Inspired by the almost forgotten, deep-rooted relationship Hull had with seed crushing, we created a new bespoke musical composition to represent the rise and fall of an industry that shaped the city’s docks, its economy and its people. 

Covering its early beginnings and origins in the 1700’s as Hull opened its docks to the world, the wash of water against the Humber heightens as sacks filled with Linseed, Rapeseed and Cottonseed unloaded from vessels are delivered. Each tiny grain carries with it the promise of oil; the fuel of a changing world. 

At its height, Hull became a powerhouse of industry and a pulse of resilient working class energy that placed it at the global centre of seed crushing. Over the decades the sound of grinding millstones, the hiss of steam, mechanical thumping and dockside bustle was matched with men shouting orders, factory sirens and market cries. This was prosperity. This was labour. This was Hull at work.

But like any industry, it’s fragility can be exposed and as the eras pass, it’s struggles soon become apparent as the story turns. 

Global change brings competition. Mills close. Machinery falls silent. The once-vital sounds fade into echoes. What remains is a hollow quiet, broken only by memory — the ghost of industry lingering in the air.

And yet, the seed is a symbol of renewal. Even in decline, there is potential. This soundscape closes with a sense of reflection and hope: the knowledge that Hull’s history is not forgotten, that seeds carry stories as well as sustenance, and that from the smallest of beginnings, change can always grow.

Seeds of Change is not just the story of an industry. It is the story of Hull itself — it’s rise, it’s struggles, and it’s enduring spirit of transformation.