Hull Victoria Pier railway station

Corporation Pier station was the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway's booking office for their ferry service between Corporation Pier, Hull and New Holland Pier in Lincolnshire.[1] It was not rail connected, but served as a ticket office and waiting room for the Humber Ferry.

Hull Victoria Pier
July 1978
General information
LocationVictoria Pier, Kingston upon Hull, City of Kingston upon Hull
England
Coordinates53°44′18″N 0°20′03″W / 53.7384°N 0.3341°W / 53.7384; -0.3341
Grid referenceTA100281
Platforms0
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyManchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
Pre-groupingGreat Central Railway
Post-groupingLondon and North Eastern Railway
Key dates
c. 1849Opened as Hull Corporation Pier
15 October 1854Renamed Hull Victoria Pier
25 June 1981Closed
The former booking office today

After a visit by Queen Victoria in 1854 the station and pier were renamed Victoria Pier station in her honour. The name may have stuck to the pier, but it never did to the station. The building itself, and references to it on maps and tickets referred to "Corporation Pier" until closure 117 years later. The station closed in 1985 with the end of the Humber ferry service.

History

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A 1914 Railway Clearing House Junction Diagram showing railways and docks in Hull, including Victoria Pier (lower centre)

The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) opened their line from Grimsby to New Holland Pier on 1 March 1848, and from the outset this ran in conjunction with a ferry service between New Holland and the port of Hull.[2] The MS&LR operated their own fleet of steamships for the service.

The first MS&LR offices in Hull, at Walkington's Lodgings, were purchased in January 1849 for £850. The company's offices were moved in August that year to 7 Nelson Street, a building which also contained the living quarters for the clerk in charge. These offices expanded into the adjacent building in May 1854.[3]

The Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway, one of several companies which amalgamated in 1847 to form the MS&LR, had obtained powers on 26 June 1846 to establish proper pier facilities at Hull. These eventually lapsed without being used, and in the absence of quays which could be used at low tide, passengers were conveyed between ships at anchor and the shore in small boats. Soon after April 1856, Edward Watkin, the MS&LR General Manager, offered the Mayor of Hull £40 per annum towards the maintenance of the Corporation Pier, Kingston upon Hull in return for the use of that pier. This was then used, not just for the New Holland ferry service, but also for services to Barrow Haven and Barton-upon-Humber.[4]

On 13–14 October 1854, Queen Victoria visited Hull, and on the morning of 14 October sailed for Grimsby from Hull Corporation Pier, which the following day was renamed Hull Victoria Pier.[5][6]

The offices at Victoria Pier closed on 25 June 1981,[6] with the withdrawal of the ferry service following the opening of the Humber Bridge.

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Terminus   Sealink
Humber Ferry
  New Holland Pier

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Historic England. "Hull Corporation Pier Station (498352)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  2. ^ Dow, George (1959). Great Central, Volume One: The Progenitors, 1813–1863. Shepperton: Ian Allan. pp. 118–9. ISBN 0-7110-1468-X.
  3. ^ Dow 1959, pp. 171–2
  4. ^ Dow 1959, p. 172
  5. ^ Dow 1959, pp. 163, 172
  6. ^ a b Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 125. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
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