Port of Hull
Encyclopedia
The Port of Hull is a trading port located at the confluence of the River Hull
and the Humber
Estuary in the city of Kingston upon Hull
in the East Riding of Yorkshire
, England. Seaborne trade can be traced to at least the 13th century. As of 2010 the main port is operated by Associated British Ports
and is estimated to handle one million passengers per year and is the main softwood timber importation port for the UK. The Port of Hull is a constituent port of the Hull and Humber Ports City Region
.
flows out into the Humber at the same point.
An important event in the history of Hull as a port was the acquisition by the crown (Edward I
), followed by it becoming (in 1897) the only port from which goods could be exported overseas from the county of Yorkshire. Thus in the 13th and 14th centuries Hull was a major English port for the export of wool,Much from the North Yorkshire moors then called Blackhower Moor, additionally wheat, corn, lead, leather were exported, later (14th century) also cloth. much of it to Flanders
, with wine being a major import.Also dyestuffs - Madder
, Woad
as well as Alum
for mordant, as well as wood, iron and iron ore and a wide variety of foreign goods. During this period the river Hull was made navigable as far as the then important town of Beverley
(1269), and roads built connecting Hull to Beverley, Holderness and to the via regia
between Hessle
and Beverley near to Anlaby (about 1302).
By the 15th century trade with the Hanseatic league
had become important, also in the same period the growth of the English cloth industry meant that the export of cloth from Hull increased whilst wool exports decreased. The 16th century brought a considerable reduction in the amount of cloth traded through the port, but the export of Lead increased. By the late 17th century Hull was the third port in the realm after London and Bristol, with export of Lead and cloth, and imports of flax and hemp as well as iron and tar from the Baltic.
Up till 1773 trade was conducted by the "Old harbour" (also known as The Haven) which was in effect a series of wharves
upon the west bank of the river Hull,The east of the river not being developed until later with warehouses and the merchants houses backing on to the wharf along the High Street.The High Street still contains merchant buildings, most from a later date, Wilberforce House
dates to 1660, and was once used for this purpose. Wilberforce House and Hull's High Street www.hullcc.gov.uk
In 1773 the Hull Corporation, Hull Trinity House and Hull merchants formed the "Dock Company" (the first statutory dock company in Britain), the Crown gave the land which contained Hull's city walls and fortifications for a docks construction, and an act of Parliament was passed in 1774 allowing the Dock company to raise up to £100,000 by shares and loans; thus; Hull's first dock (the Old Dock): a wet dock
began construction. Three docks (known as the Town Docks) which followed the path of the town walls were constructed by the company between 1778 and 1829: The Old Dock (later Queen's Dock) (1778), Humber Dock (1809), and Junction Dock (later Prince's Dock) (1829). An extension of the Town Docks: Railway Dock was built in 1846 just north of the terminus of the then recently opened Hull and Selby Railway
. The first dock in Hull east of the river Hull (Victoria Dock) was constructed between 1845 and 1850; this became the main dock for timber trade, and was expanded in the next two decades including the construction of large timber ponds.
In 1860 a rival company the West Dock Company was formed with the purpose of promoting and building new docks suitable for the increasing amounts of trade and the increasing size of steam ships; the scheme was supported by the Hull Corporation, the Trinity House, the North Eastern Railway
and various individuals in Hull. The site for the proposed dock was on the Humber foreshore to the west of the River Hull. The Dock Company then proposed a larger dock at the same position, which was sanctioned by an Act of Parliament in 1861One clause of the Hull Docks Act of 1861 was that the Dock Company could be converted to a municipally owned dock trust by the Hull Corporation, additionally the dividends paid by the company were restricted: the Dock Company had been created as a private 'for profit' company, and was subject to widespread prejudice in the town of Hull that it better served the interests of the shareholders rather than the port itself; the shareholders were characterised as being uninterested in the development of the port. see A History of the County of York East Riding: Volume 1 - The City of Kingston upon Hull, "The Corporation and the Dock Company, 1835–70", Editor: K.J. Allison, online version This dock was known as "the Western Dock" until its opening in 1869 when it was named "Albert Dock", an extension "William Wright Dock" was opened 1880. A third dock ("St. Andrew's Dock") on the humber foreshore west of the river Hull was built in 1883. All three docks where ideally suited for trans-shipment by rail as they were directly south of and parallel with the Selby to Hull railway line that terminated in the centre of Hull.
In 1885 Alexandra Dock opened, which was owned and operated by the Hull Barnsley & West Riding Junction Railway and Dock Company. This ended the monopoly the Dock Company had on dock facilities in Hull and led to price cutting competition between the two companies for dock charges; the Dock Company was operating at a loss and in 1886 began to seek to merge the company into a larger organisation - the obvious choice being the North Eastern Railway
. In 1891 the North Eastern Railway acquired the shares and debts of the Dock Company in exchange for its shares. Construction of a new dock was then planned to be built east of Alexandra Dock (this was to become the King George Dock, completed 1914 as a joint enterprise between the N.E.R and Hull and Barnsley Railway). Actual legal amalgamation of the Dock Company and N.E.R. took place in 1893, one of the clauses of the Act of Parliament allowing the merger was that about £500,000 would be spent on dock improvements over the next seven years.
, which was nationalised in 1948 into the British Transport Commission
. In 1962 the British Transport Docks Board
was formed as a result of the Transport Act of 1962
, in 1981 the company was de-nationalised (Transport Act 1981
) and Associated British Ports was formed.
, the work being finished by the engineer John Grundy
. The dock was called The Dock until the construction of further docks, whence it was called The Old Dock, it was officially named the Queen's Dock in 1855.The docks were renamed in honour of Queen Victoria's and the Prince Consort's (Prince Albert) visit to Hull in 1854, during which the Royal Party made a tour of the docks on the steam-yacht "Fairy". Source: General and concise history and description of the town and port of Kingston-upon-Hull, J.J. Sheahan, pp. 190 and 289.
The dock entrance was on the river Hull just south of North Bridge, and the dock itself built along the path of the North Wall (westsouthwest) as far as the Beverley Gate.The walls were demolished, but not all the gate, which was subsequently rediscovered in the 20th century - the part occupying the gap between the constructions of Queen's and Prince's Dock Coast Walk: Point 8 - Beverley Gate www.bbc.co.uk Some of the work proved inadequate, requiring reconstruction later. The dock walls were of local brick, whilst cement for its construction was rendered waterproof through the use of pozzolana
imported from Italy. At the entrance to the dock a double drawbridge, counterbalanced for ease of use, of the Dutch, type allowed people to cross the lock.
