Royal Dock, Grimsby
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The Port of Grimsby is located on the south bank of the
Humber Estuary The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Trent, Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms ...
at
Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes dir ...
in
North East Lincolnshire North East Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area with borough status in Lincolnshire, England. It borders the borough of North Lincolnshire and districts of West Lindsey and East Lindsey. The population of the district in the 2011 Census was ...
. Sea trade out of Grimsby dates to at least the medieval period. The ''Grimsby Haven Company'' began dock development in the late 1700s, and the port was further developed from the 1840s onwards by the
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) was formed in 1847 when the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway joined with authorised but unbuilt railway companies, forming a proposed network from Manchester to Grims ...
(MSLR) and its successors. The port has had three main dock systems: The earliest dock, or ''Old Dock'' was developed in the 1790s, downriver from the medieval Haven, on the outfall of the same water course; in around 1880 it was expanded westwards, and renamed ''Alexandra Dock'', being connected to the Royal Dock system by a short canal, named the ''Union Dock''. From the 1880s the dock's focus was coal, later timber. From the 1970s onwards the dock has been used for large-scale car importation. The ''Royal Dock'' was developed from the 1840s onwards, contemporary with the arrival of the railway – it was built on a large area of land reclaimed from the
Humber Estuary The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Trent, Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms ...
north-east of the original town and harbour. The dock's trade has included a wide variety of goods including coal, timber and general merchandise. The third dock system is the ''Fish docks'', all of which exit(ed) from the same lock(s) onto the Humber close to and east of the Royal Dock lock. The first fish dock ("No.1") was built 1857, and expanded southward in 1878 with the addition of a second ("No.2"); both were built within the land reclaimed as part of the Royal Dock development. In 1934 a third fish ("No.3") dock substantially expanded the No.1 dock, and reclaimed additional land from the Humber. The Fish docks and nearby estate were devoted to the landing of fish, and maintenance, supply and repair of the Grimsby fishing fleet, which grew into one of the largest in Britain. The fishing industry collapsed in the 1970s due to outside factors. The Grimsby Haven Company was re-incorporated as the ''Grimsby Dock Company'', which amalgamated in 1846 with several railway companies into the MSLR, later known as the
Great Central Railway The Great Central Railway in England was formed when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897, anticipating the opening in 1899 of its Great Central Main Line, London Extension. On 1 January 1923, the company ...
(GCR). The GCR (and docks) became part of the
London and North Eastern Railway The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest (after London, Midland and Scottish Railway, LMS) of the "Big Four (British railway companies), Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It ope ...
(LNER) during the
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. In 1948 nationalisation formed the
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from which
British Transport Docks Board The British Transport Docks Board (BTDB) was a nationalised industry, managing former railway-owned docks in Great Britain. It was created by the Transport Act 1962 and abolished by the Transport Act 1981, which provided for its privatisatio ...
was split in 1962. Privatisation by the
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formed
Associated British Ports Associated British Ports (ABP) owns and operates 21 ports in the United Kingdom, managing around 25 per cent of the UK's sea-borne trade. The company's activities cover transport, haulage and terminal operations, ship's agency, dredging and mari ...
, the present owner of the port. As of 2015 the port is a major car importation location, as well as an
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servicing hub, and handles other cargos including timber, minerals, metals and dry bulks.


History


Early history

Grimsby's development as a landing place and town has an underlying basis in the area's geography – the combination of relatively (compared to surrounding land) high ground of over , near to the Humber, and close to a water outfall (''The Haven''). Grimsby has been documented as a landing place dating to at least the
Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...
. According to 19th century writers Grimsby was referenced in medieval histories as the landing place of marauding Danish armies. The haven is also reputed to be the landing place of the semi-legendary figures Grim and Havelok in the town's founding myth, ''
Havelok the Dane ''Havelok the Dane'', also known as ''Havelok'' or ''Lay of Havelok the Dane'', is a 13th-century Middle English romance considered to be part of the Matter of England.''Boundaries in medieval romance'', Neil Cartlidge, DS Brewer, 2008, , 97818 ...
'' (written ). In the second year of the reign of King John (12th century) he visited the town and conferred on its inhabitants the right that ''"they should be exempt from toll and lastage, stallage, moorage, haustage, and passage, in every town and seaport throughout England, except the city of London .."'', the town was also granted the right of a ferry in the same year. Henry III granted the town a ferry across the Humber, as well as a charter of merchandise. Records of trade with Scandinavian countries date to the 11th century, with furs, wool, and falcons being traded. Importation of pine and oil from Norway is recorded from the early 13th century; grain was exported. Fish and fishmongery in Grimsby are well documented as a part of trade and business from at least the late 12th century, and continued as important until the 16th century. In the 13th century the people of Grimsby came into dispute with the people of the then-thriving port town of Ravenserodd over the alleged 'hijacking', either by persuasion or force, of trade intended for Grimsby to the port of Ravenserodd. An inquisition into the rivalry was held in 1290 by order of
Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...
. Later during Edward II's war with France, the Mayor and bailiffs were commanded to equip Grimsby ship, place them under the command of James Kingston, and then patrol the coast of eastern England, capturing and impounding any French or allied vessels. The Haven and was prone to silting, and in 1280 proposals were made to divert the
River Freshney The River Freshney is a river in the English county of North East Lincolnshire. The town of Grimsby stands on its banks. It rises from at least four springs on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, although local folklore and oral tradition has i ...
to scour the harbour. By 1341 a new haven, the ''West Haven'' had been constructed, excavated from former pasture land. During the 14th and 15th century, trade with Scandinavia declined, in part due to Hansa competition, whilst trade with the
Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...
increased, during this period the port faced increased competition from the developing ports at
Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...
and
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. As continental trade decreased, fishing and general coastal trade increased in importance for the port. Icelandic fishing and importation of timber from Norway took place but declined from the 15th to 17th centuries. By the end of the 18th century the place had greatly decreased in importance as a port, and many of what remained of the inhabitants got a living from the land. The population had diminished from around 1,500 persons in 1400 to an estimated 850 in 1524, and 399 in the early 1700s. de la Pryme visited in 1697 and noted the towns decline. De la Pryme noted efforts to unblock the haven on his visit, and in the same period work was underway to divert and use the Freshney to scour the West Haven. Parts of the haven are now listed structures, as are
maltings A malt house, malt barn, or maltings, is a building where cereal grain is converted into malt by soaking it in water, allowing it to sprout and then drying it to stop further growth. The malt is used in brewing beer, whisky and in certain foo ...
on the quayside, parts of which date to the late 1700s.


