History of Hull : Railways, Episode 2 - The Hull and Holderness Railway

[@alisonlee3314]

I've never been to Hull, and probably never will. But I find your videos fascinating! Thoroughly researched, with wonderful old maps. Fabulous!

[@hullhistorynerd]

Glad you enjoy them! I know what you mean, I'm a huge fan of Martin Zero and his Manchester videos, even though I've only been a couple of times!

[@MrDavidht]

Last time I was in With was in the early 90s when I took my parents out for drive on a summers day. We visited the boarding house where Dad would spend his summer holidays with his family, his dad would commute into work in Hull on the train. Apparently according to my dad, Withernsea was a popular destination of a summer's evening for citizens of Hull and the last train back had certain unenviable reputation.

[@Duranie9]

Just subscribed, really enjoyed your narration and delivery. There's something magical about old railway sites, conserved and disused stations, and the history attached. Thanks for the trip into the past. 🚂❤

[@lipsee100]

I,m from With ,,and it was a great place to grow up,,, Regarding the railway,,in the sixies after it had closed ,it was fantastic exploring ,climbing the old water tower and of course breaking windows.... For ages after the was a coalyard opposite the station.. I remember me having to go on an errand for my mum ,to ask Mr Medforth for some coal His "office" was in the old station.. he had a fire going ,,and a big black smilling face,,oh what fond memories!!! ... Withernsea was great in the sixies

[@sahhull]

My late mother used to tell me about going dancing at Withernsea Spa. (1945+) A train ticket was a penny and a jam jar or 2 pennies. If you missed the last train, you could use your train ticket on the bus back to Hull.

[@tomlee9191]

I designed the police station sitting on the site of Withernsea station. The site prior to police station being erected had the platform more or less intact but was in poor health. The north side of the redevelopment was designed with a retaining wall running the full length of the site which can be seen in the background of the documentary. I amended the design so that a portion of the platform could be preserved. Some of the platform stone edges were badly damaged so we collected all the undamaged stones and re-bedded them on a section of the platform brickwork which we retained. The bonus was the client was happy as we saved on the erection of a full wall. By coincidence I also designed the shops/office block and garage on the site of the coal yard at the old Botanic station. Unfortunately there was nothing on that site to be saved.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Awesome! Thankyou for preserving a part of the area's history, it was lovely to find those slabs still there!

[@chrismccartney8668]

Amazing how the railway changed the town just like railways affected Mablethorpe and Cleethorpes.

[@davidguilfoyle]

Thanks so much for this. I am originally from Hedon and remember cycling many times following the path of the railway to Marfleet. I went back to Hedon on a nostalgic visit only a year or so ago and was so pleased to see so many parts of the old station and platform still intact.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Yes, it's nice to see that even the old goods shed is still being looked after!

[@trevorcourtney7457]

Brilliant stuff. PLease never stop!

[@DarkWaveLovers]

Just came across your videos. My dad is the author of “The Lost Railways of Holderness” and does many talks, displays and has many mementos. I use to spend my childhood at Dairycoates as my dad with the “Hull Locomotive Preservation Group” did the amazing task of restoring 5303 and 777 steam engines. Thank you for these videos

[@hullhistorynerd]

Oh that's awesome, that book was one of my sources! I remember seeing those locos parked outside the shed whenever my Grandad drove us along the A63. Always wondered whether they were being restored or just left to rust, good to know they were being looked after!

[@vicm7870]

I also love the chaotic story of Withernsea pier.

[@walkingwithtamson]

So much of the railways define the land even now. Loved the fast forward part on the old line through the town.

[@hullhistorynerd]

The railways really redefined the country from a collection of disparate regional communities into a nation, where you could pass freshly printed newspapers, fresh milk, meat, grain from one end of the country to the other within a single day! It really was the Victorian version of the internet, a revolution that transformed the British way of life completely beyond recognition!

