Life in Hull's Boulevard - the tree-lined Victorian suburb in one of the UK's cheapest postcodes
With its canopy of street-side trees, Victorian terrace houses and central fountain adorned with mermaids, Hull's Boulevard is in so many ways the quintessential leafy English suburb.
But the street, which runs between Anlaby Road and Hessle Road in west Hull, is nestled within one of the postcode areas with the cheapest house prices in the UK. The average price of a house in HU3 was £106,038 when measured according to sales in the year up to February.
The postcode area was in the 20 cheapest postcode areas in the country and prices in HU3 were down from £112,452 the year before. Prices as of February this year compare to Middlesbrough's TS1 with averages of £70,560 and the UK average of £282,000.
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LDRS visited Boulevard and spoke to people who lived in the street and nearby about life in the area. People said they were able to enjoy a street lined with trees and historic features which are much sought after elsewhere and a neighbourly atmosphere at very affordable prices.
'I grew up here and have happy memories of it'
Jean Key said she grew up in the Boulevard area and had lived in her current house for 23 years. She said: "It's different now, it's changed a lot.
"We get more fly-tipping around here now and you find more dog poo left when you're walking around, it's a shame. There's a lot more cars parked on the streets now and more of the houses are becoming multiple occupancy.
"But there are people trying to do something about it, there's a man and a lady who go up and down Boulevard and clean it as volunteers. Otherwise I enjoy living in this area, my terrace is very quiet, we have some doctors and nurses living down there.
"I bought my house 24 years ago for £12,200. But when you retire and you have to modify everything it becomes harder.
"When the sun's out and you see all the greenery and the old houses the area's really nice. I grew up around here and I have happy memories of it, I remember going to the library when I was little and in school and sitting crossed legged on the floor."
'It's our street that keeps us here'
Helen, who grew up on Boulevard, said she moved back to a street nearby with her husband and bagged an affordable period family home. The homeowner said: "I used to live on Boulevard itself when I was a teenager in the late 1990s, my husband and I own a house just around the corner.
"Our street is cut off and the neighbours know each other very well, we sometimes have street parties. We live in the HU3 postcode and we got our house cheap with just a small mortgage, we bought it in 2011 for £56,000.
"It's a fairly big house but it was really affordable, it's one of the reasons we bought a house here so we spend our money on other nice things with the kids. All the houses on our street were built in the early 1900s, in our loft the original decorator painted the year 1900 in it.
"When it's windy my husband worries about the roof but I say it's been here for more than 100 years so it'll be fine. The wider area isn't as good in my opinion, I walk my kids to school down Boulevard and take my dog for walks on it too, there's good parts and bad parts.
"It's a lovely looking street but sometimes there's people on it who aren't very desirable. But having said that we have got some really lovely people around here too.
"That's what keeps us here and on our street in particular, the kids are always playing out with each other and because it's closed off the only cars that come down it are the neighbours' and delivery drivers. Sometimes we wonder whether we should move or not but it's our street that keeps us here."
'The houses make the place something different'
Renter David Smith said he enjoyed the greenery and public art including the mural by the fountain in the middle of the road. He said: "I've lived here for about four years, it's ideal for getting to the local shops on Anlaby Road and Hessle Road.
"The greenery and art brighten things up a bit and the historic features on the houses make the place something different. I know my neighbours well, I'm friends with them, in my building there's five flats in total, they all have the old-style high ceilings. There's a garden we share where we can all go and sit in and be close to nature."
'Everything you need is nearby'
Nick Av who is renting with his girlfriend said the area was peaceful and convenient. He said: "I've lived here for about six months, the neighbourhood is all right.
"I used to work at a 24-hour McDonald's and whenever I walked down Boulevard after my shift late at night I never had any problems. The trees are really nice, a few weeks ago they were all bare but now the leaves have come out and they're greener which looks good.
"I like the fountain especially, it looks great and there's a small park nearby too. Before I lived here I was living in student accommodation close to the University of Hull campus while I was doing my masters degree.
"I didn't enjoy living there, it wasn't very nice, it's much better here. I like this area, everything you need like the supermarkets are all nearby, instead of going into the city centre we can spend our time here where it's quieter.
"The only issue we get sometimes is people living black bin bags full of waste in the public bins, sometimes they're overflowing. Otherwise it's quiet and there's no other problems."
'The greenery is a landmark'
A mother who asked not to be named said: "It's all right here, I've lived here about 10 years now and everyone knows everyone.
"I own my own house, the prices vary a lot, some houses are cheap but others will go for about £250,000.
"The greenery is a landmark in this area and at Christmas they decorate the fountain.
"There's quite a few things like that around here and there's also people doing things to help each other, I'd say 90 per cent of the people here are friendly and neighbourly."