The Lost Railways of Yorkshire: The Railway at the End of the Earth - The Spurn Military Railway

The history of the tiny, quirky community and military railway that grew on one of the most bizarre and forlorn parts of the British coast, Spurn point, a spit of sand and boulder clay always in danger of being reclaimed by the sea.
NOTE: I have to make a correction; at the time of making this video I didn't realise that the original railway jetty was gone by the 1980s, and the present jetty, whilst a similar shape and not very far from the site of the original, was in fact built in the 1970s. This is NOT the jetty the railway ran along! Many apologies for the mistake.
If you're anything like me, viewing historical Ordnance Survey maps side by side with modern satellite views will certainly eat up far too much of your time!
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• Hornsea

[@sbwords]

I frequently went to Spurn Point as a kid in the 1960s. Always found it fascinating to explore. One day I found a float with a sealed letter attached. The letter invited me to report the float location as part of university research project on long-shore drift. For my effort I received a £5 postal order. That was a fortune to me. Keep up the excellent work, these videos are awesome.

[@matthewc.419]

Love the place too , great to explore to this day

[@BigyetiTechnologies]

Always loved Spurn Point. In the summer, if it was going to be a scorcher on a Sunday, my mum used to make a huge pack-up, plus a gallon container of squash, and me and my 5 brothers used to pile into the back of my dad's Ford Zephyr and we'd go to Spurn. You're right about the end of the earth. Once you got to the Crown and Anchor at Kilnsea with it's vantage point over the river, it started to feel more and more remote and desolate. You passed few cars, the road became narrower until you got to the gate where a man would shuffle over, ask if you had any dogs, and then charge you 20p for access. Then on to the single track concrete road flanked by high banks of dune dwelling spiky plants and grasses not seen anywhere else. It genuinely felt like our little secret that only us and a select few others were privy to which made it all the more exciting. Then when me and brothers had families, three generations of us used to go. My dad died last year, and when my mum finally dies, that's where their ashes will be scattered and we'll be looking at hopefully installing a memorial bench there in their name.

[@hullhistorynerd]

It really does have that sense of desolation and loneliness, doesn't it?

[@BigyetiTechnologies]

@@hullhistorynerd it really does. I don't think I've been anywhere else with that same air to it.

[@johnnytaunton]

This was amazing. The quality is up there with anything on the "real telly"...

[@hullhistorynerd]

That's very kind of you to say! Just happy that you enjoyed it

[@angelinegrows7765]

I agree , presentation and content are superb

[@PibrochPonder]

No it’s better because he just tells the truth with zero agenda, political slant or box tickers.

[@darrylhare8535]

This is a wonderfully written and produced video. Hull History Nerd is a great communicator and has prompted some great memories in those who have viewed the video. I have learned so much. Many thanks.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Thank you for the kind words! Really happy to have stirred those memories, and perhaps given places more context.

[@tjordulf]

I love overlaying old O/S maps of Satellite imagery, fascinating to see where the old railway line is now in the sea. I also highly recommend going over the area with Lidarfinder (it's an online app, which is brilliant.) with it I found an old square castle in Cottingham that I've driven past 1000s of times and never realised it was there. For anyone interested in researching the historical landscape of Britain, but in particular East Yorkshire, it's fantastic. For tracking disused railways it's particularly revealing. Obviously, when you know what you're looking for, like borders between housing estates, field boundaries, tree lined 'pathways' etc, one can track the path of a disused line with some accuracy, Lidarfinder, just adds another layer of precision. With Spurn you can make out the old military buildings and gun emplacements.

[@llttf]

Your videos always bring back happy memories of my childhood. Before moving to the Eppleworth area, we lived at Sunk Island and often went to Spurn for a sunday afternoon outing to the beach. The highlight was exploring the WW2 fortifications hidden in the sand dunes.

