Humber Ferries

Visits to sites in Hull, New Holland, Hartlepool and London related to the Humber Ferries.

The ferry from Hull to New Holland began in 1820 and was taken over by the railways in 1845, carrying on as such under the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway, Great Central Railway, London North Eastern Railway, British Railways and Sealink until 1981 when the opening of the Humber Bridge made it obsolete.

The LNER introduced new Paddle Steamer ferries Tattershall Castle and Wingfield Castle in 1934 followed by the similar but modified designed Lincoln Castle in 1940. Tattershall Castle was withdrawn in 1972 and Wingfield Castle in 1974 when many of the crossings were taken over by diesel powered Farringford which was transferred from duties on the Solent. Lincoln Castle remained in use until 1978, leaving the Farringford in sole charge of the route until the opening of the bridge.

Lincoln Castle was used as a restaurant close to the bridge at Hessle and later at the National Fishing Heritage Centre in Grimsby. Due to the deteriorating condition of her hull she was controversially scrapped in 2010 while campaigns were ongoing to save her. The Tattershall Castle and Wingfield Castle survive though in London and Hartlepool respectively.

More information about the Hull to New Holland ferries can be found at paddlesteamers.info

The Surviving Ferries

Below - Tattershall Castle seen as a floating restaurant on the Thames in London close to the Houses of Parliament.

The Wingfield Castle is moored on the Historic Quay in Hartlepool close to where she was built and next to the HMS Trincomalee which is part of the National Museum of the Royal Navy. Due to deteriorating condition it has been closed since 2019 but funds have been found for repairs.

Below - Wingfield Castle seen at Hartlepool with the sails of the Trincomalee in the background.

Below - The bridge of the Wingfield Castle when the ship was still accessible.

Below - The boiler room of the Wingfield Castle. Note the sign instructing firemen to avoid making smoke in the built up are at the pier at Hull.

Hull Corporation Pier

1928 Map

Google Map

The Hull terminal for the ferries was Corporation Pier, renamed Victoria Pier after a visit by the Queen in 1854 but generally still referred to as Corporation Pier. It could be considered as a railway station without trains as it was run by the railway companies of the time and served as a railway travel centre as well as providing tickets for the ferry crossing.

Corporation Pier gets an article on the Disused Railway Stations site and much more information about it can be found there.

Below - The former ticket office at Corporation Pier in Hull. 

New Holland Town

Rail Map Online view

1932 Map

Google Map

In 1997 I was able to get a visit to New Holland Pier with permission from the owners of the site at the time. After the discontinuation of the ferry service the pier was used by New Holland Bulk Services for goods traffic, it remained rail connected for goods traffic but this has since dried up.

There was a railway station at the northern point of the triangular junction with the lines from Barton on Humber and Grimsby, New Holland Town. When the ferry ceased this was closed and replaced with a single wooden platform on what had been the junction at the east side of the triangle, actually a more convenient location for the village and it avoided trains having to reverse at the old station. The site of the old station was demolished as part of the redevelopment of the pier for freight use. More information about the station can be found on the Disused Stations website.

Below - The Sentinel shunter that had been in use at New Holland Bulk Services close to the site of the old New Holland Town station at the land end of the pier. The shunter has since been removed.

Below - A grain loader at the land end of the pier.

Below - A conveyor was built along the track on the east side of the pier.

New Holland Pier

Another station was provided at the River end of the pier so that passengers could connect with the steamers to Hull. New Holland Pier station is also covered in more detail on the Disused Stations website.

Below - The wooden platform on the east side of the pier and remains of the signal that would have allowed trains to depart from that platform.

Below - The signal box on the platform with its lever frame intact.

Below - The platform canopy on the east side. 

Below - The station buildings on the east side.

Below - The station buildings on the west side of the pier, since in use as a Customs and Excise Office.

The pier was T shaped with ferries docking at right angles on either side of the railway station. 

Below - The site of where the ferries to and from Hull would have moored on the east side of the pier.

Below - A cargo ship and the cranes that have operated on the pier since passenger ferries ceased.

Google satellite images show the pier little changed since my visit over 25 years ago. With the site being inaccessible to all but those working on the pier the station has become a time capsule.

Back in 1997 with my visit to the pier done I returned to Hull via the Humber Bridge.