Hessle is a
townA town is a type of settlement ranging from a few hundred to several thousand inhabitants, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas; the precise meaning varies between countries and is not always a matter of legal definition...
and
civil parishIn England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and in some places the lowest tier of local government, below districts and counties. A civil parish can alternatively be known as a town, village, neighbourhood or community by resolution of its parish council; and in a limited number of...
in the
East Riding of YorkshireThe East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire is a local government district with unitary authority status, and it is a ceremonial county of England. It is named after the historic East Riding of Yorkshire , which also constituted a ceremonial and administrative county until 1974...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, situated west of
Kingston upon HullKingston upon Hull , almost invariably referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is located 25 miles from the North Sea on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary...
city centre. It is part of Hull's built-up area but not within the city's boundaries. It is on the north bank of the
Humber EstuaryThe 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 River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...
where the
Humber BridgeThe Humber Bridge is the fifth-largest single-span suspension bridge in the world, near Kingston upon Hull in England. It spans the Humber between Barton-upon-Humber on the south bank and Hessle on the north bank, connecting the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire...
crosses. According to the
2001 UK censusA nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census....
, Hessle parish had a population of 14,767.
The centre of Hessle is called "Hessle Square" or "The Square" for short. There are many shops and a small bus station - which was refitted in 2007.
Hessle is a
townA town is a type of settlement ranging from a few hundred to several thousand inhabitants, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas; the precise meaning varies between countries and is not always a matter of legal definition...
and
civil parishIn England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and in some places the lowest tier of local government, below districts and counties. A civil parish can alternatively be known as a town, village, neighbourhood or community by resolution of its parish council; and in a limited number of...
in the
East Riding of YorkshireThe East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire is a local government district with unitary authority status, and it is a ceremonial county of England. It is named after the historic East Riding of Yorkshire , which also constituted a ceremonial and administrative county until 1974...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, situated west of
Kingston upon HullKingston upon Hull , almost invariably referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is located 25 miles from the North Sea on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary...
city centre. It is part of Hull's built-up area but not within the city's boundaries. It is on the north bank of the
Humber EstuaryThe 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 River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...
where the
Humber BridgeThe Humber Bridge is the fifth-largest single-span suspension bridge in the world, near Kingston upon Hull in England. It spans the Humber between Barton-upon-Humber on the south bank and Hessle on the north bank, connecting the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire...
crosses. According to the
2001 UK censusA nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census....
, Hessle parish had a population of 14,767.
The centre of Hessle is called "Hessle Square" or "The Square" for short. There are many shops and a small bus station - which was refitted in 2007. Hessle All Saints Church is located just off the Square. Hessle Town Hall was built in 1897 and is situated at the top of South Lane. Hessle Police Station is next door to the town hall at the top of South Lane and the corner of Ferriby Road.
The Upper School site of
Hessle High SchoolHessle High School is a high school in Hessle, East Riding of Yorkshire near Hull, England.The school is split over two sites. Years 7 and 8 are located on Boothferry Road, with years 9 and above on Heads Lane....
situated on Heads Lane is centred around a building donated to the Education Authority by Algernon Barkworth, a survivor of the
TitanicThe RMS Titanic was an Olympic-class passenger liner owned by British shipping company White Star Line and built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, United Kingdom...
disaster. Its education standards remain high, with it having a Specialist Science College status and achieving some of the best results in the county. In the 13th century Joan Stuteville from this ancient settlement introduced the custom of ladies riding side-saddle on horses.
In more modern times, it has been a centre for
shipbuildingShipbuilding is the construction of ships. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history....
. The largest shipbuilder, Richard Dunston's, went into
liquidationIn law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation can also be referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...
in 1987 and was bought by Damen Shipyards Group in the same year. Dunston's was closed down in 1994. The location is now used as offices, car sales buildings and a dock for scrap metal and other materials for dispatch to other areas, or to be recycled. Richard Dunston's ship repairs still exists further east along the Humber Estuary, with activity remaining high.
Chalk-quarrying was a major industry at Hessle into the 20th century and quarries can still be seen in the west of the town, the largest being the Humber Bridge Country Park, which is a popular tourist attraction. Part of it is known as Little Switzerland (Little Switz or Switzy for short).
Hessle is
twinnedSister cities, also known as town twinning, is an agreement between towns, cities and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties...
with the
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
town of
Bourg-de-ThizyBourg-de-Thizy is a commune of the Rhône department in eastern France.-References:*...
.
Transport to and from Hessle is convenient, with good access to main roads such as the A15, A63 &
M62The M62 motorway is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in northern England, connecting the cities of Liverpool and Hull via Manchester and Leeds. The road also forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 and E22...
(via the A63). It also has a
railway stationHessle railway station serves Hessle in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by Northern Rail.This is the nearest station on the north bank of the Humber to the Humber Bridge-Services:...
with hourly services to and from
HullKingston upon Hull , almost invariably referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is located 25 miles from the North Sea on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary...
and to destinations such as
DoncasterDoncaster is a large town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is located about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
and
YorkYork is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence....
.
Hessle is at the start of the
Yorkshire Wolds WayThe Yorkshire Wolds Way is a National Trail in Yorkshire, England. It runs 79 miles from Hessle to Filey, around the Yorkshire Wolds...
