the conductor, paper ticket and queue at the stop, without claiming to portray a particular Hessle Road vehicle, service or date.
05
Bicycles
The bicycle illustration celebrates everyday journeys on two wheels. Did you cycle to work, carry shopping home or learn to ride in a nearby street? Family photographs and memories can help us build a more detailed account of cycling in the area.
06
On foot
The walk to a shop or school can hold as many memories as a bus ride. Who did you meet? Which window did you stop to look at? The scene is an artistic impression of neighbours sharing a shopping street, ready to be joined by your own stories.
Your part of the story
Which journey do you remember?
Send a photograph or memory, with the place, approximate date, names you know and permission to publish. A few sentences are enough to begin.Email Info@hessleroad.com ↗Contribution guidance →Sources & illustration notes
These are artistic impressions, not archival photographs or exact vehicle reconstructions. No precise fleet model, fare or operator livery is asserted. The horse-tram dates describe the network opening range, rather than one confirmed opening date for this route.
https://catalogue.hullhistorycentre.org.uk/files/c-gt.pdf ↗
https://www.hull.gov.uk/downloads/file/5015/hessle-road-camp ↗
https://catalogue.hullhistorycentre.org.uk/files/c-dijb.pdf ↗
https://www.hullmuseums.co.uk/homepage/156/streetlife-museum-collections ↗
Follow another thread
There’s more to discover.
Growing Up on Hessle Road ↗Signs of Our Street ↗Explore all 18 illustrated stories →
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