Table of Contents

An Account of the Harbour and Docks at Kingston-upon-Hull

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The river Hull, according to Mr. Tickell, the historian of the town, formerly discharged itself into the Humber between Dryrpool and Marfleet, and that part of the present river usually called the Old Harbour, was originally no more than an open drain cut by Lord Sayer of Sallon, for the purpose of draining the country.

This harbour, from the north bridge to its junction with the Humber, was the original and, previously to the construction of the docks, the only port for the town; its direction is nearly north and south, its length from the bridge to the end of the Garrison Jetty, 2940 feet, and the average width within the staiths, at high water of spring tides, 165 feet; the area is therefore about eleven acres, and the depth is 22 feet.

As trade and commerce increased, the harbour became insufficient to contain all the vessels that frequented the port, many of which were therefore obliged to receive and deliver their cargoes whilst lying in the roads, by means of craft, and so crowded was it at times, that even up to the period of the Junction Dock being made, ships have been known to be twenty tides or more in passing from the Humber to the Old dock. But the crowded state of the harbour, and the consequent delay in getting to and from the quays, were not the only inconveniences; for, from its being an open tideway, all vessels draw-

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ing more than four or five feet water grounded every tide; so that damage was frequently sustained, particularly by such as were sharply built and deeply laden. Complaints were also made by the officers of the Customs, from time to time, of the great risk and difficulty in collecting the duties, whereby, it was stated, the revenue sufiered very materially, and this ultimately led to the formation of the Old dock.

It should also be observed, that for some hours before low water, the current is so strong as to be unnavigable for vessels against the tide, and those passing with the stream are frequently injured; the fall or declivity from the outer end of the Old dock basin to the harbour: mouth, at low water spring tides, being in general from four to five feet, and sometimes more, and the velocity of the ebb at such times from three to four miles an hour.

Before the Old dock, was begun, transverse sections were taken of the harbour by Smeaton and Grundy, from which we find that the depth of water is now about the same as it was at that time, but the river is much narrower near its jimction with the Humber; this diminution in the width has taken place since the Humber dock was made, from the free course of the tide obstructed and retarded by the projection into the river of the quays and piers of the basin, causing a great accumulation of mud upon the shore for a considerable distance, both above and below the entrance to the Humber dock: and the mouth of the harbour has not only been narrowed by these works, but has been extended further into the Humber, and a new direction considerably to the westward given to it.

The harbour is scoured entirely by its back waters, of which the principal supply in summer is from the river Hull, which extends into the East Riding about twenty miles, and is navigable for vessels of fifty tons' burden; but in winter, the drainage from the extensive level of the Holdemess and the low land on the west side of the river, has been, for a long time, a very powerful auxiliary in maintaining the depth.

For the convenience of vessels entering, two dolphins have been erected upon the Humber, to the east of the harbour mouth, the last in consequence of this part of the beach sanding up, as before noticed; and there is a jetty or small pier with the necessary mooring posts, and two transport buoys a little to the south of the dolphins. In former times a chain was stretched across the entrance of the harbour, and a small charge made for all vessels passing in or out, but this restriction and impost have been discontinued for many years.

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On each side of the harbour, for nearly its whole length, there are staiths or platforms, fifteen feet wide, for loading and delivering vessels; they are private property, and in order not to obstruct the free course of the tide, are (in pursuance of an act of parliament) formed of large piles driven firmly into the ground, upon which are laid transverse beams, covered with close planking. Cranes are fixed on these staiths, and on the town side there is an extensive range of private warehouses for sufferance goods.

Tides The time of high water at Hull, at the full and change of the moon, is six o'clock, but the highest tides are generally two or three days after- wards; the flow or rise of an average spring tide is about 21 feet at the harbour mouth, and 17 feet at the entrance to the Old dock; that of an average neap tide, 12 feet at the harbour mouth, and 9 feet opposite the Old dock entrance: but it may be observed, that the tides occasionally rise three to four feet higher, and sometimes, though rarely, a little more, and ebb sometimes two feet or more, lower than stated above. It may be proper to notice also, that when there are many vessels in the harbour, the ebb is not so low by nearly a foot, as when it is clear of shipping. The tide flows about five hours at the harbour mouth, and four hours and a half at the entrance of the Old dock.

In consequence of the confined state of the old harbour and other inconve- niences already briefly noticed, application had been made to government, a few years before obtaining the Act for making the Old dock, for a grant of part of the King's works near the Garrison, for the purpose of enlarging the harbour; but, as a legal quay formed no part of the scheme, it was opposed by the board of Customs, and nothing further was done. Some time after, however, it was intimated to the Collector and Comptroller of Customs at the port, that if a dock and legal quay were not made at Hull, the business would be removed to some other port connected with the Humber disposed to conform to these regulations; and a memorial was in consequence presented by the merchants of Gainsborough, praying that a legal quay might be established at that place.

