Flooding Through the Twentieth Century: A Hull of a Problem

Manieri, Flavia

Abstract

The city of Kingston upon Hull, England, has a long history of flooding that has recently been brought back to life thanks to projects such as the Living With Water Initiative and the University of Hull’s Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded Risky Cities project. This study contributes to the existing literature by offering an in-depth account of flooding in twentieth-century Hull. A timeline of floods occurred between 1901-1990 is constructed, with particular focus on the floods of 1921, 1936, 1954, 1961, 1969, 1983 and 1984.
This thesis uses accounts of local and regional newspapers, along with a few oral histories, to explore moderate and major flood events occurred in twentieth-century Hull and to examine changing public perceptions of flood risk during that time. By using newspaper accounts, this thesis highlights the importance of newspapers not just as an historical source for flooding, but as a gauge for public perceptions of risk. Newspapers accounts of Hull flooding both reflect public perceptions of risk and also themselves shape these perceptions. My study of newspaper accounts of Hull flooding helps amplify the theory that risk is culturally constructed and therefore the way a flood is perceived or acted upon by a community is largely determined by culture. Furthermore, knowledge from this historical exploration of twentieth-century flooding in Hull can provide better insight into current flood events (in terms of causes, impacts and responses) and help inform authorities on new strategies to reduce future impacts of flooding by looking at how previous floods were dealt with. Finally, this thesis highlights the value of approaching and studying flooding from an explicitly historical, social, and cultural perspective, and hopes to open more channels for mutual dialogues between the more traditional techno-scientific flood studies and the humanities and social sciences.

Citation

Manieri, F. (2024). Flooding Through the Twentieth Century: A Hull of a Problem. (Thesis). University of Hull. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/5089340

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Mar 26, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 28, 2025
• Keywords: Environment
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/5089340
• Award Date: Nov 5, 2024