The Day The City Split In Two / A River Full Of Stories
We've now posted all 42 of the 'Hull's River Bridges' chapters we had planned for this year's Heritage Open Days festival. Thank you to all our contributors, everyone who has followed the project throughout Heritage Open Days and beyond and to Charlotte and the Heritage Open Days team and Christine & John Netherwood (HODs in … Continue reading Thank you!
Hull's River Bridges: Between Bridges - Les Reid Les Reid runs Newark’s unique Heritage Barge ‘Leicester Trader’. It is the last Trent size cargo barge built to fit the old locks of the Trent Navigation Company. Saved from being scrapped in 2008 and renovated by Les and a group of local barge aficionados, the dumb barge … Continue reading 36 Les Reid – Between Bridges
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: John Dean - Delivering Stoneferry and Other Stories We first met John during A River Full of Stories. His invitation to travel with him and shipmate Kevin on the George Dyson from Hull to York via Goole in january 2020 was a once in a lifetime experience which we'll never forget. John runs … Continue reading 24 John Dean – Delivering Stoneferry
We took a trip over to Eastrington to meet up with Les Reid and Tony Carrigan. We recorded their conversations about the times spent working on the River Trent gravelling, the dangers of the Humber and 'Between Bridges', 'Up Harbour', on the River Hull. Les Reid of the Newark Heritage Barge 'Leicester Trader' and Tony … Continue reading Les Reid and Tony Carrigan Reminisce
Yesterday belied the thunderous downpour warnings as we ventured south to Newark to visit Les Reid, as part of our new Open Bridges Project for Heritage Open Days – Hull’s River Bridges. It turned out to be a glorious day as we met Les and jumped aboard Les’s workboat the Ruffian and headed down the … Continue reading Adventure on the Ruffian
We had another great day out in Newark visiting Les Reid of the Newark Heritage Barge 'Leicester Trader'. Les showed us a remarkable rare cine film of a working barge trip with Alec Carrigan on the barge Girton showing a run from Hull to Girton Gravel Pit and back circa 1965. We filmed Les's commentary … Continue reading Working Barge Trip Video Circa 1965 Hull to Girton with Commentary by Les Reid
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
It was great to return and meet up again with Les Reid on the Heritage Barge, the Leicester Trader. He has fascinating stories about sailing barges to tell. You can hear about it in the film below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjvjoE8I78Q Newark's unique Heritage Barge 'Leicester Trader' is the last Trent size cargo barge built to fit the old … Continue reading Les Reid and the Leicester Trader
Phil McNally My father Philip McNally worked for James W Cooks Tankers, with offices in Bowlalley lane in Hull. The manager was called Mr Cobby. The firm’s main operations were shipbuilding and lighterage at Wivenhoe in Essex. They established the oil tanker barges side of the business at Hull many years ago. All of their … Continue reading This Barging Life – George ‘Mac’ McNally
Barges, Tugs and Blue Star Line This is the second set of images taken one grey day in May in 1961, by an unknown photographer. The cleaning and restoration took me days, but I think it was definitely worth the effort. The second seven show more of the tugs and barges and I've cropped some … Continue reading King George Dock, May 1961 Part 2
Blue Star Line This set of images were taken one day in May in 1961, the photographer unknown. The cleaning and restoration took me days. The first seven are mainly of the Blue Star Line, which looks like the main subject and what the photographer was specifically focussing on. However, a closer look reveals the … Continue reading King George Dock, May 1961 Part 1
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
There are only a few days left to go to see the Goole by Barge exhibition at Goole Museum and Gallery, the last day is Saturday 13th April. Opening times are under the poster below. We are delighted that there have been over 1700 visitors so far. Thank you to everyone who’s left a comment … Continue reading Goole by Barge Last Few Days
Ex-Commercial Barge Get-together We've just got back from a great afternoon at Rawcliffe Bridge, and the ex-commercial barge get together, sharing a pint and stories at Dean's Marina and the Anchorage Inn. The barges moored for the weekend so far included Hargreaves' No.10, Harkers ex-tankers the Freda Carless and Londsdale, Hogson's Sectan, the Maureen Eva, … Continue reading Dean’s Marina Open Weekend, Rawcliffe Bridge
John Harker's Shipyard, Knottingley, 10.09.1964 Built at the John Harker shipyard in Knottingley, the George Dyson was launched on 10th September 1964. From the Pontefract & Castleford Express 17th September 1964 page 6: "BARGE LAUNCHED Mrs. F.S. Poole, wife of the Chairman of Laporte Acids, launched an all welded general cargo barge for G.D. Holmes … Continue reading The Launch of the George Dyson
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
Yesterday, and a flooded wharf and tow path at Beverley. A lovely bright morning and a swollen River Hull, drifting lazily by. The second gallery of photographs were taken on a hot midsummers day in 2015. Photo's by Richard Duffy-Howard Rich and Lou Duffy-Howard If you've enjoyed the post, we'd be grateful if you'd subscribe … Continue reading Beverley’s Historic Shipyard
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
By Richard Lewis The Copenhagen Connection In 1947 and 1948, 17 Open Barges built in Hull by Tarran Industries between 1944 and 1945 were sold to a Danish towage company, Det Forenede Bugserselskab A/S. of Copenhagen. Once in their ownership, they were confusingly prefixed F.B., which denoted ‘Forenede Bugserselskab’, but with new numbers. When built … Continue reading Hull’s World War II Concrete Barges 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. 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
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
This is the final part of our series of Bernard Sharp's photographs from the 1980s. This chapter encompasses the north bank of the Humber Estuary from Hessle Haven in the west to Hedon Haven in the east. Thanks very much to Bernard for the permission to use both the images and text – all copyright … Continue reading Humber Estuary by Bernard Sharp
Here's the first in a series of posts of the docks in Hull as documented by Bernard in the 1980's. Thanks very much to Bernard for the permission to use both the images and text – all copyright Bernard Sharp and published under licence. All of the photographs are numbered with the corresponding text by … Continue reading Hull Docks 1980s Part 1 by Bernard Sharp
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
Here is the second gallery of Brian Latus' photographs of Hull Docks in the 1960s below his story. 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 Street near North Bridge … Continue reading Brian Latus Hull Docks 1960s Part 2
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 Street near North Bridge in Hull in 1931, the middle of three children. During the war the family returned from the public … Continue reading Brian Latus Hull Docks 1960s Part 1
We recently visited the incredidble Old Hall at Gainsborough, built in the 15th Century on the east bank of the River Trent. Gainsborough developed into a thriving port in the 18th Century which rivalled Hull in trade and was granted official port status in the 19th. We continued exploring the west bank of the Trent … Continue reading The Comrade at Keadby
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
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
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
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 Open Bridges exhibition - A River Full of Stories - has had a great run in Hull Maritime Museum where it has been on display together with the films for the last six months. The museum has now closed to be refurbished as part of Hull: Yorkshire's Maritime City so we spent the morning … Continue reading A River Full of Stories Film
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
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
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
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
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