Moving forward in time from Thew’s map of 1784 (s.p.b.) Hargrave’s map of 1791 shows little change in Drypool but presents what features there were more accurately. The ‘Road to Headon’ was more clearly defined immediately east of ‘North Bridge’ (an odd term as there was no bridge to its south) although it was not to be turnpiked until 1830, the second to last to be created in the 19th century, six years before the Ottringham to Sunk Island turnpike (see MacMahon, K.A. Roads and Turnpike Trusts in Eastern Yorkshire (E.Y.L.H.S., 1964, 70). The old North Blockhouse (of the initial linear east-bank defences, s.p.b.s) still stood isolated where in 1830 a toll-gate must have been erected. Immediately north of this spot and right beside the east bank of the River Hull was a long development with post-Enclosure fields to its east. The village houses are shown just north of the Citadel and immediately north of the old church of St. Peter’s (s.p.b.s). A circular feature suggests a village green.
Cragg’s ‘A New Plan of the Town of Kingston-Upon-Hull and its Environs’, 1817, shows that much change had happened in Drypool during the time of the French Wars. The scan above shows the right-hand half of Cragg’s map.
The western end of ‘Holderness Road’ (still not a turnpike) was now built-up and called Witham (as today). By 1817 Sutton Drain had been dug and, like Cottingham and Barmston Drains, its waters were directed into the River Hull to aid the scouring of the ‘Old Harbour’ (s.p.b.s, and at the southern end of Cleveland St. today a bridge survives under which the, now culverted, Sutton Drain once passed).
Here, 1817, the parish church of St. Peter’s is shown as having narrow transepts, this contrasting with Poulson’s sketch dated 1822 (s.p.b.s). North of the church was, in 1817, ‘Drypool Square’. As the word ‘Drypool’ was always written beside this feature it seems that the Green/Square was on the site of a dried-up pond, the Dry-Pool.
(to be continued)
Point of view 15 – Recently heard a bit of a radio programme about someone who followed the course of the River Tyne downstream from source to mouth. When growing-up it was a thing I always wanted to do in my own area by row-boat. I never did, partly because I never had a row-boat. The river in question is now but a trickle as the water table in the East Anglian Heights is so much lower. As an adult I have walked the courses of the rivers Ouse (Yorkshire) and Hull, on the river banks. Actually to have done that in a row-boat would have meant that views of the surrounding land would have been blocked by the river’s banks. Also walked the east coast of England in many stages in the 1990s from the Scottish border to central Essex. A sad conclusion to this event came in 2013 – to be continued.