Port of Hull

The Port of Hull stands where the River Hull meets the Humber Estuary in Kingston upon Hull. The site has handled seaborne trade since at least the 13th century, first through The Haven and later through a ring of docks built on the old town walls. The Hull Dock Company opened the first wet dock in 1778, followed by Humber Dock and Junction Dock before 1830. Further docks stretched east and west along the Humber, with Alexandra Dock opening in 1885 and King George Dock in 1914. Today the port is run by Associated British Ports and moves about a million passengers each year. Hull’s docks once ranked among England’s busiest, exporting wool to Flanders in the 13th century and later handling lead, cloth and Baltic goods. By the 17th century it was the third port in the country after London and Bristol. The 18th-century dock company replaced the tidal Old Harbour with enclosed wet docks to speed customs checks and ease mud build-up. Rival railway-backed docks appeared in the 19th century, including Albert Dock and St Andrew’s Dock, linked directly to rail lines. Alexandra Dock, opened in 1885, ended the original company’s monopoly and sparked price wars. Visitors can walk the quays of Hull Marina, formed from the old Humber and Railway docks. The adjacent Albert Dock still shows the Riverside Quay where ferries and European trains once docked. To the east, Green Port Hull now occupies Alexandra Dock with a factory and quay for wind-farm work. The River Hull once hosted several dry docks and carried timber to the town’s warehouses. Salt End on the estuary’s edge became a petroleum and chemical hub in the 20th century, with piers reaching into the water.