Hull Old Town has a pub sign that claims the decision that helped start the Civil War, and a gate a few streets away where that decision was actually carried out.
The popular version of Hull at Christmas is the city-centre market and the lights switch-on. Most guides stop at the shopping streets.
The version most people miss is the Old Town. A pub that was built in 1660 and still carries a story about 1642. A gate where a king was turned away. A free museum in the birthplace of William Wilberforce, and a minster more than 700 years old. This guide covers six stops, and corrects the famous legend along the way.
Quick Facts
Region: Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
Best for: Pubs with fires, free museums and a late-November Victorian weekend
Getting there: By train to Hull Paragon, or by car to the Old Town car parks
Time needed: A full day, or an afternoon for the pub, the gate and one museum
Hull Old Town: when to go
The Old Town’s Christmas depends on one weekend. Hull Museums runs a Victorian Christmas in the Museums Quarter on High Street, and it has fallen on the last weekend of November. In 2023 it ran on 25 and 26 November. In 2025 it ran on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 November, from 11am to 4pm, with most activities free and a fairground carousel at £3.
The sources checked in October do not publish the 2026 dates. Hull’s Christmas page lists a Hull Minster Victorian Christmas Market on 28 November, a Saturday, but gives no times. If the museums keep the pattern, the weekend is 28 and 29 November. Confirm on the Hull Museums website before you book a room. The Humber coast lost a medieval port, and our guide to Ravenser Odd tells the story, while our list of Yorkshire Christmas markets covers the season.
Where to Stay: The Kingston Theatre Hotel at 1 to 2 Kingston Square is a three-star hotel with a bar, a restaurant and free on-site parking.
Worth Knowing: The hotel’s page says pets aren’t allowed, but its facilities list mentions pet bowls, so call ahead if you’re travelling with a dog.
Ye Olde White Harte: the 1642 myth
Ye Olde White Harte is at 25 Silver Street, HU1 1JG, and is reached via an alleyway to a courtyard between Silver Street and Bowlalley Lane. The present building dates to around 1660, according to Wikipedia and The Hull Story, which cites Historic England’s research. William Catlyn, a Hull bricklayer, built it for the grocer Alderman William Foxley.
The legend says Sir John Hotham plotted here in 1642 to refuse King Charles I entry to Hull. The legend is a myth. Wikipedia says it began in the 19th century, and The Hull Story says the building was altered in 1881 and that stained glass showing Hotham strengthened the story. The pub sign still tells it, and Visit Hull’s own page repeats that the sign says the decision was made there.
The real room story is 1688. On 3 December 1688, Hull’s mayor, aldermen and leading townsfolk met at the deputy governor’s house, now the pub, to overthrow the town’s Catholic governor. That plot is why the upstairs room is called the Plotting Parlour. The Hull Story says the 1642 refusal was probably decided at the Guildhall, not here.
CAMRA lists the pub as open from noon to 11pm daily, with inglenook fireplaces rated a Three Star CAMRA Historic Pub Interior, a real fire, a heated outdoor courtyard and Theakston beers. It lists the pub as dog friendly. Phone 01482 326363 to confirm it is trading. A skull of unknown origin sits behind the bar.
In the afternoon, the inglenook fire gives the only warm light in the room.
Where to Stay: Hideout Apartment Hotel at North Church Side, HU1 1RP, is in the Old Town and has studios and one- and two-bedroom apartments with kitchens. Pets are not allowed.
Worth Knowing: Wikipedia says the building became a pub in the 1730s and was remodelled in 1881.
Beverley Gate: where the king was turned away
Beverley Gate is at the top of Whitefriargate. On 23 April 1642, King Charles I arrived at the gate with his army, and Sir John Hotham refused to let him in. Parliament had told Hotham not to admit any forces to Hull without orders from both Houses. Charles withdrew, and the refusal is said to have helped spark the Civil War.
The gate dates from the 14th century and was one of several in the town walls. The walls and gates have been demolished. Archaeologists excavated the gate in the 1980s, revealing part of the gateway and a defensive ditch, and the site was given a facelift for Hull’s year as UK City of Culture in 2017. Visit Hull’s Old Town guide lists it as free entry.
The guide also lists a Look Up Trail along Whitefriargate. Hull’s original ground level was about two metres lower than it is today, so the remains lie below the street.
Look down from street level, and you are looking at the ground where the king was turned away.
Where to Stay: Hideout Apartment Hotel is about a four-minute walk from Hull Guildhall, according to its listing.
Worth Knowing: The Hull Story says Charles’s aim was probably to secure Hull’s arsenal.
Wilberforce House and Streetlife: free museums
Wilberforce House is at 23 to 25 High Street, HU1 1NQ, next to the River Hull. It is the birthplace of William Wilberforce and covers the transatlantic slave trade, its abolition and West African cultures. Entry is free, and you do not need to book.
It is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4.30pm and on Sundays from 11am to 4pm, with last admission 30 minutes before closing. It closes from 24 to 28 December and on 1 January. There is a lift and an accessible toilet.