The dock was 1703 ft (519.1 m) long, 254 ft (77.4 m) wide, and the lock 121 ft (36.9 m) long and 38 ft (11.6 m) wide, with the depth of water being between 15 ft (4.6 m) and 20 ft (6.1 m) depending on the tide.
The dock closed in 1930 and was sold to the Corporation for £100,000, subsequently it was infilled and converted to an ornamental gardens known as Queen's Gardens
.
Both John Rennie and William Chapman
were employed as engineers, John Harrap was the on site engineer. Construction started in 1803 and was completed in 1809 at a cost of £220,000; mud from the excavations was used to make new ground on the banks of the Humber.
The dock entrance was from the Humber via an outer basin with piers. The dock itself was 914 ft (278.6 m) long and 342 ft (104.2 m) wide, the lock was 158 ft (48.2 m) long and 42 ft (12.8 m) wide. The depth of water varied from 26 ft (7.9 m) to 21 ft (6.4 m) seasonally depending on the tides.
Humber Dock closed in 1968, it re-opened in 1983 as the Hull Marina
.
One stipulation of the Act of 1802 for the construction of Humber Dock was that, when the average tonnage of goods unloaded at the docks reached a certain level, the Dock Company would build a third dock between the Old and Humber docks. This continuation was satified in 1825, the Act of Parliament required had already been passed in 1824, and construction of the third dock began in 1826.
This dock, Junction Dock was constructed between, and connected the Old and Humber docks; making the old town of hull an island bounded by the three docks, river and estuary; it was designed by James Walker
(John Timperley was resident engineer) and built roughly along the lines of the old fortifications between Beverley and Myton gates. The construction cost £186,000.
The dock opened in 1829 and was 645 ft (196.6 m) long and 407 ft (124.1 m) wide, with a lock at each end 36 ft (11 m) wide with a bridge over each. In 1855 it was renamed Prince's Dock.
The dock closed in 1968, part of the dock still exists, but without a lock connection to Humber dock; the Princes Quay
shopping centre (1991) was built over part of the dock on stilts, the dock now features a fountain.
Its primary purpose was for the transfer of goods to and from the newly built Hull and Selby Railway
which had its passenger terminus just west of Humber Dock facing onto Railway Street, and its goods sheds north of this. Railway lines also ran from the goods shed to the Humber dock.
Like Humber Dock the dock closed in 1968 and in 1984 became part of the Hull Marina
.
One major use of the dock was for the trade in timber, there were also facilities for cattle import including abbatoirs and cold stores, coal was also exported through the dock. In 1863 Victoria Dock was expanded by east by 8 acre (32,374.9 m²), and another timber pond of 12 acre (48,562.3 m²) added east of the humber entrance to the dock.
The western boundary of the dock was defined by the Hull Citadel, which was subsequently sold to the Dock company and demolished in 1864, the site then used for timber storage, Part of the former Citadel land was used by Martin Samuelson and Company (later Humber Iron Works) for shipbuilding, later by Cook, Welton & Gemmell
(from 1883 to 1902). C. & W. Earle
also had shipbuilding facilities (established 1851) on the banks of the Humber adjacent to and south of Victoria dock.
The Dock closed in the 1970s and was infilled; the land being used for the construction of a housing estate in the late 1980s. Of the dock the entrance basin on the Humber part remains though permanently sealed, as does part of the entrance to the dock on the river Hull.
The Hull Dock Act of 1861 sanctioned the building of a new dock on the Humber foreshore - its entrance was at the eastern end close to the entrance of Humber Dock. Construction began in 1863, the engineer was John Hackshaw and the site engineer J.C. Hackshaw. The dock followed the bank of the estuary east west being 1034 yd (945.5 m) long, with an area of 17 acre (68,796.6 m²). It opened in 1869 and was named Albert Dock.
In 1865 the Dock Company got permission to build a westwards extension to the dock - construction began in 1873 and the dock opened in 1880 and was named William Wright Dock after the name of the Chairman of the Dock Company. The dock was 6.75 acre (27,316.3 m²) in size.
In 1907 the NER
constructed a 2500 ft (762 m) quay (Riverside Quay) on the humber bank on the south side of Albert dock. The quay was designed for foodstuffs and other goods requiring rapid handling, and also incorporated a passenger station for continental boat trains. During the Second World War the quay was destroyed as a result of enemy bombing, During the 1950s a new concrete Quay 1065 ft (324.6 m) long was constructed and officially opened in 1959. The south side of Albert dock modernised to a similar design as the new Riverside quay in 1964.
Both docks were closed to commercial vessels in 1972, and converted for use as fish docks, the Hull fish fleet moved to the docks in 1975. As of 2010 both docks remain in use for general cargo traffic, as well as being the landing point for the much reduced Hull fishing industry.
The dock was extended in 1897 (by about 10 acres) after the Hull Dock Company was taken over by the North Eastern railway.
The dock was in use until the 1975 when the fishing industry was moved to Albert Dock at which point the dock closed. Partial filling in of the dock began in the 1980s. The western part has been redeveloped into the St. Andrews Quay retail park whilst the eastern part has been declared a conservation area due to its social historic interest. The Dock entrance, and some shipping company buildings remain in situ, but the remains of the dock are completely silted up.
The entrance lock was 550 ft (167.6 m) long at 85 ft (25.9 m) wide. Two graving docks, one 500 ft (152.4 m) long and 60 ft (18.3 m) wide, the other a little bigger were also built at the northeast corner of the dock. Its primary purpose was the export of coal.
In 1899/1900 the dock was expanded by 7 acre (28,328 m²). A pier onto the Humber estuary was added in 1911, the pier was 1350 ft (411.5 m) with a 18 ft (5.5 m) minimum depth of water at spring tides, and was equipped with electric conveyors for the transportation of coal. The area of the wharf, west of the dock entrance was proposed for a riverside container terminal in the 2000s, the project Quay 2005 gained approved in December 2005.
Alexandra Dock closed in 1982 at which time the connection to the rail network was removed, in 1991 the dock re-opened but without a rail connection. As of 2010 the dock handles cargoes including aggregates, bulk agricultural products and bulk chemicals, and wood. The dock also has a Ro-Ro terminal.
In January 2011 Siemens
and Associated British Ports signed a memorandum of understanding concerning the construction of wind energy machine manufacturing plant at Alexander Dock. The plan would require some modification of the dock to allow the ships, used for transporting the wind turbines, to dock and be loaded, and would make use of the proposed Quay 2005 riverside facilities, which had already gained planning consent. The development - known as Green Port Hull, would infill the dock west of the lock gates with about 192 acres (776,997.1 m²) of material creating additional land for operations, and 18.6 acres (7.5 ha) of land would be created on the banks of the Humber for shipping; and businesses already located in the western part of the dock would be relocated, primarily to other sites within the port of Hull.