[@andyrob3259]

You’re a great presenter and I can see you love your subject. . Great video. Came across your channel by accident. Never been to Hull although I am British (my mother comes from the Yorkshire Dales ) but I now live in Melbourne, Australia. Very well done. Enjoyable. And I’ve binged on your videos.

[@brianwillson9567]

Thank you for this lovely and informative video. My one and only visit, probably 30 years ago , was able to drive right down to the point.

[@daystatesniper01]

Superb as usual my good man ,the sound dish is a amazing survivor

[@AviatingWithMel]

I have gone through your entire catalogue of videos over the past month or so. Fantastic content, really well put together, informative and well shot. I have flown over Spurn Point (or is it Spurn Island again since the last big storm surge) on several occasions but never actually been down to the tip (as a Hull lass that is probably something to be ashamed of). Something added to my to-do list. Keep up the good work. Mel.

[@hullhistorynerd]

It's worth it, but make sure you head there just after high tide so that you get plenty of time to walk down, have a spot of packed lunch and then come back before the sea covers the washover!

[@spanishpeaches2930]

That was good fun and informative. As a child and a teenager, up to 14, maybe, my mum used to take us ( friends, rellies, whoever plus the dog) from Anlaby Park to Spurn ,in the summers of the first half of the 70s decade. Brrr, that sea though..always cold. Very happy memories, not only of east coast visits ( Brid,Frais,Hornsea,Scarb) but also of my time in Hull. Left when i was 21, never to return to live. However, those first two decades of my life will forever remain my happiest.

[@zackspaulding]

Getting addicted to your videos, and I'm loving this series.😉🎥

[@cybertraining]

Brilliant, been to spurn and wonder how I missed so much. Thanks for the video

[@pufango4059]

Superb film. Definitely one of my favorite places to visit .

[@eclectic6]

Thanks Jim. With the exception of the gratuitous bare leg shots, I enjoyed this very much. You’ve answered many of the questions I’ve always posed on my many visits to the peninsula.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Ah yes, sorry about that!

[@MrShinsters]

@@hullhistorynerd they're only jealous.

[@vicm7870]

Finally got round to watching this one. Spurns history is fascinating. I wrote my masters thesis on the lost villages of Holderness and would be happy to share it with you if you ever fancy doing a video on them.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Interesting subject! I'll actually be doing an episode on Ravenser Odd in the New Year, I'm just waiting to hear about the results of a detailed sonar scan just off Spurn point before I start, as that scan could change everything!

[@vicm7870]

@@hullhistorynerd Ravenser Odd is a brilliant bit of history. Eagerly awaiting the findings too 😊

[@philiphollowday6741]

Excellent film; really enjoyed it, well done. My great aunt could remember the sail boat train at Spurn; sadly she is no longer with us. We were probably some of the last people to visit the tip before the tidal surge breached the road; You picked up on the sound mirror, have you looked at the war time bunker, Raf Patrington, the old UK nuclear command centre. Keep up the good work

[@hullhistorynerd]

I must admit, I'm generally not into military history so a lot of the RAF bases have pretty much passed me by; if it wasn't for the railway, I probably wouldn't have ever thought of looking into the old batteries here either!

[@Domina7ion]

That was really intersting. Those stories about the sports car and the paddle bogie are so wonderful. Only in holderness!

[@hullhistorynerd]

It was when I was reading about those very things that I realised that I had to make this video. It's so full of colour and the personality of this isolated place and it's close knit community, and how even the WD personnel became part of the place!

[@Domina7ion]

@@hullhistorynerd I assume the officer who owned the car has a MASSIVE moustache.

[@Domina7ion]

@@hullhistorynerd I wonder how long it would take to get used to the otherworldly feeling of the place. I would love to spend a few days in a holiday cottage there to find out.

[@hullhistorynerd]

@@Domina7ion I would imagine that it would have been a moustache only measurable in Melchetts.

