TA1029 : Dock Office Row, Kingston upon Hull
taken 5 years ago, near to Kingston Upon Hull, England

A relic of the former Queen's Dock, 1778-1930, the dock basin was reused as a dry dock from 1957 to the end of the 20th century. The dock retains the last 'Scotch' type derrick in the Old Town, a distinctive port-related feature and a rare reminder of the city's shipbuilding past. Included on the City Council's 'Local List' of buildings.
The Port of Hull is first recorded in 1193 but its location on the river Hull has not been identified. By the 13th century, the ‘old harbour’, or haven, extended from the confluence of the River Hull and the Humber Estuary upstream as far as North Bridge. In mid-13th Century, the Port of Hull was a member of the Hanseatic League, commemorated in the 21st century through 'International Hanse Day'. By the 18th century it was becoming increasingly clear that the haven was unfit for the growing amount of trade, hence the building of inland docks linked to the river and the Humber Estuary. See Wikipedia for further details: Link
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The Dock 1778, closed 1930. Also known as The Old Dock, and Queen's Dock after 1855.
Humber Dock 1809, closed 1968. Part of Hull Marina 1984. Wikipedia: Link![]()
Junction Dock 1829. Renamed Prince’s Dock 1855. Closed 1968. Now Prince’s Quay shopping centre. Wikipedia: Link![]()
Railway Dock 1846, closed 1968. Part of Hull Marina 1984.
Victoria Dock 1850, closed 1970s. Infilled except for the Inner and Outer Basins connected to the Humber Estuary. Now Victoria Dock Village (housing).
Albert Dock 1869
William Wright Dock 24 May 1873
St Andrew’s Dock 1883, closed 1975.
Alexandra Dock 1885. Green Port Hull created on part of the dock for Siemens Gamesa 2017.
Riverside Quay 1907. Destroyed by enemy bombing 1941. Remains are in situ 2024.
King George Dock 1914
Queen Elizabeth Dock 1970
River Terminal 1 1993. Rotterdam Terminal built on same site 2001.
Covered Terminal 1997. Renamed Hull All-Weather Terminal 2009.
The Port of Hull was nationalised and, on 1 January 1948, the North Eastern Railway's holdings passed to the British Transport Commission. It was found to be unwieldy and the docks element was replaced by the British Transport Docks Board (BTDB) on 1 January 1964. In 1983 it was renamed Associated British Ports (ABP) and allowed to become a public limited company. The company was taken over by a consortium of companies in 2006 and the company was de-listed from the London Stock Exchange.
Further information: Hull History Nerd: Link
In 1773, the Hull Corporation, Hull Trinity House and Hull merchants formed the Hull Dock Company, the first statutory dock company in Britain. The town's first dock was built on land formerly occupied by the redundant town walls. This was The Dock, built 1775-78, known as The Old Dock from 1809, and renamed Queen's Dock in 1855 after the Queen’s visit to the town in 1854. The dock entrance was on the River Hull just south of the old North Bridge: Link
The first dock office was adjacent to the lock: Link
It was superseded by new offices in Dock Office Row in 1820, to be replaced by offices in Queen Victoria Square in 1871 which, today, host the city’s maritime museum. Warehouses were built on the south side of the dock, some of which survive in Guildhall Road. The Hull Dock Company operated all docks in the town until 1893. Queen’s Dock closed in 1930 and, together with Queen’s Dock Chambers and the dock offices, was sold by the LNER to the Corporation. It was subsequently infilled and converted to ornamental gardens known as Queen's Gardens. Further information in Wikipedia: Link
‘The Victoria History of the County of York East Riding’, volume I, 1969, and ‘Hull Docklands, by Michael Thompson, 1990, pp. 20-23.
The city’s fishing industry was founded by fishermen from Brixham (Devon) and Ramsgate (Kent) in mid-19th century. Initially, landing and marketing were confined to the pier, then a corner of Humber Dock, before moving again to the newly-opened Albert Dock in 1869. A significant boost came in 1883 when St Andrew’s Dock was opened solely for the fishing industry. The slump in the industry in the 1970s led to the closure of St Andrew’s Dock in 1975, when fishing vessels moved back to their old home in Albert Dock. In 2024, the future of the industry in the city is uncertain.
Further reading:
Arctic Corsair: Link![]()
Cod Wars: Link
End of the line? Link
Fish Dock - The Story of St Andrew’s Dock Hull, by Michael Thompson, 1989, 118 pp.
Fishing News: Link![]()
Hull Bullnose Heritage Group: Link
Hull Docklands, by Michael Thompson, 1990. St Andrew’s Dock is featured at pp 44 to 49.
Hull Maritime Museum: Link
Hull triple trawler tragedy: Link
Lillian Bilocca: Link![]()
St Andrews Dock Heritage Park Action Group: Link
The last gasp: Hull life during the fishing industry’s death – in pictures: Link![]()
The Uncertain Future of the Kirkella, the UK’s Largest Deep Sea Trawler: Link
A relic of the former Queen's Dock, 1778-1930, the dock basin was reused as a dry dock from 1957 to the end of the 20th century. The dock retains the last 'Scotch' type derrick in the Old Town, a distinctive port-related feature and a rare reminder of the city's shipbuilding past. Included on the City Council's 'Local List' of buildings.
The site of the former North End shipyard is to become the new home for the Arctic Corsair, the converted sidewinder trawler which operates as a fishing museum and is currently being refurbished at Alexandra Dock.
Further information:
Maritime Hull: Link![]()
Hull CC News: Link
