An intetesting idea this one but another bit of water which to me is under utilised for most of the year and therefore a total waste of prime estate is the old dock Princes Quay stands in. I'm unsure of the logistics of this idea but it has always seemed to me that both the Artic Cosaire and the Spurn vessel could have been bearthed in this dock and therefore been in a far more attractive and accessable place as tourist attractions. As for the warship, an ambitious objective but I would like to have seen more effort in keeping the vessel Francis Daley once had in Hull, the old Humber Ferry.
There is a really strong link with naval aviation, the aircraft that served in HMS Illustrious were manufactured by BAE systems at Brough amongst other BAE locations. She was also the main ship involved in the relief of the siege of Sierra Leone, the capital of which is Freetowm, which is twinned with Hull. I'm also pretty sure that L**ds was the city affiliated with HMS Illustrious (may have been the Arkle Sparkle though), so there is a Yorkshire link, albeit dirty L**ds.
Are you sure? The Manxman was the Isle of Man Ferry and was in the dry dock near the Tidal Barrier now. 'Floating nightclub' as it was called although hampered to the point of closure by the licensing laws, Hull City Council and complaints from the old peoples home on Nelson Court. The OAP's are still there, another short sighted decision by the council to allow such a development in the middle of the tourist heart of the city. Everything that interrupts Coronation Street will bring a crescendo of complaints from them. Latest one was the old bloke who hobbled out of his flat and threw a pan of hot soup ( including the pan) over the singer of group playing near the Pier during the Freedom Festival. It was a huge lost opportunity when Princes Dock was cut off from Humber Dock ( the marina) and then to allow the shopping centre on stilts to be built on it. The original plans for Princes Quay with a mock 'Wild West' shopping experience on the top floor, including a miniature train, never reached fruition and the 'Wild West' theme which was supposed to be from a Hollywood film set shipped across to Hull was never fully let and eventually turned into a miss mash of trinkets and market stalls. The one key leaseholder was Kingston Jeanery which moved from Kings Market into Princes Quay which resulted in the closure of Kings Market. Princes Dock should have been maintained as a Dock, full of boats and wild life and surrounded by bars, cafes and small independent shops. It would have been a far better tourist attraction then just another shopping centre which it is now, and in permanent decline. Francis Daly didn't get on with HCC. And he was the man who breathed new life into the old town with The Waterfront. They should have encouraged him, not hampered everything he tried to do. Thinking again it could have been the Manxman moored up outside the Waterfront but I still think it was one of the old Humber Ferries. Sadly one of the old Humber Ferries was cut up for scrap recently because no-one would match the scrap price ( £25,000, from memory, could be wrong) IMO this would have been a better investment then the £500k plus spent on consultants and then not even making the short list.
Manxman was from the Isle of Man moored near the tidal barrier. I forget his name, but one of our Councillors worked on it (Des Montgomery?) The Lincoln Castle was berthed at Hessle Forseshore as cinema/bar for a while. I can't remember who ran that though.
I always think Hull misses a trick when it comes to it's naval/maratime history - I'm not old enough to have seen just how busy it was in the olden days but my gran and parents used to decribe it in a way that just oozed excitment and pride. Having just spent a few days in Portsmouth the historic dockyard is excellent (Portsmouth is a **** hole though) - Hull could be more diverse as well with its aqua based history.
The Lincoln Castle went to Grimsby and was a floating restaurant for a while, before it started letting on water... Sad fate of Lincoln Castle please log in to view this image ONCE again the former Humber paddle steamer Lincoln Castle is on the local TV news with ambitious plans by the Lincoln Castle Preservation Society to build a replica, writes Jeff Beedham. This prompted me to look at my Grimsby Telegraph archive following the ferry's sad demise and the troubled negotiations to save her. For many years the last Humber ferry, built in 1941 and withdrawn from service in 1978, was moored next to the Fishing Heritage Centre in the Alexandra Dock. She was purchased in 1986 by the Johnson family who, at considerable expense, created a popular bar, function room and restaurant that provided superb food. It attracted visitors from all over Britain and provided an additional attraction and refreshments for visitors to the council's adjacent Fishing Heritage Centre. The Humber Graving Dock at Immingham had overhauled the horizontal triple expansion steam engine and fitted it with an electric motor that enabled it to be rotated and lubricated. The boiler had been removed in order to provide space for a new restaurant and kitchen. To keep the vessel on an even keel during the rise and fall of the dock water level, she was fitted with guides that slid up and down piles driven into the dock bottom. However, on Sunday, November 14, 2004, just before closing time disaster struck. Colin Johnson noticed the stern of the ferry low in the water and on investigating found all the tables in the aft function room floating. He immediately called the fire brigade. The next day the Grimsby Telegraph reported "Castle saved from watery grave". Severe corrosion in the hull plating had allowed water to flood into the bilges, causing the stern to sink low in the water. The automatic bilge pump had failed to activate, resulting in extensive