[@paulbrown1574]

Brilliant insight and filmed very well again Jim. Loving the new batch of film's you are releasing and please carry on as they are full of history. I was down at Spurn Point only a couple of months ago, first time in years and very stark to see what the storm in 2013 had done to the road, vital history for our local area of East Yorkshire still. Can't wait for the next one Jim. P.S. as a not to one of your other films (from Bridlington) the old bridge that would've taken the small branch down to the harbour opposits Windsor Crescent has been preserved even after the local councils attempts at regeneration. Sort of look at it a different way after your film highlighted this from a couple of years ago. 👍👍👍

[@hullhistorynerd]

Ah yes, someone on Facebook was inspired to go looking for that bridge and sent me photos! I love that my videos inspired someone to look for this kind of 'urban archaeology', because that's exactly how all of this started for me!

[@paulbrown1574]

@@hullhistorynerd it's brilliant that so many things you take for granted on a daily basis have such a urban archeological significance. I was wandering about at Spurn as i said a few months back and never got all the way down to the old battery but i will make an effort to get down and have a further look around after watching your film. Roll on the next one Jim and roll on being allowed to get a bit more drone footage too 😁😁

[@stuarthall6631]

Absolutely wonderful video! Thank you! I came across your channel by accident but have now subscribed. I have only visited Spurn once (about twenty years ago). One of my photographs from this trip is November upon my 2022 Vistaprint calendar of my favourite coastal landscapes. You inspire me to return!

[@hullhistorynerd]

Glad you enjoyed it! It was great fun to finally answer all the questions I had gathered over many years about Spurn Point and the railway and buildings!

[@stuarthall6631]

@@hullhistorynerd Thank you for replying! I have taken the liberty of downloading the Spurn video onto a pen so that my wife and I can watch this in better quality later this evening on our t.v.! By the way, I also loved your four railway diesel videos. More, please!

[@hullhistorynerd]

@@stuarthall6631 There will certainly be more diesel videos, I just have to grab enough footage of them to put some more episodes together!

[@oldiesoutdoors58]

Another fascinating video production from the Hull History Nerd .... looking forward to the next

[@phildewhirst8415]

Brilliant. Thanks for posting.😊

[@orville3816]

Thankyou so much! Brilliant content and professional filming! My parents used to have a caravan at Kilnsea in the 70's, I used to catch the old Connor & Graham buses to get to Kilnsea. I remember there being many old buildings on the caravan site, I'm sure there was a lookout tower we used to go up and look out over the sea. There was also a freshwater "lagoon" just behind the pub where I used to go catching "tiddlers", I also remember a lot of lizards which was very exotic when you're brought up in Hull!

[@hullhistorynerd]

That lagoon is likely still there! A lot of the wetlands around there are being looked after by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

[@MichaelCampin]

I was taught it is called Longshore Drift by my Geography tutor who was from Doncaster and we visited Spurn Head on a geography fieldtrip.

[@johnclarke6542]

That's not the original jetty, the original was replaced because it was unsafe in the 70's or 80's ,the new jetty was used by the pilot launches and the life boat which was too big for the life boat shed

[@woollyfingers]

One of my favourite places, to sit right at the far end, surrounded by sea and sky, watching the shipping and the pilot boats. Weird place, yes, but the power of natural forces makes all our human concerns seem very puny.

[@stone_rodger]

Loved this one J. Spurn is my favourite local haunt for photography, day or night. The beauty of the location means there’s always something different around the beaches. I went on the weekend of the storm, the day after the main brunt came through, and was in awe that the road was gone 😦 I’d driven down it a few months prior. Amazing place.

[@hullhistorynerd]

It really is quite hauntingly beautiful, a really unique place.

[@tonystack7375]

Fascinating history of the point during wartime and peace,never been there but I will now.

[@christaylor5332]

Great video, spurn is a place I’ve loved since I was a kid, we used to walk down there when there was much more of the old railway lines. We both love the place so much that my other half now works down there for the wildlife trust. Keep the cracking vids coming.

