The Day The City Split In Two / A River Full Of Stories
Painted Bridges - Mark Rodgers Mark is a traditional painter. Traditional in the sense that he paints 'en plein air' or in situ, outdoors, with easel, paint and brushes, open to the elements, stuck in the same place for hours and vulnerable to the interest and attention of passers by. Here Mark entertainingly recollects painting … Continue reading Mark Rodgers – Painted Bridges
Hull's River Bridges: Engines and Insects - Richard Duffy-Howard Engines and Insects started life with the hydraulics in the spine of Scale Bridge in 2017. The idea is not new. The premise follows the famous 20th century fashion photographer Horst P Horst. Away from the high glamour and sensual sophistication of taking photographs for Vogue, Horst’s … Continue reading 25 Richard Duffy-Howard – Engines and Insects
Hull's River Bridges: Millennium Swing Bridge Millennium Bridge is a bicycle and pedestrian single leaf, fan arranged cable-stayed, bascule bridge. (Source: Structurae) It is situated just south of where the earlier South Bridge was located and joins the Victoria Dock estate in East Hull with Victoria Pier, Humber Street and the marina in the west. The … Continue reading 19 Millennium Bridge
Hull's River Bridges: Nye Parry and Madi Boyd Playing the Bridge was an inventive collaboration which transformed Hull’s Scale Lane Bridge into an interactive musical instrument as part of Hull 2017 City of Culture. It was the idea of bridge architect Jonathan McDowell who recognised that like the Gamelan, the bridge can be played by striking the … Continue reading 33 Playing the Bridge – Part 2
Hull's River Bridges: Myton SWing Bridge 1980 Myton Bridge is a two-span single-pylon cable-stayed steel construction swing bridge designed by Freeman Fox and built by Redpath Dorman Long Ltd. It spans the River Hull at Castle Street carrying six lanes of traffic on the A63 and opened in December 1980. Its main span is 55 metres … Continue reading 18 Myton Bridge
Scale Lane Swing Bridge A good introduction to the latest of Hull's River Bridges, at Scale Lane Staithe, is from the City Council's Tourism page: "The first footbridge of its kind in the world to allow people to ride on it while it opens, the Scale Lane footbridge was officially opened by former Lord Mayor … Continue reading 17 Scale Lane Bridge
Pete Curry and George Parkes Pete Curry was the council’s Structures and Safety Manager and Bridge Engineer who co-ordinated and controlled the raising, closing and swinging of all the bridges for the original Open Bridges event in 2017. We asked Pete if he remembered the events captured from June 1977 by George Parkes in the … Continue reading 23 Drypool Bridge Crashes 1977
Hull's River Bridges: Nye Parry and Madi Boyd Playing the Bridge was an artistic commission and performance devised by bridge architect Jonathan McDowell and composer Nye Parry who are both Gamelan players – and coordinated here by Hull Gamelan’s Laurence Rugg. Playing the Bridge was a collaboration which transformed Hull’s Scale Lane Bridge into an interactive musical instrument as … Continue reading 32 Playing the Bridge – Part 1
HHull's River Bridges: Angus Young - My Favourite BRIDge There’s something about a river and its bridges which fascinates me. Perhaps it’s because I grew up in Gateshead and would gaze in awe at the trendy Five Bridges Hotel every time we passed it on the bus heading for Newcastle on the other side of the … Continue reading 40 Angus Young – North Bridge
Hull's River Bridges: Painting the Bridges in 1966 by Fred Leason “I was a painter for Hull Corporation for about six years or so, in the sixties. I painted anything. Parks was a good job, swings and roundabouts, the boats in East Park. I painted the girders in the roof of the indoor market. And the five … Continue reading 29 Fred Leason – Painting the Bridges 1966
Hull's River Bridges: Moments in Time - Music for a celebration... "I was commissioned by Lou and Richard Duffy-Howard to write a work for the Open Bridges event in 2017. The only requirement was its duration of 20 minutes and 17 seconds, reflecting the date and timing of the first performance. Its inception came whilst I … Continue reading 38 John Stead – Moments in Time
Hull's River Bridges: Scott Street Bridge The original Scott Street Bridge plans date from 1900 and show a beautiful attention to detail. The diagram showing access to the nose bolt locking mechanism by use of Simon D40 hydraulic platform with west cantilever raised through angle of 30° is circa 1983. The photographs below the plans show … Continue reading 10 Scott Street Bridge
Hull's River Bridges: Keith and Trevor - Lightermen Keith and Trevor were Lightermen. They both joined the lighterage in Hull in 1960 and operated dumb barges (lighters), that is a barge without an engine and with only a pole to steer it, taking dry cargoes from the docks to the mills and wharfs on the river … Continue reading 26 A Lighterman’s View – Keith Eastwood and Trevor Branton
Hull's River Bridges: Open Bridges The Day the City Split in Two We commisioned Humber Film Creative Community and Octovision Media to make the Open Bridges film. It was filmed by 16 film makers who captured each bridge movement and from the MV Syntan as she sailed from Beverley to Hull on the night of the … Continue reading 28 Humber Film – Open Bridges 2017
Hull's River Bridges: Sculcoates Bridge 1875 “In exercise of powers vested in them by the ‘Local Government Supplemental Act 1871 (No.4)’, the Board of Trade approve of the bridge which the Kingston-Upon-Hull Local Board of Health propose to construct across the River Hull, as shown by the plan and sections on this drawing and on the … Continue reading 8 Sculcoates Bridge
Hull's River Bridges: Wilmington Railway Swing Bridge, 1907, Wincolmlee Hull City Records Office (TSJ 28) describes Wilmington as: “a swing railway bridge, now a footbridge, spanning the River Hull. Circa 1870 and 1905, for the North Eastern Railway. Converted and restored in 1991. Arch topped riveted wrought-iron girders form the span, which is carried on a … Continue reading 6 Wilmington Bridge
