Bridges
There are lots of bridges in Goole because of the flat land and the large number of river crossings. The largest bridge to dominate the skyline is the M62 Ouse Bridge which carries the trans-Pennine motorway from Liverpool towards Hull.
The bridge was completed in the mid-1970s and resembles a huge Scalextric model. If you stop under the bridge along Westfield Banks, you can hear the rumble of thunder from the traffic in the sky above and there's a spooky echo if you shout. There is a panoramic view of Goole from the top of the bridge, along with Boothferry Bridge and the Humber Bridge if you know where to look. It has solar-powered navigation lights in the central piers.
The Ouse Bridge was built to ease the congestion on Boothferry Bridge, which was built to replace an earlier ferry. From the days of 'Booth's Ferry', this crossing point became increasingly important to travel and communication in the region and, with the demise of the Selby ferry, became the major crossing on the entire length of the River Ouse. It opened up the area to the north of the river and helped the growth of Howden. When the ferry ceased in 1929, it could claim to be the longest serving ferry on the Ouse and is forever remembered in the Ferryboat Inn nearby.
Boothferry Bridge was built to provide a more reliable way of crossing the river and was officially opened on July 18th 1929. It quickly became a traffic bottle-neck as the designers could not have anticipated the rapid growth in motor transport.
There are two footbridges across the railway, the Monkey Bridge off Gordon Street and Kingsway Bridge. The railway itself crosses the Dutch River, but the most famous bridge is Goole Railway Bridge at Hook. This is a huge iron bridge made of several spans and is notorious for getting struck by ships which struggle to navigate in the fast flowing Ouse.
Bridge Street is the original name given to the road running through the heart of the docks. There are three bridges crossing West Dock, South Dock and the Dutch River. These bridges are notorious for slowing down the traffic because there are single-laned, and when they close all traffic comes to a standstill. Although the bypass provides a detour around West Dock bridge, there is no alternative for the others unless the bypass is extended.
There was also a railway bridge across the road to carry coal wagons along a high-level line to a hoist. This was removed in the 1980's after the line was retired as it split the docks in two for high-side vehicles.
The Lowther Bridge crosses the docks at the top end of Aire Street. It was built around the first World War and replaced an earlier bascule bridge.
The South Dock bridge was recently replaced with a newer model. The new bridge was built by the side of the existing one and slid across with a huge floating crane over the space of a weekend. It allows two lanes of traffic to cross at once and was part of a more general modernising of all the bridge mechanisms. Instead of a man and a bike, the bridges are controlled from one place and monitored with CCTV
There were plans to preserve the original bridge, but these never happened. Instead the bridge has been abandoned and provides a sunshade for people fishing in South Dock.
Visitor Comments
For years when I was small we used to get stuck in the traffic crossing Boothferry bridge and I always wanted us to get stopped at the front of the queue when the bridge opened for a ship. Then I remember the day before they opened the motorway bridge and everyone was walking across it - but not us because we had the caravan on the back and there was nowhere to park.
My uncle Doug (Doug Abbey) operated that bridge for many year after the war and after he retired from the Navy. He later became Harbour master at Goole Docks.
I was probably down to him that you got stuck at the bridge so often!!
There also used to be a footbridge over the railway at the Stanhope Street end of Bridge Street for use by pedestrians when the railway gates that used to be there were closed to road traffic. There was also a footbridge between platforms at the station, and I suppose the Boothferry Road subways under the railway count as bridges too. The M62 brings several flyovers - if you look to your left at Rawcliffe as you approach Goole you can see Rawcliffe Station below you (please do not try this if you are the driver). One of my favourites, though, has to be the "under and over" railway crossing between Rawcliffe and Gyme Corner.
Picards bridge: this was a bridge within the docks, near to what was called the buzzer house. It allowed persons to pass from one side of the dock to the other.
re Brian Cracknell's comment on the motorway bridge the day before it opened - it was a pleasant evening, a Sunday I think, and there must have been several hundred people walked up to or across the bridge. I went with some friends and had just got to the middle when the police came and cleared everybody off. I've only ever driven across it since.
In November 1973 the Boothferry Bridge was the scene of a huge traffic jam. A railway steam locomotive of class WD built by Vulcan Foundry in 1943 for the British Army had ended up in strategic store in Sweden. It was purchased by the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway at Haworth and was brought on a low loader lorry through Hull Docks. This load was so wide and heavy that all other traffic was stopped as it prepared to cross the bridge only to find that a couple of boats required the bridge to be swung. Eventually after something like 2 hours, the lorry and engine had crossed and traffic started rolling again. It was a bitterly cold day.
my grandad was the last ferryman and the first bridgeman at boothferry and retired in 1964 his name was the same as his fathers ,john (jack)henry robinson .we as afamily spent many sunday afternoons in the bridge control room three longs and ashort on a ships horn would be the signal to open the bridge
I remember that the Kingsway (pedestrian) Bridge was the place to try out your roller skates. In those days there were no 'safety features' to get in the way. Brave souls would come all the way down from the top, I only managed half way. Terminal speeds were trully frightening and collisions with innocent oncoming pedestrians not unknown. It's a miracle we escaped without broken skulls and brain damage.