flooding. Fire appliances from Grimsby and Immingham attended the scene, pumping out the ferry until 6.30am. Divers were sent down to inspect the corroded hull and temporary repairs were carried out in the bilges. But in order to carry out permanent repairs, she had to be lifted out of the water. The only viable solution was to tip lorry loads of chalk into the dock, close to Corporation Bridge, in order to raise the height of the dock bottom. After prolonged negotiations with the council, finally in March 2006, with Mr Johnson and NELC sharing the costs, GMB UK tipped 14 lorry-loads of chalk into the dock to create a resting place for the ferry that could also be used for an inspection of the Ross Tiger's hull at a future date. At high water the ferry was towed by tug over the chalk bank and when the water level dropped she was left high and dry. A full hull inspection was carried out which revealed greater corrosion problems with the majority of the vessel's bottom requiring new riveted plates. For four years PS Lincoln Castle was laid-up "high and dry" close to Corporation Bridge. Despite being put up for sale at just £20,000, with interest from the newly-formed Lincoln Castle Trust and Lincoln Castle Preservation Society, NELincs Council, who had first option to buy her, showed little enthusiasm and according to Councillor Lowis: "We felt it would be very difficult to justify spending council taxpayers money on it". No buyer came forward to rescue her and on May 17, 2010, the Telegraph reported: "It will be a sad day if the ship is lost". Three days later the Telegraph reported: "Former ferry could face the scrapyard". It had emerged that if the ferry was sold for the £20,000 asking price the buyer would also be liable to a £60,000 bond imposed by the NELC. The PS Lincoln Castle Trust was willing and able to buy the ferry for the £20,000 asking price, but could not afford the additional £60,000 bond imposed by the council. A businessman, Mr Caunter from the North West, claimed a potential deal with him had been "scuppered" because NELC set too strict a deadline for him to put a bond in place. The council, when questioned, denied his allegations. The Telegraph subsequently reported in later issues that another businessman, Mr Terry Jackson, after a day of tense negotiations had agreed a £20,000 price for the ferry. However it was also revealed that "The deal would not be finalised for at least a couple of months as Mr Jackson prepares to reshuffle his finances to pay an estimated £250,000 bill that includes the £60,000 council bond plus the cost of restoring the vessel to her former glory". Sadly no new owner could be found and reluctantly Mr Johnson, no doubt under pressure from the council, called in demolition contractors H Cope & Sons to scrap the ferry at his own expense. Finally, on July 3, 2010, the Telegraph headlines were: "Nobody can save it now". Contractors had started demolition work on the ferry. Mr Johnson hoped that someone would purchase the main engines that were available for £20,000 including the cost of removal by contractors. I presume the Lincoln Castle Preservation Society purchased the main engine and auxiliary machinery and have it safe and sound ready to install in the new vessel, and I wish them well with their ambitious venture. http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/S...tory-21072837-detail/story.html#ixzz3HiPwFaS3
Just remembered, I seem to recall watching films on Lincoln Castle when it was at Hessle. I know that the Life of Brian was one, but I can't remember if there were others.
This is the PSS Wingfield Castle operating as a Humber Ferry, it's now a floating museum in Hartlepool... please log in to view this image please log in to view this image
Maybe that's what I got mixed up, the one down Hessle Foreshore was one of the Humber ferries and yes I remember the Manxman now was that the one in the dry dock and had a bit of a tilt?
Fine pics OLM and what fine boats they looked, shame nothing could be saved for us to keep. Mind you on a similar thing I remember cycling down Hedon Road past the old Humbrol factory I think it was, and a jet was outside, a proper plane, and it was a shambles. The factory was closed but the jet was covered with paint and had been vandalised, another piece of memorabilia seemingly lost, I have some pics somewhere when I can find them.
Ah - those summer days of old when there used to be Jazz Cruises up and down the Humber. Shame no-one - absolutely no-one - had any vision. They'd have made wonderful tourist attractions, kept the Pier alive, etc.
Wasn't there one which the police and councillors scuppered the chances of by insisting on all sorts of daft regulations and closing times, 10.30 for a nightclub, that went to Bristol? Either that or someone there had the bright idea of obtaining a similar one. It ran successfully for years, featuring in Shoestring and other TV programmes,before being badly damaged by a fire. It had none of the restrictions placed on it by their council or police and none of the problems they thought would happen in Hull. Bristol is another place which uses their waterside better than Hull, though admittedly they have a more usable river running through it. Nevertheless our council and the police have made what should be a buzzing, vibrant area into an underused ghost town.
Saw this one in the summer in Dartmouth, the last paddle steamer still running. Packed all day despite it not been cheap. Busy on a night with again pricey picnic, wine or music trips. Joined up thinking, combined tickets for a river trip, a steam railway journey and a return by vintage bus via Agatha.Christies house. Or tickets you could use for a number of journeys and make up your itinerary.Admittedly a more scenic river than the rather muddy one we have but surely something could be made of it. View attachment 34027
