13. The General Cemetery
The former General Cemetery of Hull was established in 1847. By the 1960s it was very neglected and overgrown. Its wildness appealed to Larkin, who described it to Betjeman as 'the most beautiful spot in Hull'. When it was threatened with closure, Larkin leaped to its defence, telling the Council it was:

'… a natural cathedral, an inimitable blended growth of nature and humanity over a century; something that no other town could create whatever its resources'.

When asked where he would like to be photographed for the sleeve of the record album of him reading The Less Deceived, this was the place Larkin chose.

Despite his impassioned plea, the Council partially cleared the cemetery in the1970s.

Larkin also walked regularly in the St Helena Gardens graveyards down Sculcoates Lane, which features in the 1964 BBC Monitor documentary.

Postcode: HU5 3TG

Geocodes:

GPS (WGS84) Co-ordinates
Latitude: 53° 45.0959
Longitude: 0° 22.3902

OS Co-ordinates
Easting: 507369
Northing: 429585
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