[@Funkinheck]

Another superb production, as a child we had a caravan near godwin battery, you could see the gun emplacements in the cliff, my dad had to climb on my uncles shoulders to get into the tunnel, I have it on cine film somewhere.

[@hullhistorynerd]

In the days before it all crashed onto the beach; I have memories of coming up here with my grandad when I was little and seeing some of the concrete buildings still in place on the cliff.

[@AMDronephotography]

Another well researched and put together film. It must have been a harsh existence living there, especially during the winter months. I remember just how bad the coastal erosion is down there. We used to go to Cowden range and at least one observation tower had disappeared over the cliff. I have Pictures of the sail train that used to take military and VIP’s along the South Gare of the River Tees to the military garrison. Ladies in their Sunday best perched precarious on the edge. 😂

[@hullhistorynerd]

It really was a crazy way to travel! And yeah, what a wild, lonely place to live. Walking up there filming it, even on a lovely sunny day, it was hard to believe there was once a whole community living there full time.

[@geoffcarol1]

What a fantastic video. Full of clear and interesting information. I loved every minute. Thankyou so much for spending the time to film and make this.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Thankyou, really glad you enjoyed it!

[@donkinnersley2377]

Brought back so many memories. Thank you again and keep up the great work. Very much appreciated.

[@aBugBlog]

Superb quality video, I really enjoyed it. Loved the drone views, looks also like a lovely day to film at Spurn!

[@hullhistorynerd]

It was beautiful, if very warm! I was so sad that I didn't have the camera ready when a deer wandered across the road just before I reached the lighthouse. That would have been a lovely shot!

[@comedyhunter]

always look forward to your videos, good to see your making use the drone. Was out at Sturn Point in May, quite a walk to get to the end.

[@hullhistorynerd]

It is indeed, even more of a walk when you're carrying a heavy camera bag and tripod... that was a hard, hard day!

[@comedyhunter]

@@hullhistorynerd Yes modern tech is smaller than the past but once you have batteries and tripods and cables etc and have to walk miles in hot weather its not so easy. I took my drone to Spurn point too but then noticed the "no drones" sign so didnt bother, did you have to get special permission ?

[@hullhistorynerd]

Sadly I couldn't get any permission to fly the drone at all on Spurn, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust explicitly said no when I asked due to it being nesting season for rare birds. The only shots I could get were from Kilnsea beach, but luckily once you get up to about 300ft, the bizarre vista of Spurn is laid out for the drone! If I'd been able to fly on Spurn, I'd certainly have been flying round those spectacular lighthouses!

[@bhgdetjbngfd]

Keep em coming HHN, always worth watching

[@paulbateman63]

Brilliant presentation 👍

[@jonathanhodgson3815]

Thank you for this. I live not to far from spurn but never knew the full history of the line brillient

[@buildingbuddy1]

Fascinating story and excellently presented. Thank you.

[@iainmc9226]

Brilliant as always 👌

[@jamesyuille9534]

I left Hull at age 13 and never knew any of this. I would love to revisit and follow your trails.

[@hullhistorynerd]

You should, there are some great walks, and Spurn itself is quite the adventure. Just make sure you check the tide times to make sure you don't end up stranded at high tide!

[@itsjustkirstie]

Brilliant and interesting video :) might take a walk up here tomorrow!

[@hullhistorynerd]

Make sure you check the tide times; head out just after high tide, that should give you a good few hours to walk up to the head and back safely!

[@Fatboy1964able]

Just been to Spurn Point. Just watched this video and loved it. Thank you for the information.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Glad you enjoyed it! It's an eerie yet beautiful place to visit.

[@philiptaylor8790]

Good one. I'm sure Goodwin battery fell into the sea in the past 20 yrs. Also at Goodwin/ Kilnsea end of the line was a barracks and I think a military hospital. The remains of which can be seen East of the battery at low water. West of the battery , connected by a tunnel, is an observation post, very overgrown . I've been doing Spurn for 60 yrs. It used to be free, like Bempton.

