20. 253 Hull Road, Hessle
The small terraced house at 253 Hull Road was the home of George and Jean Hartley, the publishers of the collection that made Larkin's name, The Less Deceived.

The Hartleys had included some of Larkin's poems in early issues of their magazine, Listen. They wrote to him, asking whether he had enough poems to form a collection for the inauguration of the Marvell Press. Larkin sent them what later became The Less Deceived.

Published in 1955, The Less Deceived established Larkin's reputation as a poet and the Hartleys as publishers. Larkin became a firm friend and regular visitor. When the Hartleys divorced in 1970, Larkin maintained his friendship with Jean, which she has documented in Philip Larkin, The Marvell Press and Me (Sumach Press).

Postcode: HU13 9NP

Geocodes:

GPS (WGS84) Co-ordinates
Latitude: 53° 43.4841
Longitude: 0° 25.3104

OS Co-ordinates
Easting: 504226
Northing: 426524

Image © Dennis Low
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