Built as a joint development between the Hull and Barnsley Railway
and the North Eastern Railway
, and contracted to S. Pearson in 1906, the design was undertaken by Sir Benjamin Baker and Sir John Wolfe-Barry
. King George Dock (also known as the Joint Dock) was opened in 1914 by King George V.
The dock's entrance lock was 750 ft (228.6 m) long and 85 ft (25.9 m) wide, the unexpanded water area was 53 acre (214,483.6 m²). Two graving docks were also constructed in the dock in its north east corner. Initially primarily used for coal a grain silo was added in 1919, initially used for imports and later for export of grain, the silo was demolished in 2010/11.
In 1965 the creation of berths for use by Roll on roll off ferries began the increasing use of Ro-Ro ferries at the dock for unit freight transport. In 1968 work on an 28 acre (113,312.1 m²) extension to King George Dock built on reclaimed land to the south east of the dock was begun, the extension was officially opened in August 1969 by Queen Elizabeth II and named Queen Elizabeth Dock. At Elizabeth dock container terminal was opened in 1971, and two Ro-Ro terminals were opened in 1973, by 1975 there were six Ro-Ro terminals in the two docks.
In 1993 River Terminal 1 (now known as "Rotterdam terminal") a terminal for large Ro-Ro vessels was opened on the banks of humber estuary south of the King George dock, constructed at a cost of £12 million. A covered shed for paper products (Finland terminal) was opened in 2000, by 2006 expanded to 70000 sq ft (6,503.2 m²) As of 2010 other facilities at the two docks included a 840000 ft3 cold store, a enclosed terminal for ship to shore handling of metals, general cargo and bulk grain, and passenger services to Rotterdam
and Zeebrugge
; the company AarhusKarlshamn operates a large vegetable based oil products processing plant at the dock, and the Kingston Terminal located at the southeast of Queen Elizabeth dock is used for import of coal products. In 2010 there were ten Ro-Ro berths in total within the two docks.
On the east bank of the river Hull were Crown Dry Dock,53.742867°N 0.328809°W Crown Dry Dock, no longer extant, but lock gates remain as frontage onto the river Hull as of 2010 104 by half way between the river outfall and entrance to Victoria dock's drypool basin. Further upstream was Union Dock, 214 by, opposite the entrance to Queen's dock,53.746528°N 0.328345°W Union dry dock, as of 2010 still extant but completely silted, the entrance to the dock is crossed by steel footbridge along the river Hull east bank footpath dating to the first half of the 1800s. and a third dock further upstream.53.749218°N 0.330899°W No longer visible.
On the west bank of the river Hull there were ship repair facilities just within the city walls at North Gate on the river dating back as far as the 15th century, with slipways by the 18th century; the entrance to Queen's dock was later built in this area, and two dry docks remain North Bridge Dry Dock and No.1 Dry Dock to the north and south of Queen's dock basin respectively. North Bridge dry dock53.746981°N 0.330007°W North Bridge dry dock and No.1 dry dock53.746252°N 0.329402°W No.1 dry dock were smaller dry docks of around 150 ft (45.7 m) long and with entrances less than 40 ft (12.2 m) Both were extended in the latter part of the 19th centurys. The northernmost of the two docks is a Grade II listed structure. Additionally the former Queen's dock basin was converted to a enclosed dock after the main dock was infilled.
Corporation Pier, first constructed in 1810 was parallel to the mainland but not direct connected to it, it was converted to a "T" shaped pier in 1847, used as the terminus of the Hull to New Holland
ferry, initially run by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
(MS&LR), later by the LNER
and British Rail
, until the service ended in 1981 due to the opening of the Humber Bridge
. It was renamed Victoria Pier in 1854.Both names were commonly used53.737703°N 0.333852°W Corporation or Victoria pier A railway booking office latterly named was established here by the MS&LR, and closed on 25 June 1981 with the cessation of the ferry service. The pier has been altered a number of times during its existence, a floating pontoon was added in 1877, removed in 1980; an upper Promenade was added in 1882, and removed in the mid 20th century; as of 2005 the primary wooden structure is "L" shaped.
To the west of Victoria Pier were the "L" shaped piers enclosing the Humber dock basin, The West Pier became defunct in the 19th century, the land to the west being reclaimed from the Humber to form Island Wharf. The East Pier was a wooden structure, since the 1920s known as the Minerva pier; it was replaced by a steel walled pier in the latter part of the twentieth century.
As of 2010 the piers are still used to harbour vessels, but are not used for cargo handling.
The river Hull had extensive staithes, wharfs and warehouses along its length; the old harbour could accommodate vessels up to 200 ft (61 m), the river being navigable for vessels up to 180 ft (54.9 m) for two miles. As of 2010 Cargo handling has mostly ceased in the old harbour, barges are still used for transportation of vegetable and mineral oils further upstream within the boundaries of Hull: including to Rix petroleum, the Cargil vegetable oil plant in Stoneferry
, and to the Croda
chemicals vegetable oil chemical processing plant.
a jetty (No.1 Oil Jetty) for the importation of bulk mineral oil was constructed in 1914 by the North Eastern
and Hull and Barnsley
railway companies, connected to a tank farm
at Salt End. The jetty was constructed extending into the humber, giving a water depth of 30 ft (9.1 m) at low spring tides. Chemical industrial development fed by the oil imports would develop into the chemical site at Salt End known as BP Saltend.
No.2 Jetty was constructed in 1928 westward of No.1, and a reinforced concrete structure No.3 Jetty was built 1958, the original No.1 jetty was demolished and replaced with a new structure in 1959. No.2 jetty was demolished in 1977. As of 2010 both No.1 and 3 jetties remain in use.
Historical
Images
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River Hull
The River Hull is a navigable river in the East Riding of Yorkshire in the north of England. It rises from a series of springs to the west of Driffield, and enters the Humber estuary at Kingston upon Hull. Following a period when the Archbishops of York charged tolls for its use, it became a free...
and the Humber
Humber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...
Estuary in the city of Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
in the East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
, England. Seaborne trade can be traced to at least the 13th century. As of 2010 the main port is operated by Associated British Ports
Associated British Ports Holdings
Associated British Ports Holdings Ltd owns and operates 21 ports in the United Kingdom, managing around 25 per cent of the UK's sea-borne trade...
and is estimated to handle one million passengers per year and is the main softwood timber importation port for the UK. The Port of Hull is a constituent port of the Hull and Humber Ports City Region
Hull and Humber Ports City Region
The Hull and Humber Ports City Region is the area whose economic development is supported by the Humber Economic Partnership , a sub-regional economic development partnership. This sub-region covers an area of the Yorkshire and the Humber Region and is centred around the primary built up urban...