[@barrystorey9182]

Thank you for making this Video, Brings back so many memories of summers spent with my Nan and Grandad, catching the train at Southcoates and spending the day at Withernsea, watching the trains turn round on the turntable. I live in Holderness now and always look at the remaining buildings as I drive past them. Thank You again.

[@johndanville6643]

Marvellous.

[@brianwillson9567]

Paragon trainshed will neverbetter its finest moments of the modern traction era. Its brief flirtation with the DELTICS.

[@misskittysmith]

Another fantastic video Hull History Nerd, thankyou!

[@hullhistorynerd]

Thank you :)

[@vicm7870]

I used to go to Withernsea Market in the 80s too as a kid. We lived in Roos. I remember their being some leftovers from the train station being there too. There was a Proudfoots supermarket where Aldi is now and I remember just at the entrance they had all the photos of the old train station and I'm sure the cafe in there was called The Turntable.

[@JoFreddieRevDr]

Yes the Cafe in the Proudfoot supermarket was The Turntable, with lots of picture on the walls of the station and the turntable.

[@kellybayram3267]

I love seeing videos like these! We grew up in Marfleet Station :)

[@hullhistorynerd]

In the station house itself? That would have been a dream come true for me as a kid!

[@kellybayram3267]

Yep for around 17 years I think, it was really cool living there and it’s always great to see it’s not been forgotten as a railway!

[@RobertSmith-zi2xo]

@@kellybayram3267 - Just found this video Kelly will have to show your Grandad it eh!

[@RobertSmith-zi2xo]

@@hullhistorynerd I can confirm that is true Kelly is my niece :)

[@Az-om8rw]

Thank you for a very interesting(as usual) documentary featuring Withernsea! Born there in the 60's and never knew half of what you tell us. Sad to see the decline of the market though, Bob Carvers fish and chips, mhmm..

[@WILD35]

Wow this 3 years old still going strong 15k people still watching it

[@hullhistorynerd]

I've gathered a lot of new subs, people tend to go back through the older videos and catch up!

[@Bungle-UK]

Withernsea is possibly a rare exception where the bus service picked up the slack from the railways and is still decent enough today, meaning there continues to be a viable public transport option. On the flip side, the town is sadly very run down and more of a place to visit for punishment, rather than pleasure. I remember there being some talk a few years ago of reopening a rail link to Hedon to provide a commuter/park and ride type service. In theory, this could be viable given the dock links that still exist.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Yeah, a line as far as Hedon would actually still be doable as the trackbed that far is still there. I suppose the sticking point is in getting passenger services to run on the high level docks line as most of it has been single track for a while now, I understand.

[@logotrikes]

I have a short B&W film of one of the first trips in a DMU, Withernsea to Hull Paragon, taken in 1957. I'm sure you will be aware of it HN. Grainy and notchy, it does the business; brings back the memories. Not so much to yourself, but I can certainly remember trips, under both steam and diesel. In fact my gran always offered me a tanner if I saw the lighthouse before her. Of course she let me win. I play it often, usually at half speed so that it lasts longer and I can see stuff in more detail.... One could I suppose play it in reverse and get a two for one....

[@hullhistorynerd]

I know the film you mean, it's been a great source for me of how the Victoria Dock Branch Line actually looked at track level. There's so little around to show the platforms at Southcoates and Wilmington Stations, so it's really nice to see them in this film!

[@logotrikes]

@@hullhistorynerd Sadly it seems to be one of the very few films of the era. I'm surprised more amateur photographers didn't take up the challenge back in the day. But then filming was out of the reach of most folk, and why would they anyway? It was just an ordinary provincial route, one of many. That is until a doctor rocked up with a large axe...

[@hullhistorynerd]

@Martoon Yeah, those old cine cameras couldn't record for long before needing the film changing. If they'd had something as easy as a GoPro back in the day, every route would have been covered in great detail by the drivers! There's a few drivers on KZbin who upload whole stretches of their journeys around the UK, great record of the line and snapshots of the time it was taken. Train_Paul 94 is one, Don Coffey is another, worth watching.