The Old Dock (1796–1880)

Plans to re-engineer the haven and create a new dock were put forward from the late 1800s. Pickernell produced a plan for a dock in 1787. It was not until 1796 that an act named ''"An Act for Widening, Deepening, Enlarging, Altering, and Improving the Haven and Town and Port of Great Grimsby"'' ( 36 Geo. 3. c. 98) was enacted, creating the ''Grimsby Haven company''. The act noted that the River ('Haven') at Grimsby was warped (silted) up, preventing most ships docking transferring cargo subject to the state of the tides, and so, suggested widening, deepening, and straightening the haven, installing a lock to impound water within the lock, and redirecting the flow of the Freshney (and of springs known as Blow Wells) to scour and fill the lock, allowing larger vessels reliable harbourage at the town. The act sought permission to create a company to fulfill these task, which would also be responsible for erection of wharfs, warehouses; maintenance; tolls and so on; and to gain authority for compulsory purchase of lands required for the works. The acts also set out the regulation of the said company, and gave the company certain rights to make bye-laws relating to the operation of the dock. The act permitted the raising of £20,000, and a further £10,000 in contingency. Construction took place from 1797 to 1800 under John Rennie.
George Joyce Lieutenant-Colonel George Joyce (born 1618) was an officer and Agitator in the Parliamentary New Model Army during the English Civil War. Between 2 and 5 June 1647, while the New Model Army was assembling for rendezvous at the behest of the ...
was initially resident engineer, but was replaced by
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who was present 1800 to 1801. The dock construction required hollow dock walls on piled foundations which were designed in account of the weak ground conditions at the dock site. The cost of the works was £60,000. As built the locked canal was long, with a single lock long by wide, with a depth at the walls of . The dock works were carried out under the shield of a coffer dam outside the new lock, with extensive use of piling under the lock and wall constructions. Use of piles was attempted under the lock pit bottom but the ground was too fluid for this to be successful and an inverted arch was employed instead Further expansion was required, and a further act, the ( 39 Geo. 3. c. lxx) was obtained, which allowed the construction of an expansion of the dock of . The expansion was completed in 1804. The dock had a depth of water of reducing to towards the town, and to on the west branch of the dock (1846); silting required the dock to be periodically cleared, which had been done in 1826, by hand, and later in the 1840s by machine dredger of approximately . Between of mud was removed from the dock in 1826. After opening there was an initial growth of the town, but from 1811 to 1841 the rate of expansion was no different from the rest of Lincolnshire; the port lacked any rail connection until the 1840s. By the 1850s the dock was involved in trade with the Baltic region, including timber, deal, tar, seeds, bones, and iron. Dock fees were less than those in Hull. In 1869 the
Grimsby Improvement Act 1869 Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes direc ...
( 32 & 33 Vict. c. x) allowed the land west of the Old Dock to be developed, and a bridge, known as ''
Corporation Bridge The Corporation Bridge is a Scherzer rolling lift bascule bridge over the Old Dock ( Alexandra Dock) in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England. Built in 1925, it replaced an earlier swing bridge dating to 1872. 1872 bridge The Grimsby Impr ...
'', built across the dock. The bridge was constructed by Head Wrightson and the Teesdale Ironworks to the design of
Charles Sacre Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...
. The bridge was supported on concrete filled screw piles, with two spans of and four of . Situated between the two sets of spans was a horizontally turning swing bridge of of asymmetric hogback plate girder design with a clear space when open of . The bridge opened in 1872. In 1873 the
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) was formed in 1847 when the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway joined with authorised but unbuilt railway companies, forming a proposed network from Manchester to Grims ...
was enabled by the
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway Act 1873 The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) was formed in 1847 when the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway joined with authorised but unbuilt railway companies, forming a proposed network from Manchester to Grims ...
( 36 & 37 Vict. c. lxxvii) to build a short line connecting from their line (
Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway The Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway was an early British railway company which existed between 1845 and 1847 with the intention of providing rail services between Grimsby, New Holland and Gainsborough in the county of Lincolnshire. ...
) near
Great Coates Great Coates is a Villages in the UK, village and civil parish in North East Lincolnshire, England. It is to the north-west and adjoins the Grimsby urban area, and is served by Great Coates railway station. The northern part of the parish exte ...
to the Old Dock.
Logan and Hemingway Logan and Hemingway was a firm of British civil engineering contractors. The firm was an awarded a number of contracts by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway and its successor the Great Central Railway, including expansion of the co ...
obtained the contract to construct the line with a bid of £3,984, and construction began in November 1878. The line ('' Great Coates branch'') opened 27 March 1879. In 1880 the dock was modernised and extended substantially to the west, forming the Alexandra Dock. A short canal dock, the Union Dock was opened in 1879, connecting the Old Dock system, to the Royal Dock system. The dock's lock was closed in 1917 and later infilled.