.
Background
Hull lies on a naturally advantageous position for portage, since its position on the north side of the Humber Estuary before a bend southwards gives rise to (on average) deeper water; in addition the River HullRiver Hull
The River Hull is a navigable river in the East Riding of Yorkshire in the north of England. It rises from a series of springs to the west of Driffield, and enters the Humber estuary at Kingston upon Hull. Following a period when the Archbishops of York charged tolls for its use, it became a free...
flows out into the Humber at the same point.
An important event in the history of Hull as a port was the acquisition by the crown (Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
), followed by it becoming (in 1897) the only port from which goods could be exported overseas from the county of Yorkshire. Thus in the 13th and 14th centuries Hull was a major English port for the export of wool,Much from the North Yorkshire moors then called Blackhower Moor, additionally wheat, corn, lead, leather were exported, later (14th century) also cloth. much of it to Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, with wine being a major import.Also dyestuffs - Madder
Madder
Rubia is a genus of the madder family Rubiaceae, which contains about 60 species of perennial scrambling or climbing herbs and sub-shrubs native to the Old World, Africa, temperate Asia and America...
, Woad
Woad
Isatis tinctoria, with Woad as the common name, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is commonly called dyer's woad, and sometimes incorrectly listed as Isatis indigotica . It is occasionally known as Asp of Jerusalem...
as well as Alum
Alum
Alum is both a specific chemical compound and a class of chemical compounds. The specific compound is the hydrated potassium aluminium sulfate with the formula KAl2.12H2O. The wider class of compounds known as alums have the related empirical formula, AB2.12H2O.-Chemical properties:Alums are...
for mordant, as well as wood, iron and iron ore and a wide variety of foreign goods. During this period the river Hull was made navigable as far as the then important town of Beverley
Beverley
Beverley is a market town, civil parish and the county town of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, located between the River Hull and the Westwood. The town is noted for Beverley Minster and architecturally-significant religious buildings along New Walk and other areas, as well as the Beverley...
(1269), and roads built connecting Hull to Beverley, Holderness and to the via regia
Via Regia
Via Regia, i.e. "Royal Highway", denotes a mediæval historic road. The term, in the usual sense, means not just a specific road, rather a type of road. It was legally associated with the king and remained under his special protection and guarantee of public peace.There were many such roads in the...
between Hessle
Hessle
Hessle is a town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, situated west of Kingston upon Hull city centre. Geographically it is part of a larger urban area which consists of the city of Kingston upon Hull, the town of Hessle and a number of other villages but is not part of the...
and Beverley near to Anlaby (about 1302).
By the 15th century trade with the Hanseatic league
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
had become important, also in the same period the growth of the English cloth industry meant that the export of cloth from Hull increased whilst wool exports decreased. The 16th century brought a considerable reduction in the amount of cloth traded through the port, but the export of Lead increased. By the late 17th century Hull was the third port in the realm after London and Bristol, with export of Lead and cloth, and imports of flax and hemp as well as iron and tar from the Baltic.
Up till 1773 trade was conducted by the "Old harbour" (also known as The Haven) which was in effect a series of wharves
Wharf
A wharf or quay is a structure on the shore of a harbor where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.Such a structure includes one or more berths , and may also include piers, warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships.A wharf commonly comprises a fixed...
upon the west bank of the river Hull,The east of the river not being developed until later with warehouses and the merchants houses backing on to the wharf along the High Street.The High Street still contains merchant buildings, most from a later date, Wilberforce House
Wilberforce House
Wilberforce House is the birth place of William Wilberforce, the famous abolitionist, and is located in High Street, Kingston upon Hull, England. Like the nearby Blaydes House and Maister House, it was formerly a Merchant's house with access to quayside on the River Hull...
dates to 1660, and was once used for this purpose. Wilberforce House and Hull's High Street www.hullcc.gov.uk
Hull Dock Company
By the 18th century it was becoming increasingly clear that the Haven was not fit for the increasing amount of trade; not only was it narrow, but tidal and prone to build up of mud from the estuary. An additionally stimulus was the demand for a 'legal quay' on which customs officials could easily examine and weigh goods for export without causing excessive delay to shipment.In 1773 the Hull Corporation, Hull Trinity House and Hull merchants formed the "Dock Company" (the first statutory dock company in Britain), the Crown gave the land which contained Hull's city walls and fortifications for a docks construction, and an act of Parliament was passed in 1774 allowing the Dock company to raise up to £100,000 by shares and loans; thus; Hull's first dock (the Old Dock): a wet dock
Wet dock
A wet dock is a dock where the level of water in the dock is maintained despite the raising and lowering of the tide. This makes transfer of cargo easier. It works like a lock which controls the water level and allows passage of ships.-External links:...
began construction. Three docks (known as the Town Docks) which followed the path of the town walls were constructed by the company between 1778 and 1829: The Old Dock (later Queen's Dock) (1778), Humber Dock (1809), and Junction Dock (later Prince's Dock) (1829). An extension of the Town Docks: Railway Dock was built in 1846 just north of the terminus of the then recently opened Hull and Selby Railway
Hull and Selby Railway
The Hull and Selby Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which opened in 1840, connecting Hull with the Leeds and Selby Railway-Origins:...
. The first dock in Hull east of the river Hull (Victoria Dock) was constructed between 1845 and 1850; this became the main dock for timber trade, and was expanded in the next two decades including the construction of large timber ponds.
In 1860 a rival company the West Dock Company was formed with the purpose of promoting and building new docks suitable for the increasing amounts of trade and the increasing size of steam ships; the scheme was supported by the Hull Corporation, the Trinity House, the North Eastern Railway
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
and various individuals in Hull. The site for the proposed dock was on the Humber foreshore to the west of the River Hull. The Dock Company then proposed a larger dock at the same position, which was sanctioned by an Act of Parliament in 1861One clause of the Hull Docks Act of 1861 was that the Dock Company could be converted to a municipally owned dock trust by the Hull Corporation, additionally the dividends paid by the company were restricted: the Dock Company had been created as a private 'for profit' company, and was subject to widespread prejudice in the town of Hull that it better served the interests of the shareholders rather than the port itself; the shareholders were characterised as being uninterested in the development of the port. see A History of the County of York East Riding: Volume 1 - The City of Kingston upon Hull, "The Corporation and the Dock Company, 1835–70", Editor: K.J. Allison, online version This dock was known as "the Western Dock" until its opening in 1869 when it was named "Albert Dock", an extension "William Wright Dock" was opened 1880. A third dock ("St. Andrew's Dock") on the humber foreshore west of the river Hull was built in 1883. All three docks where ideally suited for trans-shipment by rail as they were directly south of and parallel with the Selby to Hull railway line that terminated in the centre of Hull.