[@sameyers2670]

It's a shame in a way that Ivo Peters never as far as I am aware filmed in East Yorkshire especially lines like the Withernsea and Hornsea branches amongst others

[@Trek001]

Just called my dad (to tell him about this video) as he lived in the era when the line was closed to passengers and he said that although the line was closed to passengers in 64, it was not unknown for some people in the forces to unofficially ride to and from Withernsea if they had what was known as "short leave" by sitting in brake vans with the guard until the line closed the following year

[@AMDronephotography]

Excellent well put together 👍🏻

[@algayathi]

Brilliant. Made me very nostalgic for dear old Withernsea!!

[@2004sammysammy]

Really enjoyed this video, nice to see the much maligned "Wither-in-sea" given some positive vibes! I too used to love the market in the late 70's. I was lucky enough to have an Auntie who owned a caravan on Northfield, we used to walk down to amusements, spend 50p, and paddle back in the sea with a bag of chips....happy memories! It's a shame the route is not entirely accessible by bicycle like the Hornsea line, a route I have done many times. Thanks so much for this video....on to the next one later!

[@hullhistorynerd]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed and yes, seems like a really missed trick to turn the route into a decent bike path, it wouldn't actually take that much work!

[@jeffheineken6709]

It used to be accessible - my uncle used to bike it in the 90’s.

[@logotrikes]

Well Done History Nerd!! I was excited as you to find the last remnants of the Withernsea station platform. My wife thought I'd gone mad when I hopped up and down in excitement at this find. I'm old enough to have travelled by steam to Withernsea, and watched the engine on the turntable, just across the road from Kosy Kinema (sure that's how it was spelled) painted on the roof. Dr Beeching was indeed a prat, but the blame lies with that tosspot Marples, who had a vested interest in the demise of the railway network...

[@hullhistorynerd]

Indeed, it was a genuinely exciting find, my son was quite amused by my own excitement when we were filming! And yes, Marples and the road building and car manufacturing lobby were certainly responsible for much of the closures.

[@logotrikes]

@@hullhistorynerd My wife said. "It a brick wall" "Yes, I know, but it's part of the only platform on the station, and I would have stood here as a kid. And it's survived. We're standing on the track." That's roughly how the conversation went. I also photographed what must be one of the few remaining parts of the trackbed still in place. Can't remember where but the track crossed a road, and the vandals hacked it off at either side of the road with a gas axe. Somewhere out Winestead way perhaps. Single line I think, but the rails crossing the road are still there. Means nothing to most people but it was a great find, down in the undergrowth. I've ridden on those tracks... We've lived in Australia for the last 47 years, so a visit to Hull always includes a trip to Withernsea....

[@hullhistorynerd]

@@logotrikes there's a single solitary rail sticking out of the old crossing near where the speedway station was, but I didn't know about that piece of track! That would have made a nice shot. Ah, the things we learn afterwards!

[@logotrikes]

@@hullhistorynerd This was in 2006 when we were in the UK. Sure it was further out Patrington way, but could be wrong. At that time there was the remains of one of the old white painted crossing swing gates after Patrington I think. I got some pictures. We were there in 2018 and it was no longer there. In the US, the government retained ownership of a lot of trackbed. The shortsighted UK government could have done the same, although big place like the US could afford to do that. The UK not so much, land being too valuable. On Google Earth, at a suitable altitude you can easily pick out the track run, certainly past Patrington as it curves toward Withernsea. I found that extraordinary after all these years. No such problem with the Hornsea run as we know...

[@logotrikes]

I think we both found the same piece of ironmongery. Checked on Google Earth on Staithes Road with Street View, and double checked where the racecourse was on Google itself. A pix came up showing the same rusted metal barriers across the trackbed on Staithes Road. Bingo, as they say in the classics. Further along, although I didn't look at the time, the platforms are still extant....