Alexandra Dock (1880–)

In 1873 the dock owners, the
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) was formed in 1847 when the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway joined with authorised but unbuilt railway companies, forming a proposed network from Manchester to Grims ...
acquired of land to the west of the Old Dock. A scheme for dock creation at
South Killingholme South Killingholme is a village and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 1,108. The parish was predominately agricultural and sparsely populated and the village small until the ...
near
Immingham Immingham is a town and civil parish in North East Lincolnshire, England, on the south-west bank of the Humber, Humber Estuary, northwest of Grimsby. It was relatively unpopulated until the early 1900s, when the Great Central Railway began de ...
by
Charles Liddell Charles Liddell (10 August 1894) was an English railway engineer. Born in County Durham, he was the son of Henry George Liddell, who was later Rector of Easington. His older brother was Henry Liddell. A student and educated by George Stephenso ...
was considered as an alternative, but rejected. In December
Logan and Hemingway Logan and Hemingway was a firm of British civil engineering contractors. The firm was an awarded a number of contracts by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway and its successor the Great Central Railway, including expansion of the co ...
became contractors for an expansion of the Old Dock. the works included an expansion of the 1789 Old Dock, plus a large western arm extending from near the entrance. In honor of a visit by the Prince and Princess of Wales (
Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...
and
Alexandra of Denmark Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was List of British royal consorts, queen-consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 Januar ...
) to the town in July 1879 the new dock was named Alexandra Dock. The expanded dock was filled with water in November 1879, and reported complete in July 1880. Contracts for handling equipment, and jetties and coal drops, as well as a swing bridge across the Old Dock's lock were let soon after. The bridge connected rail lines from the Great Coates branch to lines on the west side of the Royal Dock. In the 1920s a replacement bridge across the dock (''
Corporation Bridge The Corporation Bridge is a Scherzer rolling lift bascule bridge over the Old Dock ( Alexandra Dock) in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England. Built in 1925, it replaced an earlier swing bridge dating to 1872. 1872 bridge The Grimsby Impr ...
'') was constructed to the design of Alfred C. Gardner, docks engineer of the
LNER LNER or L.N.E.R. may refer to: *London and North Eastern Railway (1923–1947), a former railway company in the United Kingdom *London North Eastern Railway (2018–), a train operating company in the United Kingdom * Liquid neutral earthing resi ...
, constructed by Sir William Arrol & Co. (Glasgow). The bridge consists of four spans, one of which is an electrically powered lifting section on the Scherzer rolling lift principle. The bridge was formally opened by the Prince of Wales (
Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...
) on 19 July 1925. The bridge was listed in 1999. By the 1930s one of the two original coal drops was out of operation, with coal handling at the port being transferred to new equipment at the Royal Dock. By the 1950s both coal drops had been removed, with the embankments remaining; cargo handling at the dock had shifted to timber; by the end of the 1960s the timber trade had also declined. In 1975 Grimsby was selected as the UK importation point for
Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...
and a car terminal was opened on Alexandra Dock in 1975.


Royal and Fish Docks


Background and construction of cofferdam (1846–48)

James Rendel was requested to draw up plans for new docks in 1843. His design placed docks on the extensive mudflats between high and low water north of the town – as planned were to be enclosed or reclaimed, of which would be water within the docks, with for wharfage, and of land for other buildings. The main dock was to be connected to the Humber by a basin of bounded by piers of open construction to the east and west each of approximately . The dock's entrance was to have two locks, one large and one small, Rendel also proposed a canal connecting the old and new docks, both for ships and to supply the new docks with fresh water. Part of the basis of the design was to expose the dock entrance to the flow of tides for the greatest amount of time to increase scouring of the entrance, additionally Rendel supposed that the encroachment of the dock onto the Humber might constrict the flow of water in the vicinity of the ''"Inner Roads"'' to increase the flow, and thence scouring, so as to increase the depth of the navigable channel. Rendel also suggested reclaiming and extending eastwards the shallows at the Burcom Bank shoal north-west of Grimsby to further funnel the tidal flows. Total cost of the works was estimated at £500,000, of which £300,000 for the dock works, and up to £200,000 for the breakwaters if carried out. To make the plan economically sensible Rendel proposed that the inner expansion of the docks would be carried out piecemeal, with only of docks built at the initial phase. At an inquest into the state of harbours undertaken by the Tidal Harbours Commission in 1846 the opinion was expressed that if Grimsby the new dock as well as better inland communications it would become the popular and natural fishing port for the east coast. The work was enabled by the ( 8 & 9 Vict. c. ccii). As part of the act the Grimsby Haven company was dissolved, and the business re-incorporated as the ''Grimsby Dock Company''. The company's plans were enabled by a close association with the
Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway The Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway was an early British railway company which existed between 1845 and 1847 with the intention of providing rail services between Grimsby, New Holland and Gainsborough in the county of Lincolnshire. ...
(GG&SJ), a company planning to create railway lines from Grimsby and the north Lincolnshire coast to Gainsborough, and connections with the main rail network. The two companies shared several board members and a chairman; the Grimsby Dock company voted to amalgamate with the GG&SJ at its first general meeting. On 1 January 1847, the
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway Act 1846 The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) was formed in 1847 when the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway joined with authorised but unbuilt railway companies, forming a proposed network from Manchester to Grims ...
( 9 & 10 Vict. c. cclxviii) amalgamated the Dock company, the
Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway The Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway was an early British railway company which opened in stages between 1841 and 1845 between Sheffield and Manchester via Ashton-under-Lyne. The Peak District formed a formidable barrier, and ...
, the
Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway The Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway was an early British railway company which existed between 1845 and 1847 with the intention of providing rail services between Grimsby, New Holland and Gainsborough in the county of Lincolnshire. ...
, the
Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway The Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway was an early British railway company which opened in 1849 between Sheffield and Gainsborough and Lincoln. It amalgamated with the Sheffield, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Manchester Railway and the Great Gr ...
and the Sheffield and Lincolnshire Extension Railway companies into the
Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) was formed in 1847 when the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway joined with authorised but unbuilt railway companies, forming a proposed network from Manchester to Grims ...
. Work on the dock began in 1846, to the designs of Rendel, with
Adam Smith Adam Smith (baptised 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the field of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by some as the "father of economics"——— or ...
as resident engineer. Contractors for the dock works were Hutching, Brown and Wright. The initial main work was construction of a large
cofferdam A cofferdam is an enclosure built within a body of water to allow the enclosed area to be pumped out or drained. This pumping creates a dry working environment so that the work can be carried out safely. Cofferdams are commonly used for constru ...
surrounding the worksite. The dam was constructed of three rows of wooden piles of Baltic yellow pine (Memel fir.), apart, between square, piledriven until hard clay was reached. Piles were between with some longer – the outer row was inclined to the vertical at 1 in 24. The inner space was filed with chalkstone and clay for the first then with puddled clay. The inside of the dam was
buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act ...
ed by additional rows, spaced every of wall, of closely piled wooden piles extending back ; the intermediate space of wall was supported by horizontal diagonal struts from the inner walls to buttresses. The embankments to the east and west of the dam with were made with piled stones and clay. By 1848 an area of was enclosed from the sea. A wide gated opening on the east side allowed access for construction ships. The dam was approximately long, with a construction cost of £29 per foot. The total length of dam, wharves, and embankments approached . Contractor for the cofferdams was Messrs. Lynn (Liverpool). The work was described in a paper read to the
Institution of Civil Engineers The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a Charitable organization, charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters ar ...
, obtaining a favourable reception from its vice-president:


Construction of Royal Dock (1849–1852)

17 April 1849
Albert, Prince Consort Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Franz August Karl Albert Emanuel; 26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861) was the husband of Queen Victoria. As such, he was consort of the British monarch from their marriage on 10 February 1840 until his ...
laid the first stone of the dock, an 11-ton stone forming part of the structure of the lock gates. The enclosed area had been drained by two pumps – on a number of occasions fresh water springs were encountered, which were managed by enclosing the spring in a cast-iron pipe, and by surrounding the area with chalkstone. Two main locks were constructed, adjacent to one another, of and with the bases below low water respectively. The lock's foundations were excavated to below the bottom of the locks, supported on wooden piles square by long, and a bed of concrete. The lock pit invert and supports for the lock gates were of stone. Each lock had a pair of outer (pen) gates and a single inner (flood) gates, all built of timber, reinforced by wrought iron. The dock's quaysides were built on chalk rubble filled brick arches parallel to the dock of approximately width, with the arches on piers of width supported by piling, with wider piers under areas expected to support the heaviest loads – the walls facing the dock were faced with masonry. Moving equipment for the dock gates was supplied by W. Armstrong. The hydraulic power supply for the equipment was a high water tower (''Grimsby Dock tower''), charged by a horizontal engine. The hydraulic tower was built on the centre pier between the two locks, of plain brick, square at the base. Its water tank was located at and contained . The tower's architectural design was by J.W. Wild and was inspired by Italian buildings, in particular the town hall of
Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...
(
Torre del Mangia The Torre del Mangia is a tower in Siena, in the Tuscany region of Italy. Built in 1338–1348, it is located in the Piazza del Campo, Siena's main Piazza, square, next to the Palazzo Pubblico (Town Hall). When built it was one of the tallest s ...
in the
Palazzo Pubblico The Palazzo Pubblico (town hall) is a historic palace in Siena, Tuscany, in central Italy. Located on the Piazza del Campo, it is one of the principal architectural landmarks of the city's historic center. Construction began in 1297 to serve ...
). A tidal basin outside the locks was formed by two timber piers, with an entrance wide. The cost of the dock works (to 1863) was estimated at £600,000; rising to £1,000,000 when accounting for the cost of purchase of the Old Docks, Fish Dock, and interest payments. The dock opened in 1852. On 18 March a banquet was held in the large lock pit, and water was admitted on 22 March, and the dock opened on 27 May 1852. The dock's railway lines of which included lines for the
Grimsby Docks railway station Grimsby Docks railway station serves the Freeman Street area of Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire, England. This is one of the oldest parts of the town, close to the Freeman Street Market and the town's docks both commercial and fish, the rail ...
and Grimsby Pier railway station were completed by 1 August 1853.
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
and
Albert, Prince Consort Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Franz August Karl Albert Emanuel; 26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861) was the husband of Queen Victoria. As such, he was consort of the British monarch from their marriage on 10 February 1840 until his ...
visited Grimsby on 14 October 1854, arriving from Hull on the Royal Yacht ''Fairy'', being received at the Pier station. A request for the new dock to be named Royal Dock in honour of the visit was given, and accepted.


History of the Royal Dock (1852–present)

Installations added after the opening of the dock included a graving dock, and facilities for handling rail borne coal shipments. The two coal drops and rail lines were built over the far end of the dock on timber piers. the first was completed by 1856 at a cost of £3,435, the second, at £3,500, soon after. The graving dock was built east of the dock's lock, with an entrance of . The design was by Adam Smith, and was contracted to James Taylor (Manchester) for £32,000 in 1855, the work was completed by 1858. Initially a
Cornish engine A Cornish engine is a type of steam engine developed in Cornwall, England, mainly for pumping water from a mine. It is a form of beam engine that uses steam at a higher pressure than the earlier engines designed by James Watt. The engines were ...
from
Perran Foundry Perranarworthal () is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is about four miles (6.5 km) northwest of Falmouth, Cornwall, Falmouth and five miles (8 km) southwest of ...
(Cornwall) was installed to fill the dock with water from wells, but its use ended when the well's water supply failed. A short canal dock, the Union Dock was opened in 1879, connecting the Old Dock system, to the Royal Dock system A large transit shed was added to the west side of the dock, opened March 1893. The shed was authorised 1890 at a cost of £23,500 and contracted to Pearson and Knowles (Warrington). A new hydraulic coal hoist and sidings were added to the south-west side of the dock in the last years of the 19th century at a cost of £11,000 – the installation became operational in 1899. A
Roll-on/roll-off Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, Trailer (vehicle), trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their ...
ramp was constructed in the north-east part of the dock . In the 1970s an access road and bridge was built across the smaller lock, restricting use of the lock. In 2013
DONG Energy Dong or DONG may refer to: Places * Dong Lake, or East Lake, a lake in China * Dong, Arunachal Pradesh, a village in India * Dong (administrative division) (동 or 洞), a neighborhood division in Korea Person names Surnames * Dǒng (surna ...
selected the Royal Dock as an operation and maintenance centre for the
Westermost Rough Wind Farm Westermost Rough Wind Farm is an offshore wind farm north east of Withernsea off the Holderness coast, in the North Sea, England. The farm covers an area of approximately with a generation capacity of approximately 210 MW. It became ope ...
. As part of the agreement new pontoons and lock gates were to be installed. In 2014 the lock gates at the dock were replaced by contractor Ravestein (
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
). The conversion away from gates partially supported by buoyancy lifted the opening restrictions to times of high water, allowing 24hr operations. The floating pontoon berth was sited in the north-east corner of the dock, at the site of the (1966) roll-on/roll-of ramp. The operations and maintenance centre was to be sited adjacent to the berth on the north-east corner of the quayside. Parts of the dock's wall, the locks, the dock tower, and several nearby structures are all now listed structures.


