Immingham Dock
Encyclopedia
Immingham Dock is a port
facility, with linking railways, opened 6 miles (9.7 km) upstream from Grimsby
by the Great Central Railway
(GCR) in 1912. It was first conceived in 1874, during the company's Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
days, after test borings north-west of Grimsby had been made by marine engineer Charles Liddell. Nothing ensued but the idea was revived in 1900 when the leading marine engineer Sir John Wolfe Barry confirmed Liddell's earlier recommendations. After some opposition the Humber Commercial Railway & Dock Act was passed on 22 July 1904.
, and equipped by Rowlandson and Ball.
Construction started with a sod-cutting ceremony on 12 July 1906. The wider scheme included three new lengths of railway:
The formal opening of Immingham Dock was by King George V
on 22 July 1912. During the ceremony Sam Fay
the General Manager of the GCR was knighted.
On completion the total wet dock area was 45 acre (0.1821087 km²) with 1000 acres (4 km²) of dock estate, 2.5 miles (4 km) in length, over 1 miles (1.6 km) inland, with a river frontage of nearly 1.5 miles (2.4 km). It had an entrance lock with three pairs of huge hydraulic gates. On the seaward side of the lock an eastern and western jetty curved outwards until they paralleled the shore; the eastern jetty was a passenger landing stage with its own double railway tracks; the western jetty, which was partially opened in 1910, was used for coal also with its own double track accessing the mainland via two girder bridges.
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
facility, with linking railways, opened 6 miles (9.7 km) upstream from Grimsby
Grimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
by the Great Central Railway
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
(GCR) in 1912. It was first conceived in 1874, during the company's Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed by amalgamation in 1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension.-Origin:...
days, after test borings north-west of Grimsby had been made by marine engineer Charles Liddell. Nothing ensued but the idea was revived in 1900 when the leading marine engineer Sir John Wolfe Barry confirmed Liddell's earlier recommendations. After some opposition the Humber Commercial Railway & Dock Act was passed on 22 July 1904.
Design, construction and opening
The dock was designed Sir John Wolfe Barry & Partners. It was built by contractors Price, Wills & Reeve of EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, and equipped by Rowlandson and Ball.
Construction started with a sod-cutting ceremony on 12 July 1906. The wider scheme included three new lengths of railway:
- the Grimsby District Light RailwayGrimsby District Light RailwayThe Great Grimsby Street Tramways Company was a tramway serving Grimsby and Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire, England. It was a subsidiary of the Provincial Tramway Company....
/ Grimsby and Immingham Electric Railway, a tramway from ImminghamImminghamImmingham is a town in North East Lincolnshire, located on the south bank of the Humber Estuary...
to Grimsby, used for contractors traffic and later for carrying passengers (mainly dock workers). - the Humber Commercial Railway, from near to Immingham, for coal traffic
- the BartonBarton-upon-HumberBarton-upon-Humber or Barton is a small town and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England located on the south bank of the Humber Estuary, and at the end of the Humber Bridge. It lies east of Leeds, southwest of Hull and north northeast of the county town of Lincoln...
& Immingham Light Railway
The formal opening of Immingham Dock was by King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
on 22 July 1912. During the ceremony Sam Fay
Sam Fay
Sir Sam Fay , born in Hamble-le-Rice, Hampshire, England, was a career railwayman who joined the London and South Western Railway as a clerk in 1872 and rose to become the last General Manager of the Great Central Railway after a successful stint in charge of the almost bankrupt Midland and South...
the General Manager of the GCR was knighted.
On completion the total wet dock area was 45 acre (0.1821087 km²) with 1000 acres (4 km²) of dock estate, 2.5 miles (4 km) in length, over 1 miles (1.6 km) inland, with a river frontage of nearly 1.5 miles (2.4 km). It had an entrance lock with three pairs of huge hydraulic gates. On the seaward side of the lock an eastern and western jetty curved outwards until they paralleled the shore; the eastern jetty was a passenger landing stage with its own double railway tracks; the western jetty, which was partially opened in 1910, was used for coal also with its own double track accessing the mainland via two girder bridges.