Coltman Street Children's Clinic

114 Coltman Street HU3 2SF (residence of trawler owner and philanthropist Christopher Pickering, before it became a clinic)

In 1924, Hull became the first local authority to introduce an artificial sunlight clinic, in Coltman Street. This was for children, and it generated much interest when it was demonstrated in 1925 at the Hull Civic Fortnight at Wembley. The artificial sunlight helped to ensure that children received the necessary amount of Vitamin D, to treat and ward off rickets and to promote general well being. At the time, this treatment was quite expensive, and the debate about the merits of exposure to artificial sunlight continues today, in relation to conditions such as multiple sclerosis.