Fish Docks (1857–)

:''In the 21st century also known as Grimsby Dock East.'' The Fish Docks consist of a number of docks sharing common lock entrances, east of the Royal Dock, built and expanded in stages from the mid 19th century onwards.


=No.1 Dock (1857–)

= The first fishing dock (later ''No.1 Fish Dock'') was authorised in late 1854, and the construction contract awarded to Sissons at £6,996; the dock was completed early 1856. It was constructed to the east of the Royal Dock, and incorporated the floodgates of the original cofferdam at lock gates. The dock's lock was with a depth at high spring tides of . As built the dock's sides were of chalkstone covered sloped clay at with a 1 in 3 rise, at the south side a timber wharf was built, which was rail connected by a sunken line allowing direct loading of wagons from the wharf. A timber pier was built to the east of the dock's entrance. The dock was built at a cost of £12,000, with a water area of approximately . The new dock opened in 1857. Fishermen were encouraged to move to the new port; the ''Grimsby Deep Sea Fishing Company'' had already been established (1854) for this purpose, backed by
Great Central Railway The Great Central Railway in England was formed when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897, anticipating the opening in 1899 of its Great Central Main Line, London Extension. On 1 January 1923, the company ...
, and later Great Northern Railway and
Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 in rail transport, 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had ...
. An ice house and worker's housing were also built in the 1850s to support the industry. The Fish Dock was extended in 1866; doubling the dock's area. A second lock and further quay space and warehousing were contracted to
Logan and Hemingway Logan and Hemingway was a firm of British civil engineering contractors. The firm was an awarded a number of contracts by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway and its successor the Great Central Railway, including expansion of the co ...
, ; the firm also received the contract for a graving dock, valued at £15,000 in 1872. The pier at the dock was lengthened in 1873. The lock and graving dock were operational by 1875. The fish market on the dock was destroyed by fire in June 1918. Contracts for new fish markets were awarded in 1919: one of £43,878 to A. Jackaman & Sons for work on the west side of the dock; and one of £13,113 to G.A. Pillatt & Son for the north side. Reconstruction of the northern end of the fish market on the west side of the dock was completed by January 1921. Reconstruction work on the fish market continued through 1922 to 1923. In 1934 a new dock, No.3, was opened, contiguous with No.1, expanded the water area of by


=No.2 Dock and Humber Cruising Association (1878–)

= In 1876
Logan and Hemingway Logan and Hemingway was a firm of British civil engineering contractors. The firm was an awarded a number of contracts by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway and its successor the Great Central Railway, including expansion of the co ...
were awarded a £23,000 contract for an expansion from the first fish dock. The ''No. 2 Fish Dock'' was opened in 1878, connecting at the south end of the extended No.1 Fish Dock. The dock was enlarged to at the southern end between 1897 and 1900; the expansion scheme included the addition of two coal hoists for loading. H.B. James (Grimsby) was awarded the dock wall and excavations contracts. The dock expansion also necessitated the realignment of the
Grimsby to Cleethorpes railway line Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes direc ...
to the south. A
RYA The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) is a United Kingdom Sports governing body, national governing body for sailing (sport), sailing, dinghy sailing, yacht and motor cruising, sail racing, Rigid inflatable boat, RIBs and sportsboats, windsurf ...
affiliated sailing club,
Humber Cruising Association The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the ...
, (HCA) operates a marina (''Meridian Quay Marina'') using the northern half of No.2 dock. The marina is used by members of HCA, as well as having some moorings for around 20 visitors. HCA has hard-standing for yachts, a travel hoist, a fuel berth as well as a club house and bar. The club was first incorporated as a limited company in March 1994.


=No.3 Dock (1934–)

