The Day The City Split In Two / A River Full Of Stories
We came across this fascinating message on the back of a Half Penny Packet Post Panoramic Card of Victoria Pier sent in 1905 to May Brewin in Burnley from her friend, W, who was having a great time in Hull. I've carefully restored the photographs below the letter from the original glass plate negatives. All … Continue reading Victoria Pier and a Postcard from 1905
Here are the photographs from the second day of our trip from Hull to York with John Dean on the barge George Dyson making a working trip from Hull's Albert Dock to York city centre, stopping overnight in Goole along the way. Thank you to John Dean for inviting us on the journey, which was … Continue reading Hull to York on the Barge George Dyson – Day 2
On January 24th and 25th 2020 the Dean's Marine barge George Dyson made a working trip from Hull's Albert Dock to York city centre, stopping overnight in Goole along the way. Thank you to John Dean for inviting us on the journey, which was a truly amazing experience. We took this gallery of photographs. They … Continue reading Hull to York on the Barge George Dyson – Day 1
We are very grateful to the anonymous contributor who sent us these photographs for sharing on the website. They were taken with the glorious - and much missed - Kodak colour transparency film - Kodachrome 64. I've digitised and restored the slides and they look as good as the day they were taken. At the … Continue reading Hull Docks 1965 – 1973
Syd Young, Ferry Memories My mum had an Auntie who owned the Welbeck Guest House in Cleethorpes. In the 1960s and early 70s, we'd go and stay occasionally on a weekend when there were no guests. Her husband, "Uncle George", was a retired sailor and made wooden model boats, some of which he gave to … Continue reading Ferry Part 2 by Syd Young
It’s seven years today since Open Bridges night! We chose the autumn equinox for the event, to draw attention to, and celebrate the lifeblood of the city, the River Hull, by separating the city east and west, raising or closing all the bridges over the river simultaneously with priority to river vessels. The equinox is … Continue reading Open Bridges 7th Anniversary
Our friend Andy Hazell contributed a chapter to our book 'A River Full of Stories', with some evocative photographs from Grosvenor Mill, and the Old Harbour and dry docks at night. Here Andy revisits his time living at the mill overshadowing Scott Street Bridge, with a great view from above, of the bridge and traffic, … Continue reading From Grosvenor Mill – Andy Hazell
These photographs were taken from the same vantage point at the same time from the fourth (or fifth) floor of a Wincolmlee Warehouse at some point before 1979. Before '79 presumably because there's still steam emanating from the Sculcoates power station cooling tower, in the distance behind Scott Street Bridge. It's great to see the … Continue reading From a Wincolmlee Warehouse
Immingham September 2017 In September 2017 we were deep into organising the original Open Bridges event. These photographs were taken two weeks before the event. Svitzer, along with SMS Towage, had agreed to provide Tugs and water cannon at the mouth of the River Hull following the opening of the bridges and splitting the city … Continue reading Svitzer – Revisited
Coming Soon - Build own George Dyson! Our friend at the museum, Syd Young, is currently working on a build your own Deans Marine Services barge George Dyson. His next job is to create an instruction sheet that's easy to follow for the fiddly bits. We'll let you know when they're available from Goole Museum. … Continue reading Build Your Own George Dyson
We recently caught up with John Dean about our upcoming exhibition Goole by Barge at Goole Museum and Gallery and he told us about developments over at Rawcliffe Bridge. It was great to meet Sarah behind the bar and Capt. Cod (at the bar) at Dean's Marina at Rawcliffe Bridge and hear about their recent … Continue reading Rawcliffe Bridge
Introducing, 'Goole by Barge' exhibition at Goole Museum and Gallery, opens 9th February 2024. We are delighted to announce that the latest chapter in our Open Bridges project, 'Goole by Barge' is an exhibition of photographs, videos and music documenting our two day journey on the working barge, the George Dyson. The exhibition opens at 6:30pm … Continue reading NEWS! Goole By Barge Exhibition
Steven Oakden contacted us last year with his own personal story about the river. His story evocatively captures the last movements of the motor barge Swinderby in 2022. Part 4 is the final part of his story. All text and photographs copyright Steven Oakden. DEcember 5, 2022 A cold and dull day as I ventured … Continue reading Chasing the Swinderby by Steven Oakden – Part 4