The Streetlife Museum, on High Street, HU1 1PS, keeps the same hours and is also free. In 2025, it ran a Father Christmas visit with Mrs Claus for £10 per child, with accompanying adults free, and places had to be booked on the Hull Museums website. The 2026 version has not been announced.
The Hands on History Museum on South Church Side is in Wilberforce’s former school, according to the Old Town guide. It covers Victorian Hull and ancient Egypt, and entry is free.
Where to Stay: The Kingston Theatre Hotel has a garden, a bar and a coffee house, and a 24-hour front desk.
Worth Knowing: The Victorian Christmas in 2025 also had a Victorian pantomime and a Christmas ghost story performance, so expect similar.
Hull Minster and Trinity Square
Hull Minster is more than 700 years old and was granted Minster status in 2017, according to Visit Hull’s Old Town guide. It is free to look around, and the church lists general hours from Wednesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm, with an on-site café.
December is the month for music. Visit Hull lists A Very Eclectic Christmas on 4 and 5 December, the Hull Minster Choir’s Carols by Candlelight on 13 December and Concerts by Candlelight on 18 and 19 December. It also lists the Victorian Christmas Market on 28 November.
Trinity Market in Trinity Square has street food and independent traders, with live music and events, according to the guide. Trinity House on Trinity House Lane is Grade I listed and home to Hull’s ancient seafarers’ guild, with maritime links dating to the 14th century. The guide says regular tours run, so call ahead to book the next one.
A candlelit concert in a church more than 700 years old is the best way to see the Minster in December.
Where to Stay: Hideout Apartment Hotel has a terrace and is near Hull Marina.
Worth Knowing: The Minster page gives no Christmas hours, so check its events page before you plan around it.
Land of Green Ginger and the George
Land of Green Ginger is at the bottom of Whitefriargate. Nobody can say for certain how it got its name. Wikipedia lists several theories, from a medieval ginger store to a corruption of a Dutch family name, and settles on none.
The George Hotel stands on the street, HU1 2EA, with a narrow slit in its wall that a plaque calls the smallest window in England. Atlas Obscura says the claim is doubtful, and Wikipedia says it “may be” the world’s smallest. The story is that a porter or gatekeeper watched through it for stagecoaches.
Sources disagree on the building. Atlas Obscura says it is thought to be Hull’s oldest surviving pub and dates to 1683. CAMRA says it was built in the mid-18th century as the vaults of a coaching inn. Treat both as claims.
CAMRA lists it as open from noon to midnight Monday to Friday and Sunday, and from 11am on Saturday. It serves four cask ales on rotating cask and is dog-friendly. The downstairs room has fireplaces from a 1930s refurbishment, with oak panelling.
According to Atlas Obscura, a crack in the wall lets in a cold draught. For a second festive stop, the Bridlington Yuletide Fayre is a short drive up the East Yorkshire coast.
Where to Stay: The Kingston Theatre Hotel is a three-star hotel, and its listing says it is a brief stroll from The Deep.
Worth Knowing: Despite its name, The George has no rooms listed, so book a bed elsewhere.
Practical Tips
- Check the Hull Museums site for the 2026 Victorian Christmas dates. The pattern is the last weekend of November.
- Wilberforce House and Streetlife close from 24 to 28 December and on 1 January.
- Phone the White Hart on 01482 326363 before you plan a fireside stop.
- Visit Beverley Gate in daylight. It is free to see and sits at the top of Whitefriargate.
- Book Father Christmas at Streetlife early if you go. In 2025 places were limited.
- Wrap up. Hull Minster is cold in winter, and the George’s slit lets in a draught.
Responsible Visiting
The Old Town is a working city centre, so keep to the pavements and follow event stewards. Spend money in the independent traders in Trinity Market and the Fruit Market. Do not touch museum exhibits, and respect the churches and the Minster as places of worship.
Reader Q&A
Did Sir John Hotham plot to refuse the king at the White Harte?
No. Wikipedia and The Hull Story both call that legend a myth. The refusal happened at Beverley Gate on 23 April 1642, and was probably decided at the Guildhall.
What is the Plotting Parlour?
An upstairs room named for the 1688 plot to overthrow Hull’s Catholic governor, not for 1642.
When is the Hull Victorian Christmas in 2026?
Not yet published. It fell on the last weekend of November in 2023 and 2025.
Are Hull’s museums free?
Wilberforce House, the Streetlife Museum and the Hands on History Museum all list free entry.
Is the White Harte dog friendly?
CAMRA lists it as dog friendly.
What is England’s smallest window?
A slit in the wall of the George Hotel on Land of Green Ginger. A plaque claims it, but sources question the claim.
Where to Stay
The Kingston Theatre Hotel, Kingston Square. A three-star hotel with a bar, a restaurant and free on-site parking.
Hideout Apartment Hotel, North Church Side. Studios and apartments with kitchens in a 2017 building in the Old Town. No pets.
When the museums close and the lights go out, the pubs keep their fires burning.