In 1885 Alexandra Dock opened, which was owned and operated by the Hull Barnsley & West Riding Junction Railway and Dock Company. This ended the monopoly the Dock Company had on dock facilities in Hull and led to price cutting competition between the two companies for dock charges; the Dock Company was operating at a loss and in 1886 began to seek to merge the company into a larger organisation - the obvious choice being the North Eastern Railway
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
. In 1891 the North Eastern Railway acquired the shares and debts of the Dock Company in exchange for its shares. Construction of a new dock was then planned to be built east of Alexandra Dock (this was to become the King George Dock, completed 1914 as a joint enterprise between the N.E.R and Hull and Barnsley Railway). Actual legal amalgamation of the Dock Company and N.E.R. took place in 1893, one of the clauses of the Act of Parliament allowing the merger was that about £500,000 would be spent on dock improvements over the next seven years.
Dock ownership (1922-)
The Hull and Barnsley railway became part of the North Eastern Railway in 1922, making the docks in Hull the responsibility of a sole company once again. The grouping act of 1923 merged the N.E.R. into the London and North Eastern RailwayLondon and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
, which was nationalised in 1948 into the British Transport Commission
British Transport Commission
The British Transport Commission was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain...
. In 1962 the British Transport Docks Board
British Transport Docks Board
The British Transport Docks Board was a nationalised industry, managing former railway-owned docks in Great Britain. It was created by the Transport Act 1962 and abolished by the Transport Act 1981, which provided for its privatisation as Associated British Ports.The business had its origins in...
was formed as a result of the Transport Act of 1962
Transport Act 1962
The Transport Act 1962 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Described as the "most momentous piece of legislation in the field of railway law to have been enacted since the Railway and Canal Traffic Act 1854", it was passed by Harold Macmillan's Conservative government to dissolve the...
, in 1981 the company was de-nationalised (Transport Act 1981
Transport Act 1981
The Transport Act 1981 was a Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. Amongst other items it introduced the compulsory wearing of seat belts for front seat passengers for a trial period of three year....
) and Associated British Ports was formed.
The Old Dock
The first dock in Hull, was built built between 1775 and 1778 to a design by Henry BerryHenry Berry
Henry Berry, was Liverpool's second dock engineer succeeding Thomas Steers and being succeeded by Thomas Morris. Berry Street in Liverpool may be named after Berry who lived in a house at the junction with Duke Street, where the White Horse pub stands.He built Salthouse Dock, George's Dock and...
, the work being finished by the engineer John Grundy
John Grundy, Jr.
John Grundy, Jr. was an English civil engineer, who worked on a number of drainage schemes, canal projects and dock works. He lived in Spalding, Lincolnshire from 1739...
. The dock was called The Dock until the construction of further docks, whence it was called The Old Dock, it was officially named the Queen's Dock in 1855.The docks were renamed in honour of Queen Victoria's and the Prince Consort's (Prince Albert) visit to Hull in 1854, during which the Royal Party made a tour of the docks on the steam-yacht "Fairy". Source: General and concise history and description of the town and port of Kingston-upon-Hull, J.J. Sheahan, pp. 190 and 289.
The dock entrance was on the river Hull just south of North Bridge, and the dock itself built along the path of the North Wall (westsouthwest) as far as the Beverley Gate.The walls were demolished, but not all the gate, which was subsequently rediscovered in the 20th century - the part occupying the gap between the constructions of Queen's and Prince's Dock Coast Walk: Point 8 - Beverley Gate www.bbc.co.uk Some of the work proved inadequate, requiring reconstruction later. The dock walls were of local brick, whilst cement for its construction was rendered waterproof through the use of pozzolana
Pozzolana
Pozzolana, also known as pozzolanic ash , is a fine, sandy volcanic ash. Pozzolanic ash was first discovered and dug in Italy, at Pozzuoli. It was later discovered at a number of other sites as well...
imported from Italy. At the entrance to the dock a double drawbridge, counterbalanced for ease of use, of the Dutch, type allowed people to cross the lock.
The dock was 1703 ft (519.1 m) long, 254 ft (77.4 m) wide, and the lock 121 ft (36.9 m) long and 38 ft (11.6 m) wide, with the depth of water being between 15 ft (4.6 m) and 20 ft (6.1 m) depending on the tide.
The dock closed in 1930 and was sold to the Corporation for £100,000, subsequently it was infilled and converted to an ornamental gardens known as Queen's Gardens
Queen's Gardens, Hull
Queen's Gardens is a sequence of gardens in the centre of Kingston upon Hull, England. They are set out within a area that until 1930 was filled with the waters of Queen's Dock...
.
Humber Dock
Since the entrance to the Old Dock was via the river Hull there were still problems with ships accessing the dock through the crowded river; in 1781 a canal was proposed to connect the Old Dock to the Humber, additionally sea-borne trade was still in general increasing. There was some delay in making a solution, partly due to lethargy of the Dock Company, but, by 1802 a bill had been passed in Parliament for the construction of a second dock; again following the path of the City walls, this time from Hessle gate roughly northwards.Both John Rennie and William Chapman
William Chapman
George William Albert Chapman, né George William Alphred , was a Canadian poet.Chapman was born at Saint-François-de-Beauce, Quebec , and was educated at Levis College. He studied law, afterward engaged in commercial pursuits, and later entered the civil service of the Province of Quebec...
were employed as engineers, John Harrap was the on site engineer. Construction started in 1803 and was completed in 1809 at a cost of £220,000; mud from the excavations was used to make new ground on the banks of the Humber.
The dock entrance was from the Humber via an outer basin with piers. The dock itself was 914 ft (278.6 m) long and 342 ft (104.2 m) wide, the lock was 158 ft (48.2 m) long and 42 ft (12.8 m) wide. The depth of water varied from 26 ft (7.9 m) to 21 ft (6.4 m) seasonally depending on the tides.
Humber Dock closed in 1968, it re-opened in 1983 as the Hull Marina
Hull Marina
Hull Marina is a marina for pleasure boats situated in the English city of Kingston upon Hull. It was opened in 1983 on the site of the former Railway dock and Humber docks....
.