[@saltspringrailway3683]

The 1890 map of Withernsea in your video shows the Hotel had a very short life and is by then a Convalescent Home. In the early 70's we visited our Auntie Rose who was staying there after a serious operation. I didn't realize at the time that it had been part of the railway.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Yes, it really didn't last all that long at all. I think it was bought by James Reckitt, if I remember correctly, who renovated and gifted it to Hull Royal Infirmary as the convalescence home.

[@RobertSmith-zi2xo]

There is a platform on the other side of the fence which i helped build by the way in Marfleet. My dad bought the yard in the late 70's and the house in the early 80's after the man there killed himself when his dog died. (Hung himself from the bridge at Valleta street just further down the track.

[@markrobert6028]

The coalyard at Botanic was still there circa 1991-92.

[@morrisminors9750]

Thanks for a great video. I just wonder what "Witherensey" would look like today if it hadn't suffered the axe under a transport minister whoe family fortune was made from road building! In East Hull we used to speak of a Withernsea evening, where the sun comes out at tea time after a very wet day (just as everyone was queueing to come home!).

[@jymmyt604]

Another very good episode - thanks. In the Hornsea episode you stated that the line can by navigated by cycle, which I and many other cyclists enjoy to do. With a lot more effort this Withernsea line can also be navigated. Unfortunately from Winestead it's necessary to use the roads. You can take some of the old route from the old station area West.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Yes, as far as I know the track is clear out as far as Keyingham, but it gets spottier from there until as you say, you're having to take the roads as it goes through fields. A real shame, it would be another great cycle route!

[@HelTalon]

Good stuff!

[@finlayfraser9952]

Hello, regarding Hollym Gate Station. There were two readily identifiable railway cottages there well into the 1990s, they still are there, but knocked into one, and so heavily renovated that it you were not familiar with them you would miss them. All the best!

[@hullhistorynerd]

Interesting bit of information, thankyou! I was aware that there were buildings on the site but they didn't look like station buildings. If they're railway cottages though, that explains it!

[@jeffheineken6709]

Hull History Nerd yes, I used to play down there in late 80’s

[@MrGarydry]

great stuff

[@grahammillett2862]

Again first class, top job!

[@hullhistorynerd]

Thankyou! Glad you enjoyed it. Keep your eyes out for episode 3 on Sunday!

[@classicmacintosh]

One common theme I've heard on a lot of railway videos (both present-day and historically focussed videos like these) is the Beeching cuts. I can't help but wonder just how much damage that one report did to the UK. It certainly accelerated Blackpool's demise, much like Withernsea.

[@hullhistorynerd]

It badly affected a lot of places; from what I've seen in my research on Withernsea and Hornsea, the axing of the railway devastated the local tourist economy. Hornsea had some home grown industry and agricultural heritage to support itself afterwards, but Withernsea really suffered. The small villages on the route also lost an easy way to go to college or uni or work in the city until bus services became more regular, and some communities got abysmal bus support when it did arrive, like Little Weighton. It's fair to say that in the days before car ownership was common, cutting the railway was like writing off those communities and their inhabitants.

[@sameyers2670]

To be honest I suspect the Hornsea and Withernsea lines would have closed anyway even without the Beeching report

[@chrismccartney8668]

I visited Saltfleetby in Lincolnshire and was surprised to find it was a medieval port and sandbar bloc king the sea entrance across the sandbanks

[@ianphilpott3121]

Excellent thanks.

[@robinoconnor1203]

I have just discovered your videos, like yourself I used to go to the Sunday Markets at Withernsea during the 1970s, the Station with pretty complete then. I seem to recall there was still a coal merchant operating from there. I think the Hotel was still there, used as a Childrens home for Special Needs I think, it had a bad reputation. I was born up the coast in Bridlington but moved away in the mid 1980s. Withernsea always seemed an odd place, It felt very bleak in Winter, run down and uncared for. I was last there a couple of years ago as I had discovered it had once had a pier, I understand they are trying to raise money to rebuild it. I recall there was another Supermarket on the site, prior to Aldi, I think it had a cafe next to the road called the Turntable. Something tells me there was a some controvesy about the demolition of the Station, I cannot remember exactly why, but I believe listing was in process at the time. I was fortunate to get inside Hornsea Station in the early 1980s, Social Services used some of it meetings, it was possible to access a couple of other rooms that appeared untouched from the railway days.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Thankyou for watching, and I'm glad it's jogged some memories!