Steven Oakden contacted us last year with his own personal story about the river. His story evocatively captures the last movements of the motor barge Swinderby in 2022. This is the third of four parts. All text and photographs copyright Steven Oakden. River Hull visit - November 16, 2022 A glorious sunny autumn day with … Continue reading Chasing the Swinderby by Steven Oakden – Part 3
Steven Oakden contacted us last year with his own personal story about the river. His story evocatively captures the last movements of the motor barge Swinderby in 2022. This is the second of four parts. All text and photographs copyright Steven Oakden. About Swinderby Built in 1974 by the New Holland Ship Yard for the … Continue reading Chasing the Swinderby by Steven Oakden – Part 2
We first met David Hamilton of Brigham Sailing Club sailing at Emmotland on the River Hull, on the footbridge above West Beck at the confluence with Frodingham Beck that makes the River Hull. It was 2018 and we were in the midst of a heatwave wandering up the river on the Rotsea side. David owns … Continue reading Racing on the River Hull with Brigham Sailing Club 1960s
The caption to the photograph above by Bernard Sharp reads: Humber Estuary, 1985. Visible at low tide at Marfleet Growths, the wreck of the concrete-hulled 'Crete Street' was built circa 1915. In the background is the Salt End jetty. We forwarded the image and caption to Richard Lewis at http://www.thecretefleet.com who sent us the following … Continue reading Cretestreet By Richard Lewis
1982 - 1984 Bernard’s black and white photographs are all taken between 1982 and 1984 apart from the first photo in the gallery - a 1975 image taken with a Brownie. Along with the River in Colour posts Bernard’s documenting of the River Hull covers almost 50 years capturing the changing landscape with fantastic images … Continue reading The River in Black & White by Bernard Sharp
2005 - 2021 All of the images and accompanying text are copyright Bernard Sharp and used with permission and under licence (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0). All of the photographs are numbered with the corresponding text by Bernard to accompany each photograph below the gallery. Humber Street, Kingston upon Hull Wednesday, 29 December, 2010. Central Dry Dock, 1820, extended … Continue reading The River in Colour by Bernard Sharp – Part 5
1982 - 1989 All of the images and accompanying text are copyright Bernard Sharp and used with permission and under licence (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0). All of the photographs are numbered with the corresponding text by Bernard to accompany each photograph below the gallery. River Hull, Stoneferry, Kingston upon Hull Sunday, 15 August, 1982 Upstream of Ferry Lane … Continue reading The River in Colour by Bernard Sharp – Part 4
1990 - 2021 All of the images and accompanying text are copyright Bernard Sharp and used with permission and under licence (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0). All of the photographs are numbered with the corresponding text by Bernard to accompany each photograph below the gallery. Old Harbour, River Hull, Kingston upon Hull. Friday, 16 March, 1990. At left, the … Continue reading The River in Colour by Bernard Sharp – Part 3
1978 - 1989 All of the images and accompanying text are copyright Bernard Sharp and used with permission and under licence (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0). All of the photographs are numbered with the corresponding text by Bernard to accompany each photograph below the gallery. Old Harbour, River Hull, Kingston upon Hull. June 1978. A busy harbour, looking towards … Continue reading The River in Colour by Bernard Sharp – Part 2
The Launch of the Hoo Pride We stumbled across the image of the launch being photographed on-line and became particularly interested as the photographer in the suit bears a striking resemblance to my Dad. He set up and ran an industrial and marine switchgear and controls company from Scale Lane in the 70's and 80's, … Continue reading The River in Colour by Bernard Sharp – Part 1
By Richard Lewis Ferro-Concrete Barge Building in Hull – Tarran Industries In September 1943, the Ministry of War Transport placed an order for 40 Stem-head Open Barges to be built by Tarran Industries of Hull. The founder and Managing Director of Tarran Industries was Robert Tarran who had had been born in Kingston upon Hull … Continue reading Hull’s World War II Concrete Barges Part 2
