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The Foredyke Stream has a complex history with multiple phases of construction and modification. The earliest parts of the stream, used by the monks of Meaux Abbey to access Wyke upon Hull, were likely established 1221-1235, with subsequent improvements over the centuries.

The Holderness Drainage Act of 1764 allowed for the drainage of low-lying land east of the River Hull in Holderness. A drain called Foredyke Stream was constructed, discharging into the River Hull immediately north of the former North Bridge. It was completed by 1770 when it was then known as The Main Drain. By the 1960s, the stream was no longer viable in its original form and was diverted to flow into the Holderness Drain. After 1968, the old channel was filled in with soil and aggregates, except for the stretch between Foredyke Clough and Great Culvert adjacent to Holderness Drain, which was still operational in 2025. The infilled drain between Spyvee Street and Sutton Road is now a designated footpath and cycle-track, the Foredyke Route, part of National Cycle Network Route 66.

Further reading:
Holderness Drain: Link
The Victoria County History of York East Riding, Volume I, 1969, p 475
‘The Draining of the Hull Valley’ by June Sheppard, 1958: Link
New Cleveland Street bridge: Link
Hull History Centre: Tate’s Plan of Sutton, 1770