[@walkingwithtamson]

Fantastic stuff as ever, wild place! Always love it when these videos pop up. Will need to go check Spurn out I think 🤔

[@JakeYorkman]

Great channel mate, love it👍🏻. Great work and I look forward to more.

[@kevincollis2632]

Absolutely excellent

[@jakebruno9930]

What a great video, great in-depth knowledge and a great documentary style lay out

[@hullhistorynerd]

Thankyou! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@rwalker9644]

Since my father took me to the point when i was 12 ive always been fascinated by spurn and the rails to nowhere , concrete blocks and other strange items - i thought i knew lots but realise how little i knew . You filled in most of the blanks thanks again Mr Nerd - fascinating cheers Rob

[@hullhistorynerd]

It's been a journey of discovery for me, too! I've long been fascinated by the rails, the low lighthouse, and the ruins; reading about it all was absolutely fascinating. Definitely recommend the books I reference at the end of the credits if you want to know more. There's only so much I could fit in one video!

[@RHR-221b]

@@hullhistorynerd Acknowledged, regarding references. Thank you. R

[@syborgbabe2788]

Brilliant! Really interesting film. Thank you so much.

[@JohnHigh]

Brilliant video, mate!

[@asc.445]

I cant attest to how accurate this is, but I was told "Old Man John Shaw", the gentleman who my father bought his company from, was the commander of the guns at Spurn during WW 2.

[@MichaelCampin]

We have a zeppelin parabolic detector at Fulwell Quarry in Sunderland.

[@oliversparks1459]

The Story of Winteringham and Whitton Train Story over on the Other Side of the Humber is Interesting as Well

[@The_Draughtsman]

Awesome. Really fascinating stuff, the military really like to tame nature - reminds a lot of Orford Ness, a spit off Suffolk with an extensive history from the early 20th century all the way thru the Cold War.

[@logotrikes]

"Other kings said I was mad to build a castle in a swamp, but I built it anyway. And it sank into the swamp. So I built another one....."

[@hullhistorynerd]

Always bonus points for a Python reference.

[@logotrikes]

@@hullhistorynerd This was a good one HN, I had no idea about any history of Spurn Point. None...

[@Wedgedoow]

That was very interesting, I think there is one Y8 in preservation on the Middleton railway in Leeds, not sure if it was 985. Thanks very enjoyable history lesson.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Ah, I should maybe have noted on the photo, that wasn't a shot of the actual loco, I couldn't find any Y8 pic that were available to use, so the photo there was of a Y7. The actual Black Sapper loco itself was 559. If it's still around, that would be amazing!

[@Wedgedoow]

The Black Sapper was a Y8 and got withdrawn from BR service in 1948, the 2 Y7 locos managed to be preserved 1310 and 985, both of these worked in private service until the 1964/65 era. Hull dairycoats was a noted shed for the last of many of the ex NER locos. Your video was still top notch, In my trainspotting days I managed to see the last Y8 departmental 55, it was York shed pilot.

[@hullhistorynerd]

@@Wedgedoow Yes, Black Sapper was a Y8, but there were, to my knowledge, no other steam locomotives assigned to the Spurn railway during WW2.

[@Mr_b_yorkshire_farmer]

Very interesting.

[@robertkemp8717]

I think my grandfather might have been stationed there during World War I. Better than the Somme. I just remember my mother saying something when I turned 18. She said my grandfather, her dad, had spent his eighteenth birthday cooking a rabbit in a bucket at Spurn. He was born in Feb 1898 so that would make it Feb 1916. That was the only time it was mentioned so no more info. He lived in Hull, though he was from Leeds, so Spurn makes sense, though there is an outside chance it may have been Gibraltar Point in Lincolnshire.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Very possibly Spurn, I certainly saw a few rabbits while I was filming!

[@robertkemp8717]

@@hullhistorynerd You wouldn’t know what regiments or units were stationed there, would you? I understand a lot of Hull army records may have lost during the bombing in WWII.