[@Squishy9]

Did you know there is still a bit of track left just before you get to Winestead station!

[@hullhistorynerd]

I didn't know that! That would have made a nice shot. Damn.

[@mrdjr6544]

Might take a walk up there and check it out 👍

[@Squishy9]

It's actually where a side road goes across the track going East & the actual track is still in the road surface the last time i saw it.

[@scunnym]

Winestead Ings Lane...yea?

[@MrHugaKuga]

Another excellent video HHN :) remembering Withernsea station in the 80s ...it was a full but disused station.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Me too! The place where the market was held every Sunday! It was so exciting as a kid to be standing on an old trackbed.

[@HullEastYorkshire]

Very interesting thank you, looking forward to your future videos 👍

[@hullhistorynerd]

Thankyou, glad you enjoyed! Next one will be out on Sunday the 8th of September 😊

[@HullEastYorkshire]

Hull History Nerd I’m wondering what you going to do after the railways 😀

[@hullhistorynerd]

@@HullEastYorkshire I have a long term plan! Railways is only the first series; when this is finished in November I'll take a short break and start work on the next series which focuses on the city's docks and their impact on the city. On paper I've got ideas that should see me through about 5 or 6 series that will make up a nice collection of Hull's history!

[@HullEastYorkshire]

Hull History Nerd great stuff sounds fab, I’ll be watching 😘

[@Utubestolemylife]

Seeing Winestead Hall/Red Hall from the train is said to have set Winifred Holtby's mind wondering who might live in such a place and thence to the creation of 'South Riding', I believe.

[@hullhistorynerd]

That's interesting, I didn't know that! Always grateful for extra info like that, it's the best thing about history. Cheers!

[@Utubestolemylife]

@@hullhistorynerd I've just been reading an excellent new book, 'Yorkshire' by Richard Morris and I was a bit wrong in my first comment. He writes, "Other sites seen from the line appear in 'South Riding'. One of them is the White Hall at Winestead, a small country house near Patrington that became the model for Robert Carne's hall at Maythorpe."

[@llttf]

I recall as a 9 year old attending Patrington school and going to the newly closed station for a tour. The stationmaster was asked why the station was closed and he answered, " You will have to ask Dr. Beeching." Of course 9 year olds had little interest in current affairs, but I remember thinking, what business does a doctor have in closing down our station.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Yes, there was a huge amount of anger towards Beeching in rural Britain as he cut the lifelines of small, relatively isolated communities like those in Holderness. I've heard similar stories from a few people on the subject. I've not heard many kind words about the man yet!

[@andybharris]

Brilliant video,,, more please

[@hullhistorynerd]

Watch this space, next episode up on the Sunday after next!

[@andybharris]

Hull History Nerd excellent,, my 6 y/o daughter watched this one with interest 👍

[@dougdixonhull]

Great video. Have you thought of doing a video on the lost towns and villages of Holderness?

[@hullhistorynerd]

I'm actually working on an episode about Ravenser Odd, but there's some interesting sonar scanning going on there later this month, I'm waiting on the results of that because it could change everything we know about how Spurn Point actually 'works' from a geological perspective!

[@dougdixonhull]

@@hullhistorynerd that sounds very interesting, can't wait for that one. I remember a story that my late dad and my uncle told me as a kid about a village being swept into the sea, but the church still stands and at very low tides, if you know where to look. You can still see the church steeple sticking out of the sea. This maybe an urban myth but it has always resonated with me all my life. I find it fascinating that so many communities have disappeared over the years.