It was now evident that something must be done to preserve the trade of the port, and it was at length resolved that the wishes of government as to a dock and legal quay should be complied with; but there appears to have

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been great difficulty in obtaining an adequate subscription, and it was some ore this desirable object could be accomplished. The shareholders employed Mr. Grundy, the engineer, to furnish designs and an estimate for the work, which being approved of, and the necessary arrangements com- pleted, application was made to parliament and an Act obtained in April, 1774 soon after which the work was begun.

At that period works of this kind were in their infancy, and we must not therefore look for the degree of perfection, either in design or execution, which has disguished those of more recent times.

The Old dock, which appears to have been judiciously planned and laid out, Dimensions of dock is 1703 feet long, by 254 feet wide, so that the superficial content is nearly ten acres, and therefore capable of containing a hundred square rigged vessels; it was the largest dock in the kingdom at the time.

Excavation According to the sections the excavation averaged about 15 feet, the bottom of the dock being 15 inches above the bed of the old harbour opposite the entrance. The soil, which was altogether alluvial, was deposited upon land chiefly on the north side, and partly purchased for the purpose, which being raised thereby about five feet, and afterwards sold by the Dock Company, is now the site of several principal streets.

Dock walls. Plan No.2 The walls are founded upon piling of a novel description, but very inadequate to the purpose: the piles, which are 12 inches wide by 9 inches thick at the top tapering regularly to 3 inches at the bottom, are driven under the walls and counterforts, longitudinal sleepers, 12 inches wide by 6 inches deep, trenailed on the pile heads, and 3 inch transverse planking laid and spiked down on them: the whole is of fir timber, and laid perfectly level.

The walls are wholly of bricks, many of them made upon the spot, coped with Bramley-fall stone, 12 inches thick, and 3 feet wide. They were built and grouted with mortar made of Warmsworth lime and sand, part of which was fresh water sand, and the rest selected from the excavation; the brickwork, for 14 inches in depth, is at right angles to the face, the rest of the wall hori- zontal, -a mode of laying by no means to be recommended, as the front is completely separated from the other part of the wall, and the bond, a most essential part of all building, thus entirely destroyed.

In front of the wall, at intervals of ten feet, oak fenders 9 inches wide

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and projecting 7 1/2 inches, are tenoned into three oak sills, 12 inches hy 6 inches, built in the brickwork, and bolted and further secured to them by oak brackets spiked on each side.

From the insufficiency of the piling and the foundation, which was only level with the bottom of the dock, not being low enough, the walls have subsided, and been forced forward in several places by the pressure of the earth behind: the greatest derangement is on the north side near the east end, noticed by Smeaton in his Reports as being at that time 2 feet 8 1.2 inches out of a straight line in a length of 187 yards, and foimd by recent measurement to be now 3 feet 10 inches out in 202 yards, or about a foot more than when examined by Smeaton. shortly before the opening of the dock: the wall on the south side nearly opposite the above, for 103 yards in length, is also forced forward about 20 inches in the worst place: the rest of the dock walls are nearly as straight as when first built. This wall has given way at different times, (pro- bably from the quays being overloaded,) and in several places eleven or twelve feet at top have been taken down and rebuilt; piles have also been driven down in front of the wall, and a cap sill with transverse planking laid thereon, upon which the new wall has been erected; this has answered the purpose, and as a further security a mass of well rammed clay has been lately deposited at the foot of the weakest parts of the wall.

Lock and basin. Thc original lock was 200 feet in extreme length, and 36 feet 6 inches wide, by 24 feet 6 inches deep; there were six rows of grooved sheet piling 14 feet long across the lock, which was founded on 1245 bearing piles 12 feet long, of a similar description to those for the dock walls, and on these longitudinal and transverse beams were laid, and covered with 4 inch planking, so as to form a wooden floor, which was the customary mode of building at that time.

The lock walls were built with bricks, faced with Mexborough stone, from 10 inches to 3 feet, or, on an average, 18 inches deep in the bed, with occasional through stones to bind the work together; the hollow quoins and coping were of Bramley-fall stone, the faces of which were set in pozzuolana mortar, as also the front masonry; the gates were made of English oak, in an arched form, and but 12 inches thick, including the planking. There was only one clough or sluice, 3 feet by 18 inches, in each gate, which did not give sufficient power to cleanse the lock and basin, without having recourse to a small lighter and drag to loosen and remove the mud whilst scouring.

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There was a common wooden drawbridge on the Dutch plan, over the end of the lock.

The basin to this dock was originally 212 feet long, and 80 feet wide, with brick walls like the dock, but the wall on the north side, from some defect in the foundation, gave way before it was finished, and was in conse- quence never raised to its full height, a sort of timber platform being erected on it, which remained till the basin was rebuilt in 1815.