6: 5 Scale Lane
The medieval prosperity of Hull was based upon the export of wool to the Continent, much of it coming from the great monasteries of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
From the mid 14th century cloth and lead became the principal exports. The main imports were timber, corn and flax from the ports on the Baltic Sea, cod and herrings from Iceland, iron from Sweden and wine from Bordeaux in Gascony (part of France then held by the English kings).
Many of the medieval houses were timber–framed, including three substantial buildings that survived into the early 20th century on High Street, the favoured location for the merchants who wished to be close to their warehouses and staiths or private wharfs on the River Hull. Some were quite ornate, with decorative carved brackets and figures, as grand as anything to be found in York.
The only surviving timber-framed house in Hull is 5 Scale Lane, probably built in the 15th century, although some timber building elements can be seen at the Hull and East Riding Museums.
