Family Life on the Barges
It was especially fascinating to hear about the women’s and children’s stories of life on the River Hull. Janet’s family – the Websters – have been connected to the River Hull for over 250 years. One of ten children, the oldest four were all brought up on a barge before they started school. The family has River life in the blood.
Here’s a short film from the reminiscing day at Hull Maritime Museum earlier this month, Janet Anderson, nee Webster in conversation with Russ Litten.
Filmed in September 2018 by Humber Film Creative Community for Open Bridges Hull.
Click on the video below to hear to more about Janet’s life growing up on the River accompanied by family and barge photos. Janet’s tales of her Mum and Dad’s life working on the River in all weathers with a big family playing in the hold are wonderfully evocative. And find out what happened to the Greendale’s wire…
The idea for A River Full Of Stories came about when many of the 2000 visitors to the Open Bridges exhibition inside Scale Lane Bridge told us fascinating tales of their lives working on and around the river. We’ve been collecting stories throughout July – September 2018 and are now preparing the River Full Of Stories film, exhibition and book. We’ll keep the website blog up to date with stories and memories as we go along.
Rich & Lou Duffy-Howard
Open Bridges made history when for the first time all 13 of the bridges over the River Hull in the UK’s City of Culture 2017 raised, swung or closed simultaneously splitting the city of Hull in two at 20:17 hours on 22nd September 2017. Historic vessels sailed down the River to be met by 21st century tugs.
Open Bridges is an independent Hull/East Yorkshire based project.