= A need for an additional fish dock was seen from the early 20th century – the
Great Central Railway The Great Central Railway in England was formed when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897, anticipating the opening in 1899 of its Great Central Main Line, London Extension. On 1 January 1923, the company ...
(GCR) obtained an act, the
Great Central Railway (Grimsby Fish Dock) Act 1912 The Port of Grimsby is located on the south bank of the Humber Estuary at Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire. Sea trade out of Grimsby dates to at least the medieval period. The ''Grimsby Haven Company'' began dock development in the late 1700 ...
( 2 & 3 Geo. 5. c. clxv) for a fish dock in 1912; the dock was to extend No.1 dock to the east onto land reclaimed from the Humber. The scheme was abandoned due to the eruption of the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, after which the cost of the scheme has increased from the initial estimate of £0.5 million to £1.2 million; as a result, the scheme was not proceeded with. Later the GCR's successor the
London and North Eastern Railway The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest (after London, Midland and Scottish Railway, LMS) of the "Big Four (British railway companies), Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It ope ...
(LNER) proposed to the
Grimsby Corporation Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes direc ...
that if the Corporation built a dock, the LNER would pay rent for use of the dock, until such time as the cost of dock and loans were repaid, at which point it would take over the dock – this scheme was agreed with and the corporation applied for a bill in Parliament. The Grimsby Corporation (Dock, etc.) Act 1929 ( 19 & 20 Geo. 5. c. lxxxiv) was passed in 1929. The dock was initially designed by chief dock engineer of the LNER J. A. Wickham, who died April 1930, and was succeeded by A. Tulip. The firm of
John Wolfe Barry Sir John Wolfe Barry (7 December 1836 – 22 January 1918) was an English civil engineer known for engineering Tower Bridge over the River Thames in London which was constructed between 1886 and 1894. He was the youngest son of architect Sir C ...
and partners were appointed engineers. Funding was aided by a governmental grant, intended to reduce unemployment. The works included a reclamation of land to the north-east of the original fish dock, and a new river embankment of extending east-south-east into the district of
Cleethorpes Cleethorpes () is a seaside town on the estuary of the Humber in North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England with a population of 29,678 in 2021. It has been permanently occupied since the 6th century, with fishing as its original industry ...
, enclosing substantial additional land in addition to the dock, including areas for railway sidings and up to for industrial development. The north quay of No.1 dock (known as "Campbell's Jetty") was to be removed, making the No.1 and new fish docks contiguous with one another – the new dock water area was giving a total water area of the No.1 and No.3 docks of . Planned dock facilities included a north quay, rail fed coaling jetties on the east quay, and outfitting jetties and slipways on the south-east side. A third lock wide was to be constructed adjacent east and parallel with the existing locks of the fish dock; additionally the fish dock east entrance pier was to be removed, and a new pier constructed on the east side of the new lock. Other changes required included the rerouting of a sewer and its outfall channel further east. The estimated cost of the works was £1.418 million of which the Corporation was enabled to raise £1.25 million, the remainder by the LNER, who agreed to a thirty-year lease on the dock. The company of Sir Lindsay Parkinson was contracted to carry out the work. A. E. Tarrant was the resident engineer. Work on the dock began in November 1930. The diversion of sewer, river embankment, and steel sheet pile cofferdam for construction of the new lock were all complete by May 1932. The embankment was constructed primarily of tipped chalk, faced on the seaward side with concrete blocks. Dock construction required excavation of approximately of material, primarily by
dragline excavator A dragline excavator is a heavy-duty excavator used in civil engineering and surface mining. It was invented in 1904, and presented an immediate challenge to the steam shovel and its diesel and electric powered descendant, the power shovel. M ...
, much of which was used to fill other areas of the newly enclosed land. Spoil and slag from
Scunthorpe Scunthorpe () is an industrial town in Lincolnshire, England, and the county's third most populous settlement after Lincoln, England, Lincoln and Grimsby, with a population of 81,286 in 2021. It is the administrative centre and largest settleme ...
was also used as fill on the reclaimed land. The new 45 ft lock was long total with three gates. It was built on square timber piles, supporting a square bottomed concrete lock pit. 'Blows', (underground springs) were encountered when excavating the lock's west wall foundations, undermining the work, and causing the newly laid concrete to crack. Work was delayed by remedial work to counter these springs, consisting of sunken centrifugal pumps used to draw of the water, temporarily reducing the local level of the water table. The lock was faced with
granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
. A pipe subway lined with cast iron segmental rings ran under part of the lock, carrying services (hydraulic, water, electricity). The initially installed gates were of oak, operated by hydraulically activated chains. The new east pier was long and constructed of timber, on the west side part of the old pier was removed and a new pier section added, meeting the old at a "V". Construction of the dock's quays was delayed due to the weak ground conditions encountered, necessitation a partial redesign, and increasing cost. The north and south quays were supported on square reinforced piles spaced laterally and longitudinally at a distance of .
Larssen sheet piling Larssen sheet piling is a kind of sheet piling retaining wall. Segments with indented profiles (troughs) interlock to form a wall with alternating indents and outdents. The troughs increase resistance to bending. The segments are typically made of s ...
was used at the rear of the quays, with a tipped chalk bank behind. The north quay showed movement before it was completed, and so the quay bank was tied back to anchorages inserted into the river embankment. Approximately of concrete, 1,330 tons of steel reinforcement, and 1,724 piles were used in the north and south quays combined. The east quay was built with a 1-in-3 slope retained by concrete sheet piling, and located three coaling stages supplied by the Mitchell Conveyor and Transporter Company, each extended into the dock on a pier. At the south-east side of the dock were slipways. Three adjacent slipways were constructed, with the machinery by Henderson and Nichol (Aberdeen); once lifted a ship would be moved sideways on a rail traverser onto an adjacent berth. The easternmost slipway had two berths, and was capable of lifting a maximum weight of 1,080 tons, and a maximum ship length of . The other two slipways had lifting capacities of 600 tons, the centre slipway had two berths, the other three. Slipway and yard foundations were constructed from reinforced concrete, supported by concrete piles. Main road access to the dock was by a reinforced concrete bridge from Humber Street (''now Humber Bridge Street'') crossing the main Grimsby to Cleethorpes railway line by five main spans. The works included the movement of existing rail sidings; plus construction of new general and coaling sidings, east of the dock. The dock was supplied with power from a 6,000 V supply from the LNER's power station at Immingham.
Electricity substation A substation is a part of an electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. Substations transform voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of several other important functions. Between the generating station and ...
s were supplied by
Metropolitan-Vickers Metropolitan-Vickers, Metrovick, or Metrovicks, was a British heavy electrical engineering company of the early-to-mid 20th century formerly known as British Westinghouse. Highly diversified, it was particularly well known for its industrial el ...
, and lighting by the
General Electric Company Ltd. The General Electric Company (GEC) was a major British industrial conglomerate involved in consumer and defence electronics, communications, and engineering. It was originally founded in 1886 as G. Binswanger and Company as an electrical goods ...
''No.3 Fish Dock'' was opened 4 October 1934 by Sir Henry Betterton. In 2012
Centrica Centrica plc is a British  multinational energy and services company with its headquarters in Windsor, Berkshire, England. It is the largest supplier of gas to domestic customers in the United Kingdom, and one of the largest suppliers ...
opened an operations and maintenance base on the north wall (fish dock), for use with the
Lynn and Inner Dowsing Wind Farm The Lynn and Inner Dowsing wind farms are a pair of round 1 wind farms located in the North Sea, in the shallow waters at the entrance to The Wash off the coast of Lincolnshire, England. The wind farms were developed as a single unit after plan ...
and the
Lincs Wind Farm The Lincs Wind Farm is a 270 MW offshore wind farm off Skegness on the east coast of England. The total cost of the project is estimated at £1 billion including electrical transmission links. The farm was completed in 2013. It is a ...
. In 2013 as part of the arrangements to bring E.on to the dock, the dock's lock gates were modernised. In 2014
E.on E.ON SE is a European multinational electric utility company based in Essen, Germany. It operates as one of the world's largest investor-owned electric utility service providers. The name originates from the Latin word '' aeon'', derived from ...
opened an operations and maintenance base for its Humber Gateway Wind Farm. In 2015 work to refurbish the 1935 boat repair slipways was initiated.