Junction Dock
This dock, Junction Dock was constructed between, and connected the Old and Humber docks; making the old town of hull an island bounded by the three docks, river and estuary; it was designed by James Walker
James Walker (engineer)
James Walker, FRS, was an influential Scottish civil engineer of the first half of the 19th century.Walker was born in Falkirk and was apprenticed to his uncle Ralph Walker in approximately 1800, with whom he gained experience working on the design and construction of the West India and East India...
(John Timperley was resident engineer) and built roughly along the lines of the old fortifications between Beverley and Myton gates. The construction cost £186,000.
The dock opened in 1829 and was 645 ft (196.6 m) long and 407 ft (124.1 m) wide, with a lock at each end 36 ft (11 m) wide with a bridge over each. In 1855 it was renamed Prince's Dock.
The dock closed in 1968, part of the dock still exists, but without a lock connection to Humber dock; the Princes Quay
Princes Quay
Princes Quay is a shopping centre in the heart of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The centre is unusual in that it is built on stilts over Prince's Dock after which it is named...
shopping centre (1991) was built over part of the dock on stilts, the dock now features a fountain.
Railway Dock
Permission to construct two new docks was granted in 1844, one being the "Railway Dock", the other "Victoria Dock". The Railway Dock was connected on the west side of Junction Dock (north of Kingston Street), and was smaller than the other town docks. The dock of 13130 sq ft (1,219.8 m²) cost something over £100,000 and was designed by J.B Hartley and opened in 1846.Its primary purpose was for the transfer of goods to and from the newly built Hull and Selby Railway
Hull and Selby Railway
The Hull and Selby Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which opened in 1840, connecting Hull with the Leeds and Selby Railway-Origins:...
which had its passenger terminus just west of Humber Dock facing onto Railway Street, and its goods sheds north of this. Railway lines also ran from the goods shed to the Humber dock.
Like Humber Dock the dock closed in 1968 and in 1984 became part of the Hull Marina
Hull Marina
Hull Marina is a marina for pleasure boats situated in the English city of Kingston upon Hull. It was opened in 1983 on the site of the former Railway dock and Humber docks....
.
Victoria Dock
Permission to build the first dock on the east side of the River Hull was granted in 1844; construction of this new dock began in 1845 and was completed in 1850 at a cost of £300,000. In its initial form the dock had an area of about 12.83 acre (51,921.2 m²). There were two extrances: one on the River Hull south of the entrance to the Old Dock and of Drypool Bridge had and outer lock which opened directly to a second locked area known as Drypool Basin, the second entrance was on the Humber; from an outer basin it led via two parallel locks to the Half Tide Basin,One lock was narrower and used for barges. Source: List of historically interesting structures in Hull via web5.hullcc.gov.uk (Hull City Council) and then to the Dock itself. The engineer was J.B. Hartley.One major use of the dock was for the trade in timber, there were also facilities for cattle import including abbatoirs and cold stores, coal was also exported through the dock. In 1863 Victoria Dock was expanded by east by 8 acre (32,374.9 m²), and another timber pond of 12 acre (48,562.3 m²) added east of the humber entrance to the dock.
The western boundary of the dock was defined by the Hull Citadel, which was subsequently sold to the Dock company and demolished in 1864, the site then used for timber storage, Part of the former Citadel land was used by Martin Samuelson and Company (later Humber Iron Works) for shipbuilding, later by Cook, Welton & Gemmell
Cook, Welton & Gemmell
Cook, Welton and Gemmell was a shipbuilders based in Hull and Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire. England.The firm was founded in 1883 on South Bridge Road, Hull, on the Humber bank. The founding partners were William James Cook, Charles Keen Welton and William Gemmell...
(from 1883 to 1902). C. & W. Earle
Earle's Shipbuilding
Earle's Shipbuilding was an engineering company that was based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England from 1845 to 1932.-Earle Brothers:...
also had shipbuilding facilities (established 1851) on the banks of the Humber adjacent to and south of Victoria dock.
The Dock closed in the 1970s and was infilled; the land being used for the construction of a housing estate in the late 1980s. Of the dock the entrance basin on the Humber part remains though permanently sealed, as does part of the entrance to the dock on the river Hull.
Albert Dock and William Wright Dock
In 1865 the Dock Company got permission to build a westwards extension to the dock - construction began in 1873 and the dock opened in 1880 and was named William Wright Dock after the name of the Chairman of the Dock Company. The dock was 6.75 acre (27,316.3 m²) in size.
In 1907 the NER
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
constructed a 2500 ft (762 m) quay (Riverside Quay) on the humber bank on the south side of Albert dock. The quay was designed for foodstuffs and other goods requiring rapid handling, and also incorporated a passenger station for continental boat trains. During the Second World War the quay was destroyed as a result of enemy bombing, During the 1950s a new concrete Quay 1065 ft (324.6 m) long was constructed and officially opened in 1959. The south side of Albert dock modernised to a similar design as the new Riverside quay in 1964.
Both docks were closed to commercial vessels in 1972, and converted for use as fish docks, the Hull fish fleet moved to the docks in 1975. As of 2010 both docks remain in use for general cargo traffic, as well as being the landing point for the much reduced Hull fishing industry.
St. Andrew's Dock
The most westward of the Hull docks was opened in 1883, directly to the west of William Wright Dock, and with an area of over 10.5 acre (42,492 m²). It was originally to be used for coal handling but was used entirely for the fishing industry.The dock was extended in 1897 (by about 10 acres) after the Hull Dock Company was taken over by the North Eastern railway.
The dock was in use until the 1975 when the fishing industry was moved to Albert Dock at which point the dock closed. Partial filling in of the dock began in the 1980s. The western part has been redeveloped into the St. Andrews Quay retail park whilst the eastern part has been declared a conservation area due to its social historic interest. The Dock entrance, and some shipping company buildings remain in situ, but the remains of the dock are completely silted up.
Alexandra Dock
The Alexandra Dock was built in 1885 as part of the construction of the Hull and Barnsley Railway; a railway and dock company proposed for the purpose of increasing the rail transportation and dock facilities in Hull. The dock was built to the east of Victoria Dock with an outlet to the Humber. Water to fill the dock came from drains to the north of the dock, which was intended to minimise the silting up of the dock that would be caused by ingress of water from the Humber; it had an area of 46.5 acre (188,179 m²).The entrance lock was 550 ft (167.6 m) long at 85 ft (25.9 m) wide. Two graving docks, one 500 ft (152.4 m) long and 60 ft (18.3 m) wide, the other a little bigger were also built at the northeast corner of the dock. Its primary purpose was the export of coal.