By Richard Lewis The History of Concrete Shipbuilding In 1848, Frenchman, Joseph-Louis Lambot built a ‘ferro-cement’ dinghy. A second one following in 1849 and ‘Ferciment’, the methodologies and materials used to build his concrete boats, was patented, and presented at the 1855 ‘Exposition Universelle’ in Paris. His ‘Bateau Ciment’ dinghies were still afloat in 1901 and … Continue reading Hull’s World War II Concrete Barges Part 1
We are delighted that The Hull Story announces the next chapter of Open Bridges / A River Full of Stories. Find out about it at the link: https://www.thehullstory.com/allarticles/open-bridges-churches The Hull Story is an excellent news magazine. It's great to have a quality independent voice for Hull which is an ideal fit with the Open Bridges … Continue reading The Hull Story
Open Bridges made history when for the first, and only time, all the bridges over the River Hull were raised, swung or closed simultaneously splitting the city in two at 20:17 hours on the autumn equinox, 22nd September 2017. HMS Pickle at Open Bridges by Graeme OxbyDrypool Bridge by RDHSouth from Scott Street to North … Continue reading Open Bridges Third Anniversary
The Open Bridges Hull UK award winning short film with musique concrète soundtrack is available in full, on line for the first time. To watch the film settle down in a comfy chair, turn the lights down & the volume up and soak it up, it’s an immersive experience. This 20 minute film produced for … Continue reading Open Bridges Film & Musique Concrète Soundtrack
The last post of the HDM archive detail posts starts with an intriguing image. At first glance the picture of the BOCM building from 1911 appears deserted but on the bank-side on the left hand edge you can see what appears to be a man and a woman presiding over the contents of a bag, … Continue reading River Hull Archive #27
One of the main threads running through A River Full of Stories is that of the Lighterman. The following photographs and details from the HDM river archive focus on the lighters and Lightermen on the River Hull. The first images below show the lighter Tort and crew just North of the new Myton Bridge in … Continue reading River Hull Archive #26
This series of posts will complete our record of River Hull archive photographs from the Hull Daily Mail which we repaired and restored. They are published with many thanks to Angus Young, and used with permission. This next series of photographs of details were taken on and around the piers, Corporation - Victoria - and … Continue reading River Hull Archive #25
This series of posts will complete our record of River Hull archive photographs from the Hull Daily Mail which we repaired and restored. They are published with many thanks to Angus Young, and used with permission. They've all been published previously on here and some included in the River Full of Stories book. Whilst we were … Continue reading River Hull Archive #24
These next few posts will complete our record of River Hull archive photographs from the Hull Daily Mail which we repaired and restored. They are published with many thanks to Angus Young, and used with permission. This gallery of photographs contain images from 1885 to the 1990s. The following two posts will focus on the … Continue reading River Hull Archive #23
Just released! The River Full of Stories trailer featuring a trip down the River Hull on board MV Syntan with introductions from some of the people we met to record their memories of life on the River Hull, Janet Anderson (nee Webster), Edward Moore, Keith Eastwood, Neville Pinder, John Dean, Bill Midgley and John Drury. … Continue reading A River Full of Stories Film Trailer
Here's a selection of photographs taken of the working river this year. Click on an image to see the full picture and caption and scroll through. The Open Bridges: A River Full of Stories exhibition is open at Hull Maritime Museum until the end of the year. The films will be on continuous loop throughout the … Continue reading The Working River 2019
Thanks to John Drury for contributing the River Hull working river films, filmed in 1994 by M&M Maritime Video. Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: Part 4: The Open Bridges: A River Full of Stories exhibition is opening at Hull Maritime Museum on Saturday 6th July 2019 until the end of the year. The films will … Continue reading Journey Down the River Hull in 1994