Grimsby Fish Market (1996–)

In 1996 a new fish market (
Grimsby Fish Market Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes direc ...
) was built on reclaimed land on a former fish dock (No.1). The majority of the fish sold at the market was not landed at Grimsby, but imported; approximately two thirds was supplied from
Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
ic fishers, the remainder from other
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
fishing nations (2006). The market handled 30,000 tons of fresh fish in 2006, approximately one third of the Grimsby total.


Union Dock (1879–)

The Union Dock was designed as a short canal from the end of the Royal Dock to inner of the Old Dock.
Logan and Hemingway Logan and Hemingway was a firm of British civil engineering contractors. The firm was an awarded a number of contracts by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway and its successor the Great Central Railway, including expansion of the co ...
were awarded the contract to build the dock, with a bid of £81,000. Work on the dock began 30 August 1873, and the final stone was laid 11 July 1879. The construction was hampered by poor ground conditions leading to the weight if the dockwalls displacing the adjacent ground. The total length of the dock, including lock was , with a water area of ; the lock was long by wide. Tannet, Walker and Company were awarded a £3,677 contract for a hydraulically operated swing bridge across the dock; the bridge was long carrying a single line of rail, plus walkways. Total cost of the dock was £258,700. Union Dock was opened 22 July 1879 by the Prince and Princess of Wales (
Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...
and
Alexandra of Denmark Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was List of British royal consorts, queen-consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 Januar ...
). In the 1970s the canal was widened out, as part of the arrangements to allow large car carriers into Alexandra Dock.


Humber Commercial Railway and Dock ()

In 1900 the ''Humber Commercial Railway and Dock'' sought powers from parliament to build a new dock west adjacent to the Royal Dock, and north of Alexandra Dock, on the banks of the Humber; this development was passed in 1901 as the
Humber Commercial Railway and Dock Act 1901 The Port of Immingham, also known as Immingham Dock, is a major port on the east coast of England, located on the south bank of the Humber Estuary in the town of Immingham, Lincolnshire. In 2019, the Port of Grimsby & Immingham was the largest p ...
( 1 Edw. 7. c. ccii). The approach channel to the dock would have required extensive dredging, which may have had negative consequences on the adjacent docks; and as a consequence the
Great Central Railway The Great Central Railway in England was formed when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897, anticipating the opening in 1899 of its Great Central Main Line, London Extension. On 1 January 1923, the company ...
informed the promoters of the scheme it was to withdraw its support, unless the scheme was changed to one better positioned on the Humber, near
Stallingborough Stallingborough is a village and civil parish in North East Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 1,234. History Prehistory-1840 The area around Stallingborough may have been inhabited in prehistoric ...
, nearer to a deep water channel. In 1903 the company submitted amended plans to replace the previous consented dock at Grimsby with a new construction at Immingham, passed in as the
Humber Commercial Railway and Dock Act 1904 The Port of Immingham, also known as Immingham Dock, is a major port on the east coast of England, located on the south bank of the Humber Estuary in the town of Immingham, Lincolnshire. In 2019, the Port of Grimsby & Immingham was the largest p ...
(
4 Edw. 7 This is a complete list of acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for the year 1904. Note that the first parliament of the United Kingdom was held in 1801; parliaments between 1707 and 1800 were either Parliament of Great Britain, parliam ...
. c. lxxxv). This dock act led to the construction of the
Immingham Dock The Port of Immingham, also known as Immingham Dock, is a major port on the east coast of England, located on the south bank of the Humber Estuary in the town of Immingham, Lincolnshire. In 2019, the Port of Grimsby & Immingham was the largest p ...
.


Grimsby River Terminal (2013–)

In 2011 ABP received planning consent for a two berth terminal on the Humber outside the locked docks connected to the estate via a pier from the northwest corner of Royal Dock. The terminal was designed to increase the car importation ship capacity from 800 to 30,000 cars. Capital cost of the project was estimated at £25.1 million. Construction was undertaken by Graham construction. The terminal consisted of an approach jetty approximately long; a floating concrete pontoon of , deep weighing over 7,000 ton; a linkspan bridge connecting the pontoon to jetty; and a finger pier dividing the two berthing positions. The installation was constructed using 165 tubular steel piles between diameter, up to long. The terminal was completed and commissioned on 22 July 2013. The first vessel to dock at the terminal was the MV ''Ems Highway'' in July 2013. Official opening took place in September 2013.


Marine Control Centre (2015–)

In 2016 ABP, in its role as ''Statutory Harbour Authority for the Humber Estuary and for the ports of Immingham, Grimsby, Hull and Goole'', began work on relocating its Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) centre at
Spurn Point Spurn is a narrow sand tidal island located off the tip of the coast of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England that reaches into the North Sea and forms the north bank of the mouth of the Humber Estuary. It was a spit with a semi-permanent co ...
to a new Marine Control Centre in Grimsby, following deterioration of road access to Spurn. The new control centre was to be located at the northern edge of the docks, between Royal and Fish docks.