The ferry at Booth was owned & operated by my great grandfather who also had a pub at the same location. My grandfather was the youngest of six children several of whom worked the ferry. The opening of the bridge put the ferry out of business but two of my great uncles (Jack & Harold) were employed as bridge keepers. The road over the bridge also by-passed the pub which didn't do much for the trade but I don't know when it closed. There was also a second ferry a little further downstream at Howdendyke. At low tide you can still see the remains of the slipways of both ferries that they used to get vehicles on & off.
Ahh manya drunken nights on the monkey bridge back in the day LOL
Plenty of graffiti under the ousebridge, ahhh lots of drunken nights there...
You have missed the Railway bridges over the Dutch River and canal? Is that because it is in Airmyn Parish and not Goole? I can see it from my bedroom window for the last 45 years
As a former old goolie , not now living in Goole , not seen the new dutch river bridge yet , is it any better is bridge street still havoc any new safety measures along the stretch . thats one part of goole not missed . but do miss the town .
Could someone tell me how Monkey Bridge got its name?I have asked my partner who is originally from Goole and still has family there,and even he doesn't know!
Whenever we come through from Hull, we always go over Boothferry Bridge.I aren't too good with crossing bridges,and this one puts the fear of God in me.
It was called the "monkey bridge" at least as far back as the 1950s, but probably before. I've always assumed it was because of its design - the sides were made from metal strips in a diamond shape, like wire netting, so that people going across looked liked climbing monkeys. I'm just guessing.
I can't picture Lowther bridge,we always use the bypass so don't know where that is.Is it true that each bridge was opened by a bloke on a bike?My partner told me this...I thought he was joking.
Indeed the 'monkey bridge', was so named well before the 40's. My mother was raised in Carter Street in the 20's & 30's and she always referred to it by that name. I would love to know the origin of the name.
As a young lad I watched the Kingsway bridge being erected, it was not without incident, apart from a small fire the centre section somehow got dropped and bent and had to be taken away for straightening, at Goole shipyard I heard. The brick built ramps are hollow inside and for a time we could crawl in there when the brickies went home, wonder if anyone is still inside? It was the best runway for our pram wheeled trollies on the Fountayne St. side, if you were good you could fly down the ramp from the top, shoot along the pavement and make a hard left at Kingsway, just miss the lamp post at the chicane before flying over the curb and down onto Kingsway playing field, if you were not so good you either rolled it or hit the lamp post. Happy days.
Having lived in Goole for most of my life,and played on the Monkey bridge as a child, i have often wondered where it got its name from. could you or anyone shed more light on the"where the Monkey bridge name" came from
TMH South Wales
it was called monkey bridge i believe cos we as kids used to cross it to go to school everyday and we used to tie rope under neath to make a swing this happened from it being built the police used to chase us if we were seen they called us little monkeys hence the name
Hi John, that sounds quite plausible. But I suspect the climbing of ropes by kids (like monkeys) might be reason it was so named by locals, rather than the police calling the kids of your generation little monkeys. I say this because I have feeling that the name was in use from a much earlier time. It would be nice to get to the bottom of this.
needless to say bill i got caught by local bobby he chased me and cliped me around my ear for been cheeky it hurt too his hand was massive wasnt cheeky to him again
Re John Howard. John did you live in the capstan street area of old Goole ? and have a sister called Kathleen ( I think ) I was born in OG.I spent many hours waiting for the pea lorries to slow down for the Dutch River bridge and then run along side and nick peas from them. I was also once daft enough to swing under the bridge as a dare on a small tube that ran from one side to the other. It doesnt bear thinking about now. If you are the JH, please restore my memory, who's was the newsagents / sweet shop next to the Vermuyden pub and who had the barbers shop on South Street, I have Mr Watson in my mind for that one. There was a butchers shop next to the Cape I think that was owned by a big chap called Abrey or Abbey. I had my first three wheeler bike from Donegues on Bridge street and was also amazed at the clothes shop Laceys opposite as he always packaged goods up in brown paper and tied with white string. Was there a chippy somewhere there also. ? I once remember seeing a lot of grown ups looking at some strange bent green & yellow things in a long brown wooden box on the floor in the coop shop in Percy street, me thinking what all the fuss was about as I was but a tot, these turned out to be bannanas of all things apparently the first to be seen in the place.
Been long long gone from Goole but we all come from somewhere
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