In 1899/1900 the dock was expanded by 7 acre (28,328 m²). A pier onto the Humber estuary was added in 1911, the pier was 1350 ft (411.5 m) with a 18 ft (5.5 m) minimum depth of water at spring tides, and was equipped with electric conveyors for the transportation of coal. The area of the wharf, west of the dock entrance was proposed for a riverside container terminal in the 2000s, the project Quay 2005 gained approved in December 2005.
Alexandra Dock closed in 1982 at which time the connection to the rail network was removed, in 1991 the dock re-opened but without a rail connection. As of 2010 the dock handles cargoes including aggregates, bulk agricultural products and bulk chemicals, and wood. The dock also has a Ro-Ro terminal.
In January 2011 Siemens
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
and Associated British Ports signed a memorandum of understanding concerning the construction of wind energy machine manufacturing plant at Alexander Dock. The plan would require some modification of the dock to allow the ships, used for transporting the wind turbines, to dock and be loaded, and would make use of the proposed Quay 2005 riverside facilities, which had already gained planning consent. The development - known as Green Port Hull, would infill the dock west of the lock gates with about 192 acres (776,997.1 m²) of material creating additional land for operations, and 18.6 acres (7.5 ha) of land would be created on the banks of the Humber for shipping; and businesses already located in the western part of the dock would be relocated, primarily to other sites within the port of Hull.
King George Dock and Queen Elizabeth Dock
Built as a joint development between the Hull and Barnsley Railway
Hull and Barnsley Railway
The Hull Barnsley & West Riding Junction Railway and Dock Company was opened on 20 July 1885. It had a total projected length of 66 miles but never reached Barnsley, stopping a few miles short at Stairfoot. The name was changed to The Hull and Barnsley Railway in 1905...
and the North Eastern Railway
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
, and contracted to S. Pearson in 1906, the design was undertaken by Sir Benjamin Baker and Sir John Wolfe-Barry
John Wolfe-Barry
Sir John Wolfe-Barry was an English civil engineer of the late 19th and early 20th century. His most famous project was the construction of Tower Bridge over the River Thames in London.-Early career:...
. King George Dock (also known as the Joint Dock) was opened in 1914 by King George V.
The dock's entrance lock was 750 ft (228.6 m) long and 85 ft (25.9 m) wide, the unexpanded water area was 53 acre (214,483.6 m²). Two graving docks were also constructed in the dock in its north east corner. Initially primarily used for coal a grain silo was added in 1919, initially used for imports and later for export of grain, the silo was demolished in 2010/11.
In 1965 the creation of berths for use by Roll on roll off ferries began the increasing use of Ro-Ro ferries at the dock for unit freight transport. In 1968 work on an 28 acre (113,312.1 m²) extension to King George Dock built on reclaimed land to the south east of the dock was begun, the extension was officially opened in August 1969 by Queen Elizabeth II and named Queen Elizabeth Dock. At Elizabeth dock container terminal was opened in 1971, and two Ro-Ro terminals were opened in 1973, by 1975 there were six Ro-Ro terminals in the two docks.
In 1993 River Terminal 1 (now known as "Rotterdam terminal") a terminal for large Ro-Ro vessels was opened on the banks of humber estuary south of the King George dock, constructed at a cost of £12 million. A covered shed for paper products (Finland terminal) was opened in 2000, by 2006 expanded to 70000 sq ft (6,503.2 m²) As of 2010 other facilities at the two docks included a 840000 ft3 cold store, a enclosed terminal for ship to shore handling of metals, general cargo and bulk grain, and passenger services to Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
and Zeebrugge
Zeebrugge
Zeebrugge is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zeebrugge and a seafront resort with hotels, cafés, a marina and a beach.-Location:...
; the company AarhusKarlshamn operates a large vegetable based oil products processing plant at the dock, and the Kingston Terminal located at the southeast of Queen Elizabeth dock is used for import of coal products. In 2010 there were ten Ro-Ro berths in total within the two docks.
Dry docks
In addition to the dry docks in King George, Alexandra, and William Wright docks there were dry docks on the sides of the river Hull. Hull Central Dry dock (also known as "South End Dock") on the west bank of the River Hull near to its outfall onto the Humber estuary53.73931°N 0.332125°W Hull Central Dry Dock (disused) was the largest, being 345 ft (105.2 m) long with a entrance of 51 ft (15.5 m), the dock having been extended several times. Built in 1843 and later extended the dock has been disused since 1992 and is now a Grade II listed structure.On the east bank of the river Hull were Crown Dry Dock,53.742867°N 0.328809°W Crown Dry Dock, no longer extant, but lock gates remain as frontage onto the river Hull as of 2010 104 by half way between the river outfall and entrance to Victoria dock's drypool basin. Further upstream was Union Dock, 214 by, opposite the entrance to Queen's dock,53.746528°N 0.328345°W Union dry dock, as of 2010 still extant but completely silted, the entrance to the dock is crossed by steel footbridge along the river Hull east bank footpath dating to the first half of the 1800s. and a third dock further upstream.53.749218°N 0.330899°W No longer visible.
On the west bank of the river Hull there were ship repair facilities just within the city walls at North Gate on the river dating back as far as the 15th century, with slipways by the 18th century; the entrance to Queen's dock was later built in this area, and two dry docks remain North Bridge Dry Dock and No.1 Dry Dock to the north and south of Queen's dock basin respectively. North Bridge dry dock53.746981°N 0.330007°W North Bridge dry dock and No.1 dry dock53.746252°N 0.329402°W No.1 dry dock were smaller dry docks of around 150 ft (45.7 m) long and with entrances less than 40 ft (12.2 m) Both were extended in the latter part of the 19th centurys. The northernmost of the two docks is a Grade II listed structure. Additionally the former Queen's dock basin was converted to a enclosed dock after the main dock was infilled.
Quays, wharfs and piers
In addition to the Riverside quay at Albert dock, the former pier at Alexandra dock, and the Ro-Ro river terminal at King George Dock there are other water side berths at the port, both on the Humber and on the river Hull.Corporation Pier, first constructed in 1810 was parallel to the mainland but not direct connected to it, it was converted to a "T" shaped pier in 1847, used as the terminus of the Hull to New Holland
New Holland Pier railway station
New Holland Pier railway station was a station north of the village of New Holland in North Lincolnshire, England. It was situated at the northern end of the Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway and formed a connection with the ferry to Kingston upon Hull.-History:The station was opened on...
ferry, initially run by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed by amalgamation in 1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension.-Origin:...
(MS&LR), later by the LNER
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
and British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
, until the service ended in 1981 due to the opening of the Humber Bridge
Humber Bridge
The Humber Bridge, near Kingston upon Hull, England, is a 2,220 m single-span suspension bridge, which opened to traffic on 24 June 1981. It is the fifth-largest of its type in the world...