[@hullhistorynerd]

I'm afraid not, my take on the history was a broad sweep , with focus on the railway, so I didn't see any info about who in particular was stationed there except for Lieutenant Lees and his racing car.

[@sameyers2670]

@@robertkemp8717 I do quite a bit of reading about military history I'll keep an eye out and see if I can find anything out

[@robertkemp8717]

@@sameyers2670 Thanks

[@beardedbodger]

You missed the tunnel under kilnsea and the observer/defence command bunker, and the later ROC post at kilnsea!

[@hullhistorynerd]

It was already a lengthy video, and it was about the railway rather than an in depth look at the bunkers! Plenty got omitted at the script editing stage, and even more ended up on the cutting room floor at the video editing stage.

[@jancrowther9385]

Great piece. Just one thing though. That jetty is modern and was built for the pilots and lifeboat. The old railway jetty has gone

[@hullhistorynerd]

That info is already in the video description, I only realised after I had uploaded the video that this was a modern structure rather than a modernised older structure! I did update the video description with the correction, however.

[@jancrowther9385]

@@hullhistorynerd oh is it? Sorry missed that. A small Point in such an info packed video

[@andybailey3888]

Very interesting, thank you 👍

[@steveclem]

Another great video.

[@beardedbodger]

There is another remaining building on Sandy beaches campsite too.

[@richardfox9795]

Hi there i love the railway videos ive many happy memories of exploring the military buildings with my farther . But it was the railway on spurn that fascinated me most. Even with my keen research i cant answer my question was the railway connected to the hull railway network?

[@hullhistorynerd]

The answers you seek lie in this very video! But in short, no, it was never connected to anything else, it only ran between the battery at Spurn point and Kilnsea.

[@SonOfAnders73]

fantastic

[@djtyser-czvt]

Really interesting.

[@hullhistorynerd]

I kind of want to have a go on a pre war sports car running along a railway.

[@djtyser-czvt]

@@hullhistorynerd ahahah. Yeah. That was the strangest discovery

[@chrismccartney8668]

A load still of these **Ears** based at dungeness.....

[@michaelwashington8947]

Very good video . My father lived in Warren cottage that where was born .his father was a life boatman ... They left in 1929 there is a price of history on it I downloaded and my grandmother an family photograph of them it looks like my father on her knee he was born 1927 they left 1929 I have no way to verify if it his him

[@michellecoldham1001]

Fantastic, really enjoyed that (y)

[@susancrawford5830]

I feel you missed something, did the Humber Pilots not have a base here? Not sure whether they used the jetty and had a base somewhere adjacent?

[@hullhistorynerd]

They did indeed operate from Spurn for a number of years, but this video was focused on the railway and military history of the peninsula; there were a lot of things that didn't make it in, such as the story of Ravenser Odd!

[@suzyqualcast6269]

So.... Spurn wasn't a munitions supply point to naval ships, amongst other purposes ¿? Why are/were there rail links transversing the Spit at least until 2010 in several places past where cars had to park up ? The jetty at the end, around the RNLI station and modern house builds used to serve as the lifeboat, on sea, spot.

[@hullhistorynerd]

The reason why the rails were criss crossing is covered in the video and is down to erosion. The railway originally crossed the road several times as the road was winding compared to the straight railway line. I'm afraid I didn't really come across anything about supplying naval boats; bearing in mind that the point itself needed supplying via ship, it's a possibility. I just haven't seen anything about it.

[@chrismccartney8668]

A number of the ** Ears** are on kent coast in the narshes near Rye i believe on a shingle spit near Nuclear Power Station..

[@hullhistorynerd]

Yes, there were a good few on the south coast, they had to build quite large ones because of the long wavelength of bomber engines, some of those giants are still standing.

[@paulmilsom1266]

What happened to the Humber pilot station which was on the point?

[@hullhistorynerd]

The building is still there, but I think after the storm surge in 2013 they moved operations to another location for safety.