On Sunday 4th August at about 10.00 a.m. the H320 Arctic Corsair left it's berth of 20 years in the Old Harbour moving to a temporary berth at Alexandra Dock to be refurbished before re-locating to a dry dock berth at the former lock pit entrance to Queen's Dock, back in the Old Harbour. John … Continue reading The Arctic Corsair leaves the Old Harbour
We went to wish the HMS Pickle bon voyage as she headed out of Hull Marina at the end of June to embark on a journey heading southeast for Harwich, Dover and Eastbourne. Tomorrow the Pickle leaves for Cowes and heading to Portsmouth with HMS Warrior for Wednesday 17th July. The gallery of photographs below … Continue reading The Pickle on a Voyage
Saturday 20th April 2019 It was a beautiful day when the Humber keel Comrade sailed down the River Hull to spend the summer in the Marina. We had a great time talking to Bill Midgley in the Comrade at Beverley before the trip. Our friend the photographer Syd Young was cycling from Stoneferry to Scott … Continue reading Comrade down the Hull
See the Humber keel Comrade and sloop Amy Howson sail from Beverley to Hull on Saturday April 20th 2019 The Comrade and sloop Amy Howson will be sailing together from their winter moorings at Crane Hill Wharf on Beverley Beck down the River Hull to their summer berths in Hull Marina. It will be a … Continue reading Humber Keel Comrade and Amy Howson Sail to Hull
Happy 70th Birthday to the motor barge Syntan! Beautifully restored by the Beverley Barge Preservation Society and moored at Beverley Beck, the Syntan is having a weekend of celebrations to mark 70 years since she was built - in 1949 by Hepworth's Shipyard in Paull - for Richard Hodgson Tanners in Beverley. We had a … Continue reading Happy Birthday Syntan
As we made preparations for Open Bridges we were invited on the Syntan as it travelled from Beverley down the River Hull, to Hull Marina for the Folk and Maritime Festival. The journey was to collect stills, film footage and bridge and vessel timings for Open Bridges. We documented the journey in five stages. The … Continue reading Open Bridges: photographs from the MV Syntan September 2017
Hull Fast Film made in 1992 by Andy Hazell with soundtrack by Hallam Lewis... Iconic images and sounds of Hull, the River, barges, pilots, docks, ships and shops, fish and chips, streets, houses, Hull Fair, have a look and explore this fascinating art film, now social history of Hull. Originally a twin screen film projected … Continue reading Hull Fast Film
We were fascinated by the sheer power of the tugs on the Humber when we were lucky enough to be shown round SMS Towage Limited - both inside the vessels and in the dry dock - in the preparations for Open Bridges in 2017. SMS Superman was one of the tugs which attended the event, … Continue reading Life on Board the Tugs
One cold rainy day in October, we spent a cosy session on Hull Marina, inside the 62′ Super Sloop Spider T listening to stories for Open Bridges: A River Full Of Stories. Owner and Captain Mal Nicholson welcomed us on board, a perfect place to share stories of the River Hull's past. Thanks to Phil … Continue reading The Story of Warren’s Shipyard
As part of Open Bridges we recorded the working movements of many of the bridges. There were many images that we didn't use then as part of the project, but would like to share now. These photographs were taken when we visited Wilmington bridge on 19th June last year and show the working mechanism of … Continue reading Open Bridges: Wilmington
Reminiscing on the #SpiderT #HullMarina #OpenBridges @Hull @malnicholson #Riverfullofstories #hlfsupported
"It's like riding a bike, you never forget" Friday 19th October, a glorious autumn day, perfect for a trip down the River Hull on the MV Syntan with a terrific group of people who have shared enchanting memories of life working and living on the River Hull for Open Bridges: A River Full Of Stories. … Continue reading Barge trip down the Hull
Last week we were delighted to collect an amazing big file of historical photographs of the River Hull for Open Bridges: A River Full Of Stories. Thanks to Angus Young of the Hull Daily Mail who has contributed the Mail's archive of River Hull photos to the project. The pictures range from the turn of … Continue reading Remarkable Collection of River Hull Photographs
Open Bridges objectives were to celebrate the River Hull and explore the meaning of freedom by splitting the city in two, momentarily denying the freedom of movement east and west across the city, by raising and closing all 13 bridges over the River Hull simultaneously for the first and only time in the city’s history. … Continue reading Open Bridges Radio Transcript