[@hullhistorynerd]

@@dougdixonhull There are a few stories like that, it's quite a common local legend wherever a village has been taken by the sea. Sadly, the truth is that the erosion of the cliff collapses any buildings on it and the chunks of debris get swallowed by the sea. The communities themselves don't disappear, they just build anew or get absorbed into other local villages or towns. When old Withernsea collapsed into the sea in the middle ages, the inhabitants just built a new Withernsea next to Owthorne. That said, there is often some kind of remains left under the sea, and that's what they're looking for at Spurn, the possibility that the sill of the Ravenser Odd quayside might still be under the water after almost a thousand years!

[@darrenholmes3200]

Brilliant video. We moved to Withernsea a year ago and have been interested in the history. Can I ask where can I get the old maps and plans of the town?

[@hullhistorynerd]

If you visit the national library of Scotland website here maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=11&lat=53.7520&lon=0.0810&layers=6&b=1 you can view historical ordnance survey maps from the 1850s up to the 1950s, there's even a side by side view version that lets you compare the old OS maps with modern satellite imagery. Many, many hours spent on these, just tracing out old railway lines, old streets, watching the shape of towns change over the years!

[@dixie_rekd9601]

@@hullhistorynerd such an amazing resource, ive just spent 3 hours on this site.

[@hullhistorynerd]

@@dixie_rekd9601 I don't even want to know how long I've spent there. I think it may add up to whole weeks...

[@sameyers2670]

I wonder if the reason Winestead Station was built was to serve a big house, there's a couple of gateways which look like the entrance to a hall or similar nearby.

[@hullhistorynerd]

It's certainly possible, Lord Hotham insisted on a personal station on the Bridlington branch for the use of him and his friends because the line passed through his lands!

[@sameyers2670]

@@hullhistorynerd That's what made me think of it, though it was the York to Beverley line at Kiplingcotes. I measured the distance between the two stations earlier on by road and its only half a mile or so between them

[@WILD35]

sweet my local area easington

[@logotrikes]

Just revisiting this video History Nerd, and at 6:05 we can see the remnant of track. Is that the piece on Staithes Lane? If it is then it's very likely it's the same piece I photographed. If so I was incorrect stating it was out Patrington-Winestead way. I have this picture on a stick somewhere, just got to dig it out and hope I didn't overwrite it with, I dunno, some crappy Beatles music or something... Go on Google Earth sometime, and from a suitable elevation it's still possible to see the run of the old trackbed in parts as you leave Patrington. As it meanders across fields its quite easy to see. I guess the trackbed would have been backfilled and returned to usable or arable land in the 70's, but soil disturbance shows up even after all these years... Haha, just noticed I'd previously mentioned this....

[@hullhistorynerd]

It is indeed just after the Staithes Lane crossing, on the east side of the road, and just before the remains of the Speedway station!

[@logotrikes]

@@hullhistorynerd Thanks History Nerd. That confirms it then...

[@squidgyjack]

For an update, the rail ( 6:05 ) is still there so are the platforms

[@logotrikes]

@@squidgyjack Cheers Squidgy....

[@mikewatt8706]

The Michael portillo of hull

[@hullhistorynerd]

Ouch.

[@pmf2910]

Would you have a track plan for either Hedon, Burstwick, Keyingham, or Patrington?

[@hullhistorynerd]

I don't I'm afraid, but there are a few local railway groups on Facebook who I'm fairly sure will be able to help you with that! Hull and District Railways is a good place to start.

[@pmf2910]

@@hullhistorynerd spot on, thank yoy

[@optomkev]

Do you rememebr the remote control tanks at withernsea in the mid 80s?

[@hullhistorynerd]

I don't, where were they?

[@patrickduignan7701]

What’s the music towards end, Jean Michelle Jarre ?

[@hullhistorynerd]

It's all Higgins Brown, that piece in particular was written specifically for the video.

[@RobertSmith-zi2xo]

My dad owns the old station house and yard in Marfleet message me Hull nerd if you want to visit it.