Hull's River Bridges: The Hull and Barnsley Railway Swing Bridge The Hull and Barnsley Railway Swing Bridge was built in 1885 over the River Hull on Bankside. It is still in use, carrying freight to and from King George and Queen Elizabeth Docks. The bridge and its operating cabin are Grade II listed. The bridge can … Continue reading 5 Railway Bridge
Hull's River Bridges: Jack Pell - Iron Bridges "These sculptures depict six of Hull’s cast-iron bridges, two of which are no longer in existence. The inspiration to make sculptures from the bridges came from sitting in the back of the car on the way to my Dad’s work (he worked as a printer in Wincolmlee), I … Continue reading 34 Jack Pell – Iron Bridges
Hull's River Bridges: Stoneferry Swing Bridge 1905 Stoneferry swing bridge was built by the Motherwell Bridge Company and opened in 1905 to replace the existing ferry. Lots of us can remember driving over this wonderful old swing bridge before it was replaced by the two Shadoof-type lifting bascule bridges in 1991. The plans show the original … Continue reading 4 Stoneferry Swing Bridge 1905
Hull's River Bridges: Stoneferry Bridge Stoneferry Bridge, like Ennerdale Link, is actually two bascule bridges, working independently and each carrying two lanes of traffic. Built between 1988 and completed on 23rd July 1991, they replaced the original swing bridge built in 1905. The website Structurae notes they are "twin Shadoof-type bascule bridges with 32 meter counterbalanced … Continue reading 3 Stoneferry Bridge
Hull's River Bridges: Syd Young - Hull's Bridges from a Bicycle Syd Young is an artist and photographer. His most recent exhibition - Relics and Rails - at Goole Museum and Gallery and Nordic House in Hull, was a multi-media retrospective of over 40 years' work. The photographs below show how he's captured the beauty of … Continue reading 41 Syd Young – Hull’s Bridges from a Bicycle
Hull's River Bridges: Ennerdale Link Photographs by Rich & Lou Duffy-Howard The most recent and northerly of Hull's (road) River Bridges opened on April 3rd 1997 aimed to ease traffic and improve access to the docks in the east of the city, the original idea being a tunnel under the river. The first plan in … Continue reading 1 Ennerdale Link
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
We have linked up with artist Jack Pell, whose first institutional solo exhibition 'Byland's Super Saga' (currently at Humber Street Gallery, Hull) is a fascinating and magical multi media exploration of Hull and surrounding areas' waterways, bridges, myths, legends, and history reimagined. You are invited to join us in conversation with artist Jack Pell, as we explore … Continue reading Byland’s Super Saga – Jack Pell
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
The original bridge linking west and east Hull at Drypool was also known as Salthouse Lane Bridge. The article below, along with the engravings, is the original report as it was published in the Engineer, in London on the evening of Friday 3rd January 1890. The map of the bridge site prior to its development … Continue reading Drypool Bridge – The Engineer
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
This is the third gallery of Brian Latus' photographs this time of the River Hull in the 1960s after Brian's story below. We recently came across these fantastically evocative photographs of the River Hull and Docks taken by Brian Latus in the 1960s. Brian’s son, Martin, tells his story: “My father was born in Lime … Continue reading Brian Latus River Hull 1960s
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
It's four years today since Open Bridges! We have great memories of the Open Bridges night and the subsequent River Full of Stories history events. Here's a gallery of some photos showing just a few of the many lovely people we met along the way who became part of the team that made it happen. … Continue reading Open Bridges fourth anniversary
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
Thanks to Mal Scott for these evocative images of an autumn day in 2015 travelling under all of the bridges over the river in a small pleasure craft taken looking north up the Hull. Click on Millenium Bridge to see the full picture and scroll through to travel up the river past each bridge north … Continue reading Journey up the River Hull in 2015
It's nearly two years since Open Bridges celebrated the importance of the River Hull and its bridges - on the autumn equinox 2017. This time two years ago we were making the final preparations for all of the bridges of the River Hull to swing, lift, close to traffic and open to vessels, separating Hull … Continue reading Open Bridges Second Anniversary
Open Bridges A River Full Of Stories, River Hull archive photographs #22 1985-1989
Open Bridges A River Full Of Stories, River Hull archive photographs 1981-1984
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
Open Bridges A River Full Of Stories, River Hull archive photographs #20 1980
Open Bridges A River Full Of Stories, River Hull archive photographs #19 1977-1979
Open Bridges A River Full Of Stories, River Hull archive photographs #18 1976
This week's focus is on Sutton Road Bridge, built by the Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company and opened in 1937, with distinctive brick art deco engine rooms. Our gallery of photographs of Sutton Road Bridge below was taken for Open Bridges. Click on an image to see the full picture and scroll through. Rich & … Continue reading Open Bridges: Sutton Road
Open Bridges A River Full Of Stories, River Hull archive photographs #17 1975
Open Bridges A River Full Of Stories, River Hull archive photographs #16 1974
Open Bridges A River Full Of Stories, River Hull archive photographs #15 1973
Open Bridges A River Full Of Stories, River Hull archive photographs #14 1972
Open Bridges A River Full Of Stories, River Hull archive photographs #13 1971
Open Bridges A River Full Of Stories, River Hull archive photographs #12 1970
Open Bridges A River Full Of Stories, River Hull archive photographs #11 1968-1969
Open Bridges A River Full Of Stories, River Hull archive photographs #10 1967
Open Bridges A River Full Of Stories, River Hull archive photographs #9 1966
Open Bridges A River Full Of Stories, River Hull archive photographs #8 1965