Port employment, trade and tonnage

After connection to the rail network, coupled with expansion of the port, and wider industrial development the tonnage handled through the port increased from around 160 kilotons in 1854, to nearly 3,800 kilotons in 1911. The opening and growth of
Immingham Dock The Port of Immingham, also known as Immingham Dock, is a major port on the east coast of England, located on the south bank of the Humber Estuary in the town of Immingham, Lincolnshire. In 2019, the Port of Grimsby & Immingham was the largest p ...
coupled with a wider decline in exports reduced tonnage to around 620 kilotons by 1938. After the Second World War the tonnage peaked at 1,500 kilotons in 1956, and declined to 640 kilotones by 1962. Growth of the Grimsby fishing fleet caused the tonnage of fish landed to increase from 0.188 kilotons in 1855; to 30 kilotons in 1871, with 302 vessels operating from the port. Steam fishing began , and this, coupled with diminishing
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
fish stocks caused fishing to take place increasingly further afield – in 1911 landings from UK boats at the port were 190 kilotons. Demand was reduced in the
interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...
, though recovered to 198 kilotons in 1951. Grimsby landed approximately 20% of UK fish in this period. In the mid-1960s the fishing fleet employed directly several thousands of men, with over 250 fishing vessels, with many more people employed indirectly. £13 million worth of fish was landed at the port in 1965, out of a UK total of £40 million. The problems of declining catches and increased fuel costs were exacerbated by the introduction of fishing zone limits (
Exclusive economic zone An exclusive economic zone (EEZ), as prescribed by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is an area of the sea in which a sovereign state has exclusive rights regarding the exploration and use of marine natural resource, reso ...
s) by several North Atlantic nations, as well fishing limits introduced with the membership of the
European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...
. Landings dropped to 24 kilotons of fish by 1983. In 1976, prior to the collapse of the Humber fishing fleet the fishing industry employed 11,750 people in Grimsby, including land based work, representing 17% of employment. Grimsby's fishing industry was less affected than the
Port of Hull The Port of Hull is a port at the confluence of the River Hull and the Humber Estuary in Kingston upon Hull, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Seaborne trade at the port can be traced to at least the 13th century, originally con ...
due to a more diversified fishing fleet, in comparison to the Hull fleet's reliance on deep water fishing. Though fish continued to be imported into Grimsby for processing, much of it began to arrive by road from other ports, and not via the docks. Fish processing activities remained an important employment sector in the town after the collapse of the sea-based fishing industry – with over 6,000 persons employed in 1984, representing a nationally significant percentage of all fish processing based employment in the UK in the 1980s, with extensive cold storage facilities on and off the dock estates. In the 1980s major freight imports included Volkswagen cars, timber from the Scandinavia and Russia, Danish food produce; exports included manufactured goods, and steel slab from
Scunthorpe Scunthorpe () is an industrial town in Lincolnshire, England, and the county's third most populous settlement after Lincoln, England, Lincoln and Grimsby, with a population of 81,286 in 2021. It is the administrative centre and largest settleme ...
.


Other structures


Historic

Many buildings were constructed on and around the dock estate servicing related industries. The streets west of the fish dock was one such area, with a concentration of fish processing related activities and businesses – several buildings in the area are now listed due to their relationship to the fishing industry; these include: a fish processing and smoking factory, brick, late 19th century, on Fish Dock Road; two fish smoking factories on Henderson Street: one of yellow brick with red brick dressing, late 19th century; the other in red brick with concrete tile roof, late 19th and early 20th century; two fish processing and smoking factories on Sidebottom Street : one dating to around 1900 in red brick (with rendering) with 20th century alterations; the other in yellow brick (rendered) dating to the early 20th century; a fish processing and smoking factory on Riby Street, in yellow and red brick, with render, dating to the early 20th century; and a fish processing and smoking factory on Maclure Street, dating from the
interbellum In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...
, converted from late 19th/early 20th century smithy building. The fishing industry required ice to preserve the caught fish, and Grimsby had a number of ice factories, one of which, also on the dock estate west of the fish dock, now known as the Grimsby Ice Factory, is now a listed building. The building dates to the beginning of the 20th century, is of red brick, and was formerly the factory of the ''Grimsby Ice Company Limited''. On the east side of Royal Dock, the former flour mill, "Victoria Mills", is also listed. The building by architect Alfred Gelder was built in a Flemish style using red brick with blue brick and terracotta dressings, it dates to builds in 1889 and 1905. Part of the mill has been converted into flat accommodation, whilst, as of 2015, the other part is unoccupied and derelict. The directly dock related Dock Offices and Customs House are also listed, located near the junction of the Royal and Union docks, close to Cleethorpes Road: The Dock Offices were built in 1885 by Mills and Murgatroyd for the Grimsby Dock Company, an H plan building of three storeys, in brick with stone and terracotta dressing; the Customs House dates to 1874, two storeys with five bays, in red brick, with stone and black brick dressings. To the front of the Dock Office is a bronze statue of
Albert, Prince Consort Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Franz August Karl Albert Emanuel; 26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861) was the husband of Queen Victoria. As such, he was consort of the British monarch from their marriage on 10 February 1840 until his ...
commissioned to
William Theed William Theed (1804 – 9 September 1891), also known as William Theed the younger, was a British sculptor, the son of the sculptor and painter William Theed the elder (1764–1817). He specialised in portraiture, and his services were extensi ...
in celebration of the Royal visit to the opening of the Union Dock in 1879. The sites of the Royal Dock cofferdam, and of the Royal Dock's graving dock are also now listed as historic monuments by
Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...
.


Modern

In 2013 a two-year project of construction of a
flood wall A floodwall is a freestanding, permanent, engineered structure designed to prevent encroachment of floodwaters. Floodwalls are mainly used on locations where space is scarce, such as cities or where building levees or dikes (dykes) would in ...
around the docks began, with an estimated cost of around £20 million.


See also

*
Cod War The Cod Wars (; also known as , ; ) were a series of 20th-century confrontations between the United Kingdom (with aid from West Germany) and Iceland about Exclusive economic zone, fishing rights in the North Atlantic. Each of the disputes ended ...
* Industry of the South Humber Bank


Notes


Acts

*; Incorporation of the Grimsby Haven company * * *; Grimsby Haven company dissolved and undertaking transferred to Grimsby Dock company, construction of further docks. *, amalgamation of several railway companies and the Grimsby Dock company into the new Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. *; Construction on West Marshes, a bridge over the Old Dock, etc. *; Railway No.3 in the London Gazette announcement refers to the Great Coates branch. *; Act for a new dock in Grimsby. **amended by , a proposed dock to be sited instead at a site in Immingham; further act in 1908 (8 Edw. 7. c. 49); amended 1909 by the Great Central Railway (Various Powers) Act 1909 (9 Edw. 7. c. 85); and Humber Commercial Railway and Dock Act 1913 (3 & 4 Geo. 5. c. 20). * *; enabling the construction of (No.3) Fish dock.


References


Maps and landmark coordinates


Sources

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Further reading

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External links

* {{Associated British Ports History of Grimsby