. It was renamed Victoria Pier in 1854.Both names were commonly used53.737703°N 0.333852°W Corporation or Victoria pier A railway booking office latterly named was established here by the MS&LR, and closed on 25 June 1981 with the cessation of the ferry service. The pier has been altered a number of times during its existence, a floating pontoon was added in 1877, removed in 1980; an upper Promenade was added in 1882, and removed in the mid 20th century; as of 2005 the primary wooden structure is "L" shaped.
To the west of Victoria Pier were the "L" shaped piers enclosing the Humber dock basin, The West Pier became defunct in the 19th century, the land to the west being reclaimed from the Humber to form Island Wharf. The East Pier was a wooden structure, since the 1920s known as the Minerva pier; it was replaced by a steel walled pier in the latter part of the twentieth century.
As of 2010 the piers are still used to harbour vessels, but are not used for cargo handling.
The river Hull had extensive staithes, wharfs and warehouses along its length; the old harbour could accommodate vessels up to 200 ft (61 m), the river being navigable for vessels up to 180 ft (54.9 m) for two miles. As of 2010 Cargo handling has mostly ceased in the old harbour, barges are still used for transportation of vegetable and mineral oils further upstream within the boundaries of Hull: including to Rix petroleum, the Cargil vegetable oil plant in Stoneferry
Stoneferry
Stoneferry in is a suburb of Kingston upon Hull, formerly a small hamlet on the east bank of the River Hull, the site of a ferry, and, after 1905, a bridge...
, and to the Croda
Croda International
Croda International plc is a chemicals company based at Snaith in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
chemicals vegetable oil chemical processing plant.
Salt End jetties
At Salt EndSalt End
Salt End or Saltend is a hamlet in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, in an area known as Holderness. It is situated on the north bank of the Humber just outside the Hull eastern boundary on the A1033 road....
a jetty (No.1 Oil Jetty) for the importation of bulk mineral oil was constructed in 1914 by the North Eastern
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
and Hull and Barnsley
Hull and Barnsley Railway
The Hull Barnsley & West Riding Junction Railway and Dock Company was opened on 20 July 1885. It had a total projected length of 66 miles but never reached Barnsley, stopping a few miles short at Stairfoot. The name was changed to The Hull and Barnsley Railway in 1905...
railway companies, connected to a tank farm
Oil depot
An oil depot is an industrial facility for the storage of oil and/or petrochemical products and from which these products are usually transported to end users or further storage facilities...
at Salt End. The jetty was constructed extending into the humber, giving a water depth of 30 ft (9.1 m) at low spring tides. Chemical industrial development fed by the oil imports would develop into the chemical site at Salt End known as BP Saltend.
No.2 Jetty was constructed in 1928 westward of No.1, and a reinforced concrete structure No.3 Jetty was built 1958, the original No.1 jetty was demolished and replaced with a new structure in 1959. No.2 jetty was demolished in 1977. As of 2010 both No.1 and 3 jetties remain in use.
Explosion of the PS Union
In 1837 the packet steamer Union exploded in the Humber dock basin, resulting in the death of over twenty people including bystanders on the dock side, and a large number of injuries, the vessel itself being sunk as a result of the explosion.R38 airship disaster
In 1921 a R38 class airship broke apart whilst performing a sharp turn near to Victoria pier, the air-vessel then exploded, and the flaming wreckage crashed into the Humber near to the Victoria pier killing 45 of the 49 on board.Second world war
During the Second World War the Hull docks were actively targeted; in addition to mines in the Humber, the docks in Hull were bombed; all docks were damaged during the period, and the wooden Riverside Quay at Albert dock was totally destroyed in 1941.Fires
Major fires destroyed the fish market at St. Andrews dock in 1929, and a general cargo shed at Humber dock in 1951.See also
- Arctic CorsairArctic CorsairThe Arctic Corsair ' is a deep-sea trawler that was converted to a museum ship in 1999. It is berthed between Drypool Bridge and Myton Bridge in the river Hull in Hull, England, and is part of the city's Museums Quarter....
, Hull Maritime MuseumHull Maritime MuseumThe Hull Maritime Museum is a museum in Kingston upon Hull , England, that explores the seafaring heritage of the city and its environs...
, Spurn LightshipSpurn LightshipThe Spurn Lightship is a lightvessel currently anchored in Hull Marina in the British city of Kingston upon Hull, England. The ship was built in 1927 and served for 48 years as a navigation aid in the approaches of the Humber Estuary, were it was stationed 4½ miles east of Spurn Point...
, Streetlife Museum of TransportStreetlife museum of transportThe Streetlife Museum of Transport is a transport museum located in Kingston upon Hull, England. The roots of the collection date back to the early 20th century, however the purpose-built museum the collection is housed in was opened in 1989 by the then Hull East MP, John Prescott...
; museums in Hull with exhibits relevant to the Port
Sources
- A History of Hull, Edward Gillet, Kenneth A. MacMahon, Oxford University Press, 1980
- The Yorkshire Coast, David B. Lewis, Normandy Press, 1991, Chapter 11 "Ports and Harbours" (M.J.T. Lewis), pp. 156–161
- Humber Perspectives: A Region throughout the Ages, Editors: S. Ellis, D.R. Crowther, Hull University Press, 1990.
- The tourist's companion, or, The history of the scenes and places on the route by the rail-road and steam-packet from Leeds and Selby to Hull, Edward Parsons, 1835, Chapter IX "Hull continued" pp. 211–223, (online version via google books) 1835 account of three docks then extant, and related subjects including the Trinity House
- General and concise history and description of the town and port of Kingston-upon-Hull, James Joseph Sheahan, Publisher:Simpson, Marshall and Co. (London), 1864, pp. 275–298 "The Port". (online version via www.archive.org)
- A biographical dictionary of civil engineers in Great Britain and Ireland, Volume 1: 1500-1830, A. W. Skempton, Thomas Telford Publishing Limited on behalf of the Institute of Civil Engineers, 2002.
- A History of the County of York East Riding: Volume 1 - The City of Kingston upon Hull, Editor: K.J. Allison, 1969, detailed history of Hull, (online version via www.british-history.ac.uk)
- Hull in the Eighteenth Century:A study in economic and social history, Gordon Jackson, Oxford University Press, 1972, includes detailed history of the events leading to the construction of the Old and Humber docks, as well as detailed statistics of imports and exports
- North Eastern Railway, Its Rise and Development, William Weaver Tomlinson, Publisher: David & Charles, Chapter XX : "Twenty-Five Years of Progress (1880-1904)" "Developments at Hull", pp. 703–721. (online 1914 version via www.archive.org)
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