Commercial Overprint Society of Great Britain
Vol. 3 No. 3; September 1, 2005
Hull
by Michael Behm
Hull is located where the River Hull joins the River Humber, 20 miles from the sea on England's east coast.
Hull was originally a little settlement called Wyke that belonged to the Cistercian abbey of Meaux near Beverley. In 1293 King Edward I purchased Wyke from the abbot of Meaux and built a town there, which he renamed Kingston-upon-Hull (now more commonly known simply as Hull). King Edward had recognized Hull's potential importance as the site for a harbour and as a war base. A brickyard was recorded in Hull as early as 1303 and it seems that the popularity of brick as a building material may have spread across the country from Hull.
During World War Two, Hull suffered some of Britain's heaviest bombing.
Today, with its population of more than 300,000, Hull is the third largest port in England and is one of the largest fishing ports in the world.
Overprints Used in Hull
The Hull Corporation used four different overprint patterns between the mid-1920s and 1972. The main style differences are between those patterns with periods and those without:
| Pattern | Style | 421 | 442 | 465 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H C |  |
0 | X | |
| H C |
 |
0 | ||
| H C | |
0 | 0 |
| Pattern | Style | 488 | 506 | 518 | 543 | 543b | 573 | 613a | 727 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H. C. |  |
X | 0 | X | X | 0 | X | X | X |
William Field & Co., Ltd. were grocers and provision merchants located at 66 High Street at least as early as 1892. The company was still in operation at least as late as 1918.
| Pattern | Style | 357 |
|---|---|---|
| For Wm. FIELD & Co. Limited |
 |
0 |
The National Radiator Co. Ld. was formed in Hull in 1905. In the 1920s, the company became Ideal Boilers & Radiators Ld. Alao in the 1920s, Ideal introduced the revolutionary Cookanheat—a combination open fire, central heating boiler, cooking fire and hot cupboard, which moved boilers to kitchens, from basements. The Cookanheat introduced central heating into low-priced homes. In the 1930s, the company introduced boilers that used gas, rather than coal.
| Pattern | Style | 421 |
|---|---|---|
| N. R. Co. Ld. |
 |
0 |
| Pattern | Style | 421 | 442 |
|---|---|---|---|
| I. B
& R. Ld. |
|
X | 0 |
Thornton-Varley Ltd. were drapers in Hull at least as early as 1892. They used commercial overprints at least during the mid-30s, a period during which the business was expanding. During World War Two their offices damaged by bombing, forcing them to relocate to the Municipal Museum, which was in turn completely destroyed in an air raid in late June 1941. However, the company was back in business at a new location in Hull at least as late as 1950.
| Pattern | Style | 421 | 442 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Received for Thornton-Varley Ltd.,
|
 |
X | X |