, a long-distance footpath and designated National Trail, which crosses the
Yorkshire WoldsThe Yorkshire Wolds are low hills in the counties of East Riding of Yorkshire and North Yorkshire in northeastern England. The name also applies to the district in which the hills lie....
and ends at
FileyFiley is a small town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the borough of Scarborough and is located between Scarborough and Bridlington on the North Sea coast. Although it started out as a fishing village, it has a large beach and is a popular tourist resort...
.
2007 floods
On 25 June 2007, torrential rain hit the north-east of England and 100mm of rain fell in a few hours. Several people died across the affected area and the first fatality occurred in Hessle. A 28-year-old man became trapped when his foot was stuck in a storm drain. He was overwhelmed by rising water and although emergency services gave him oxygen he died of hypothermia.
Sky NewsSky News is a 24 hour international news service with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New Zealand. Sky News previously operated...
filmed the operation and broadcast some of the footage in the days after the event. They were criticised for this but responded that the victim's family had approved the broadcast. The floods caused the formation of a local residents association, HCARA (Hessle Community Action Residents Association) who have since been working with the various bodies to campaign for improvements in defences against floods in the lower Hessle area.
Hessle Feast
Earliest found records of the Hessle Feast date from the 1800s. These have it as an annual event around Whitsuntide (May). A time of enjoyment, when the people of the Parish would gather to celebrate the coming year.
From articles in 1808 and 1836 it is clear that the Feast had become a major event bringing in people from neighbouring towns and villages. With much excitement, racing, noise and jubilee. As ever the youth made it their own. Even in the earliest reports, there are Churchwardens concerns over noisy and drunken behaviour “particularly of the young men of Hull” who visited the parish.
Resurrected around 15 years ago, after many years of absence, the Feast has again become an event of enjoyment and embraced by the whole community of Hessle.
Previous Feasts include one which occurred in July 2006. It succeeded in attracting over 5000 local residents and visitors to the area and was an entertaining day of charitable money raising, family fun and live music. The event hosted many activities such as a Battle of the Bands which took place on the main stage in Hessle Square, a 'Buskathon' centred down Prestongate and local bands centred on a smaller stage on The Weir. There was also a Boat Race around the streets of Hessle, which was eventually won by army cadets carrying an inflatable float. The event was partly funded and majorly sponsored by
Kingston CommunicationsKCOM Group is a UK communications and IT services provider. It is headquartered in Kingston upon Hull, where subsidiary business unit Kingston Communications serves local residents and businesses with Internet and telephony services...
and
Yorkshire WaterYorkshire Water Services Limited is a water supply and treatment utility company servicing West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, the East Riding of Yorkshire, part of North Lincolnshire, most of North Yorkshire and part of Derbyshire, in England...
who were working in the area at the time.
Hessle Feast returned, after a 3 year absence due to the
2007 United Kingdom floodsThe 2007 United Kingdom floods were a series of destructive floods that occurred in various areas across the country during the summer of 2007...
, in 2009. It was officially opened by the current
Home SecretaryThe Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
, Hull West and Hessle MP,
Alan JohnsonAlan Arthur Johnson is a British Labour politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Hull West and Hessle since 1997. He has been the Home Secretary since June 2009, and before that filled a wide variety of Cabinet positions, including both Health and Education Secretary...
, and the Mayor of Hessle, Frank Kitchen, at 1 p.m..
The most recent Feast day was Sunday 12 July 2009 and entertained crowds over a larger area than previously to encourage more business to the less immediate areas of Hessle. In the Square, the main stage starred the Hessle's Got Talent Final and the Crave and Serenity Fashion Show. The square's stage was compared by KCFM DJ Dave Hudson. Prestongate had further stalls and
barbecueBarbecue or barbeque is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, with the heat and hot gases of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of charcoal or a propane gas grill, and may...
s. The Weir also had a stage with live music played all afternoon. On the Feast day, a
World RecordA world record is usually the best international performance ever recorded in a specific skill or sport. The world famous book, the Guinness World Records, collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and...
for 'poppadom stacking' was broken on the Weir by the indian takeaway 'Jolsha', officated by
Alan JohnsonAlan Arthur Johnson is a British Labour politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Hull West and Hessle since 1997. He has been the Home Secretary since June 2009, and before that filled a wide variety of Cabinet positions, including both Health and Education Secretary...
MP. Following on from the Weir is Tower Hill Park, which was mainly occupied by the Army who had assault courses and climbing walls, which, as in previous years, focused on activities for the younger generations. The Feast also reached the area past the library, which held a 3rd stage with live local bands chosen by the Hase Pub. The Boat Race was won by the youth sports team the Norland Sharks who were the fastest at running round Hessle carrying an inflatable boat. The Hessle Feast 2009 Commitee was an independent body of unpaid volunteers that organised the event in the Pubs of Hessle. The even was majorly sponsored by KCFM and
Hull Colour PagesHull Colour Pages and Hull White Pages are the Classified and Residential telephone directories provided specifically for the Kingston Communications service area. Hull Colour Pages became the UK's first classified telephone directory when it was first published in 1954 to celebrate Kingston...
, with the additional funding of the local town council.
The next Hessle Feast festival will take place in 2011 and is promised to be 'bigger and better than ever before'.
External links