King Billy Hull

King Billy Hull. Known affectionately as ‘King Billy’, the impressive gilded statue of King William III stands near the Art Nouveau gents toilets in Market Place, Hull. Erected in 1734 in honour.

  1. William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded his elder brother George IV, becoming the last king and penultimate monarch of Britain's House of Hanover. William served in the Royal Navy in his youth, spending.
  2. North East industrial coatings and maintenance specialist Westcott Industrial Services has bought Hull scaffolding contractor SGS. The deal allows Jarrow-based contractor Wescott to offer clients.
  3. Get the latest music news, watch video clips from music shows, events, and exclusive performances from your favorite artists. Discover new country music on CMT.

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(formerly King William Hotel)

41 Market Place
Hull
HU1 1RT

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Opening Times

MondayMidday - 10.00 pm
TuesdayMidday - 10.00 pm
WednesdayMidday - 10.00 pm
ThursdayMidday - 10.00 pm
FridayMidday - 10.00 pm
SaturdayMidday - 10.00 pm
SundayMidday - 10.00 pm

About the Pub

Famous old pub that was one of the pioneering real ale pubs in Hull in the 1980's. Mixed clientele with a traditional feel during the day and livelier crowd in the evening.

Refurbished to a high standard in Nov 2020 when new owners took charge. Hardwood floors and comfortable furniture make for a welcoming feel in this open plan pub with a number of alcoves and banks of seating. From the entrance door there is a long bar with 4 handpulls directly in front with a pool area off to the right.

Regular cask ales

No beers listed Add regular beers Hollywood casino real money online.

Changing cask ales

This pub serves 4 changing beers.

Source: Local

Updated on 15/10/2020
Last surveyed on 01/07/2020
Branch responsible is Hull & East Yorkshire

Seen some incorrect or missing details?
Send an email to the CAMRA branch with your updates.

Features

  • Real Ale Available
  • Real Cider Available

Facilities

  • Events

    Check facebook for details.

  • Traditional Pub Games

    Pool, darts.

  • Live Music

    Check facebook for details.

King billy hull jr

View on Larger Map

kings

41 Market Place
Hull
HU1 1RT

King Billy Pub Cottingham Hull

Sat Nav Reference

Transport

  • Close to Bus Routes
  • Close to Railway Station

Nearby Bus Routes (20m)

EYMS: 106 (Night bus running Saturday night only)

Nearby Station (900m)

Hull

Billy Hull And Wife

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King Billy, as the statue is affectionately know, sits in the centre of the road of Low Gate in Hull. The place was actually where the bear baiting ring was in previous times. The statue is of King William III, William of Orange. Hull was the first large city in Britain to swear their allegiance to the new King when he deposed James II in 1685. This came about as Parliament thought that James was to change the state religion to Catholic and they wanted to remain Protestant. Williams mother, Mary, was daughter of Charles I and then William had married Mary, his first cousin and eldest surviving daughter of James II, when he was the Duke of York. She was therefore the next in line to the throne after James II. William refused however to be consort to Queen Mary or only as King during her lifetime and threatened to leave the country. Parliament thought it better to have a Protestant King and so it was the connivance of the Houses of Lords and Commons that declared them joint Rulers but William would exercise the regal power for both of them. They were crowned in April 1689. He died in 1702.
The statue was paid for by public suscription and cost £785. Today this would be around £150,000. It was designed by a Dutchman Peter Scheemaker in 1734 and sits on a stone pedestal. The Statue is of William in Roman Emperor costume astride a horse. The statue was gilded in 1768. The Inscription reads; ' This statue was erected in the year 1734 to the memory of King William Third. Our Great Deliverer.'

Statue of King Billy in Low Gate in late 1800's as there are no toilets but the fountain and lamps are there.

The inscription on the plinth with the water fountain below that no longer is working.
In 1880 a plain drinking fountain was added to the plinth below the inscription and in the late 1800's the four lamps were added at the corners of the plinth. These were made by local firm King and Peach.


In the Victorian era some public conveniences were built below the statue. They were very ornate and had glass cisterns. I always thought they should have had gold fish in.

King Billy Hull Facebook


King Billy Cottingham Hull

Gents loos below King Billy's statue.

Billy Hull Still In Prison

It was the only piece of public art in Hull to removed to safety for the Second World War and it was taken to Sancton near Market Weighton. It was reinstated in 1948

King Billy Hull Pub


The statue being transported back to Low Gate.

King Billy Hull Wife

There are several myths concerning the statue. The first is that Scheemaker committed suicide when he realised that he had forgotten the stirups but in fact as he is depicted as a Roman they didn't have stirrups at the time. It is also said that when the clock of Holy Trinity strikes midnight King Billy gets off his horse and goes for a drink in the nearby pub. It is also said that when it strikes thirteen the horse also get down for a pint!