[@cottinghamcyclinggardener6822]

I noticed on the drone footage that there is a pond or lake on Spurn point that I never knew about. Do you have any information about it or does anyone else know anything about it at all

[@hullhistorynerd]

Technically it's not actually on Spurn Point, but in Kilnsea. I think it might be part of a wildlife wetland area.

[@finlayfraser9952]

I am a fan, but I am dismayed by your identification of the modern lifeboat pier built in the late 1970s as the terminal for the railway. The railway pier was situated at the very tip of Spurn. Tut Tut! Have a look at some maps.

[@hullhistorynerd]

If you read the description of the video, I did correct this within a couple of days of the video going up. On the maps it was hard to see that this wasn't the old pier, sadly, and by the time I had walked up there I was a bit too fried to think about it!

[@PedalBox]

Why wouldn't you indeed make a rail-sports-car. Sound exactly like my kind of chap!

[@hullhistorynerd]

It really is exactly the kind of mad engineer project I can wholeheartedly get behind.

[@PedalBox]

​@@hullhistorynerd ​ It's akin to the traction-engine-swapped-into-a-wagon-chassis we saw at Bucks Railway Museum down at Quainton Road. Huge chain driven affair that looks exactly as dangerous as it sounds. Highly recommend a visit (also in one of our vids if you want a look sooner)

[@hullhistorynerd]

@@PedalBox Oo, I'll check that out, cheers!

[@johnclarke6542]

That's not the original jetty, the original was replaced because it was unsafe in the 70's or 80's ,the new jetty was used by the pilot launches and the life boat which was too big for the life boat shed

[@hullhistorynerd]

Yes, if you look at the video description I do correct this.

[@finlayfraser9952]

Okay!

[@SheGeek78]

Anyone else spot the sweet wild bunnies at 10.40? 🐇🐇

[@michaelwhiles5282]

Superb and insightful - how come contents such as yours isn’t on telly ? No sorry we know the reasons - you don’t tick enough boxes ….

[@hullhistorynerd]

Given that most of the people who present railway related programmes on the telly are white men (Rob Bell, Michael Portillo, Tim Dunn etc) I hardly think that I'm not ticking the right boxes. It's more likely to be because I've never actually worked in or tried to work in TV at any point in my life therefore it isn't an opportunity that would have ever presented itself.

[@msgretrogamer]

Brilliant episode, perhaps my favourite.

[@LeeDarkParadox]

👍+++

[@paulwallis8435]

1st

[@longballplease]

One of my favourite places to go, I've even been lucky enough to drive all the way to the end

[@hullhistorynerd]

Same, back in the days when that was possible!

[@mammothmotouk]

To say your work improves with every watch is an understatement. You had me gripped from the introduction. You are bringing our history to life and it’s exciting. Great job.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Thankyou for the kind words, and glad you're enjoying the videos!

[@yorkie2789]

Fantastic stuff, been to Spurn many times, its a truly magical place. Don't know why it appeals to me so much as I'm a hill walker by nature but there's just something about the place.

[@hullhistorynerd]

It's certainly a very eerie place to walk, that's for sure!

[@RHR-221b]

@@hullhistorynerd In Remembrance. R

[@poshbird600]

I remember going to spurn with the scouts. Had great fun and scary night... Just Brilliant....

[@curlytail55]

A very professional and enjoyable video that clearly explains some of the history of this outstanding place. Thank you.

[@waldorfstatler9474]

Never knew there was a railway on Spurn. Great video very informative and entertaining. :)

[@johnbyrne52]

One of only afew Video's I've saved to re-watch again..absolutely fascinating film, made to easy understand the varied History of Spurn Point..Thank you.

[@paulbeadle1714]

Really enjoyed this I was born down Hedon Road Hull and lived in Withernsea for 40 years and spent lots of time at Spurn Point Easington etc my friends lived on Spurn Point absolutely lovely place 😀 👍 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone 😀 😊

[@richardbutcher5809]

Wonderful. You should be on tv - you’re a natural! And these videos are great

[@misskittysmith]

Wow this was beautiful. What a wild and eerie place. Thanks for telling us the history of spurn!

[@hullhistorynerd]

Thes so much more to tell, too; probably in another video in the future I'll cover the lost pirate town of Ravenser Odd!

[@slw0599]

Great video yet again from Mr Nerd very interesting stuff and you obviously took up my request as in one of my comments from one of your previous videos after I'd recently visited spurn point which is incredibly earie and does feel like it is the end of the world there and feels like it takes an eternity to get there as it feels your driving for miles before reaching even the start of it...but again yet another great fascinating video thank you.... what's next?... Maybe the bull forts nearby in the Humber provided you've got a boat & permission!! Have you visited the underground bunker near withernsea RAF Holmpton? Highly recommended.

[@hullhistorynerd]

I'm afraid there's no chance of the sea forts at all, I'm terrified of deep water, especially so of the Humber! I wouldn't even get on a boat, let alone make a film on a crumbling old fort in the middle of the river! Sadly, I'm not hugely into military history, so videos on other military sites probably won't be coming up any time soon, I'm afraid; the only reason I did Spurn was because of the railway. I'm much more an industrial historian than I am a military one!

[@RHR-221b]

Spurn Point, circa Autumn 1990: My *Darling Mary* and I. Thank you for the beautiful memories, HHN, never forgetting the History Reawakening. Stay free. Rab 🍻 😎

[@RHR-221b]

Many other semi-secrets of our few freedoms left, now almost gone, H H N. To the stalwarts of our lives. Ancestors. Thank you. And tomorrow? 👈 To our next Astral Plane. This one seems to be [insert text here.] 🤔

[@alphapix5719]

Thanks for a fascinating history account of a unique location.

[@mikego18753]

#357.Belting vid & well vidded. Thanks.

[@townsendv58]

Just found this channel. Absolutely fascinating. I am a newbie to Yorkshire.

[@hullhistorynerd]

I hope you continue to enjoy learning more about the history of your new home! New video coming weekend after next on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, the Whitby & Pickering line!

[@NJPurling]

A shame that you could not get an image of 'LORD MAYOR'. I knew of the Itala car conversion Lord Montagu has an Itala in his collection. The usual means of stopping the sail bogies was to drop a wooden sleeper off the front. On one occasion the contraption was going so fast it cut the baulk of timber 'like a steam-saw'. The axles for the bogies might have come from Hull Docks where wooden trollies were used to move timber about. You were wrong about the railway jetty though. It was south of the lifeboat jetty & the old lifeboat station was between it. There are two big stone gateposts in the dunes and the steel frames of the gates were still in place. There was a Tangye Gas Engine in a hut on the jetty which must have pumped water up into the tank on the old Low Light tower. Water must have been carried across from Grimsby along with other stores. The nearest railway to The land end at Godwin Camp was Patrington station The head of the jetty still existed when I first visited Spurn as a schoolkid. They made us walk the entire length from the entrance to the area where the lifeboat cottages were and back. The Sound Mirror is from the era of WW2. Radar was secret and these mirrors were a passive means of detection that did not relay on electricity.

[@hullhistorynerd]

Yes, a few people pointed out the error of the jetty, I have put an apology and correction in the video description. It is a shame I couldn't get a shot of Lord Mayor, unfortunately I just couldn't justify the cost of driving across to West Yorkshire for about 10 seconds of footage! I think I did mention that the only brakes on the sail bogies was dropping a piece of wood off the front in the video. The sound mirror, however, is most definitely a WW1 relic. The ones that were built at the start of WW2 were significantly bigger as planes travelled much faster than Zeppelins, so needed to be detected from further away, and ones the size of the Kilnsea mirror just weren't big enough to give adequate warning; by the time you could hear it, it was already too late.