A certain bi-valve mollusc is making its way back into local life, thanks to a new marine scheme reports our estuarine delicacy correspondent Angus Young.

Two years ago archaeologists carrying out excavation work ahead of a new wildlife habitat being created on the Humber made an extraordinary discovery. At a remote site near the estuary between Welwick and Skeffling they came across unusually large quantities of misshapen oyster shells. The clumps of shells suggested they had been physically removed from nearby naturally-growing reefs rather than grown on ropes which was a recognised practice at the time they were dated from. As such, experts concluded they had stumbled across a Roman oyster processing centre close to what they believed was an early Roman settlement.

It’s thought oysters were an unexploited resource immediately prior to the Roman invasion of Britain in AD43. By AD70 the Romans had crossed the Humber and it’s likely they quickly made the most of the freely-available shellfish on their new doorstep. Legend has it that the oyster reefs in the estuary were once so large that it was possible to walk across the Humber using them as a pathway.

As well as the newly-discovered site in Holderness, the Romans are known to have established a large settlement at what is now Brough but was then known as Petuaria. Fresh oysters from reefs along the Humber would have been part of the staple diet for its inhabitants and there’s still a site called Oyster Ness near Welton Clough.

Oysters remained a ready source of food once the Roman era was over and by the Medieval period written records were being kept on the ownership of oyster beds and oyster fishing rights. One reef was estimated to cover 300 acres of the Humber foreshore with most of it visible at low tide. The early 19th century saw the development of commercial oyster fishing with holding pits being dug on the shore to store catches before being taken to market.

Mass exploitation of oyster reefs and beds followed and prices plunged. Soon oysters became a cheap food for people across the country not just close to the coast. Victorian newspapers show there were an abundance of oyster merchants, shops and market stalls In Hull while the fashionable Cafe Royal in Saville Street became popular for its Oyster Suppers. There was even an oyster fishery close to where Albert Dock is today.

Eventually, over-fishing depleted stocks to such an extent that efforts were made to breed foreign species to replace dwindling supplies of British oysters. Pollution and disease finally decimated the reefs to such an extent they became too isolated to naturally recover.

Today you can still enjoy dishes of either three, six or 12 oysters at the Humber Fish Company restaurant in Humber Street. They’re served chilled with shallot vinegar, wasabi, horseradish and lemon while the  oysters themselves are from the Northumberland coast rather than the Humber. Local oysters are, however, making a comeback.

A project called Wilder Humber launched in 2023 at Spurn Point involving a number of wildlife organisations and energy company Orsted aims to re-introduce around 500,000 oysters into the Humber over a five-year period. The idea is to create new oyster reefs large enough to become self-sustaining. Once established, it’s hoped the oysters will act as natural filters by improving water clarity while reducing excess nutrients in the estuary.

Reefs also provide shelter and breeding grounds for hundreds of other marine species and project partners are hopeful they will also act as breakwaters to reduce wave energy and ultimately protect coastlines from erosion. Most importantly, oysters from the new reefs will not be fished for human consumption to allow them to mature and become resilient.

Andy van der Schatte Olivier, Yorkshire Trust’s marine programme manager said: “Bringing oysters back to the Humber after almost a century is more than a milestone, it’s a moment of leadership in marine restoration. Wilder Humber is the one of the first projects in the UK, if not the first, to restore native oysters in the intertidal zone where they can be monitored and studied far more effectively. Most restoration work elsewhere in the UK happens subtidally, often in areas that are difficult to revisit because of competition and access challenges. By working intertidally, we are setting a new precedent , accelerating learning and opening the door for many more restoration projects like this across the UK.”

Angus Young

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The Arctic Corsair has one last, crucial journey to complete before becoming a star of Hull’s Maritime year. Our silt defeating correspondent Angus Young outlines the steps.

The countdown is underway for the final voyage of Hull’s last sidewinder trawler Arctic Corsair. For those not paying attention at the back, the vessel has spent the last couple of years undergoing restoration work at Dunston Ship Repairs in William Weight Dock. Before that, the Corsair was berthed on the River Hull as a floating museum. Now its owner Hull City Council has issued an update on the next steps in a multi-million pound project creating a new fishing heritage attraction at the former North End Shipyard  further along the River Hull.

Crucially, all required permissions and licences to pave the way for the trawler to be moved to its permanent new home are now in place. In the short term, that means dredging will start in the river next month (JUNE) to create an access channel for the Corsair when she will eventually be towed to the river from William Wright Dock. The dredging will take place between Drypool Bridge and North Bridge to establish the necessary depth for the vessel to turn into the shipyard’s main dry dock.

Dredging will also be carried out to create access for the existing dock gate to be removed. Silt removed from the river will be held in a special tank situated on the dock as part of licensing approval for the work. Contaminated material will be sent to a landfill site for disposal. Once complete, a new custom-built gate structure will be installed on a temporary basis which will then be permanently fitted once the Corsair’s dry docking process is complete.

An exact date for the trawler’s journey along the Humber to the River Hull has yet to be confirmed although it’s expected to be later this summer. Precise timings will be confirmed nearer the date as the operation will rely on tide times and weather conditions. A successful trial passage was conducted in April to test various elements of the operation, including bridge movements, deployment of the Tidal Barrier and manoeuvring into the dry dock during a narrow high-tide window. As the trawler no longer has a working engine, it will rely entirely on tugs to move into position.

In the days leading up to the move, the dry dock will be flooded by lifting the new dock gate out and allowing in water from the river  in preparation for the Corsair’s arrival. Once the trawler is berthed, the water will naturally clear on the falling tide and the new gate will be reinstated and permanently sealed. After that, the dock will be pumped dry before preservation work is carried out to ensure the long-term stability of the vessel. Then a final programme of work on the vessel and at the new adjacent visitor centre will take place before an opening date can be confirmed.

City council leader Councilor Mike Ross said: “We are now entering the final, critical stages of preparing the North End Shipyard to welcome the Arctic Corsair. This has been a process of collaboration, engineering precision and a shared commitment to our heritage. Seeing the Arctic Corsair move down the River Hull will be a landmark moment for the city. With the course now set, we are counting down the months until we can welcome her into a berth fitting of her history.”

Angus Young

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It’s been six whole years since it closed. Will it ever re-open, asks our river traversing correspondent Angus Young.

Bridges have been built over the River Hull for over 500 years with the oldest surviving crossing being Sculcoates bridge. Also known as Chapman Street bridge, it opened in January 1875 and is now a Grade II listed structure. The swing bridge was constructed at a time of rapid industrialisation in the surrounding area, providing a new transportation east-west route for both goods and workers. A still visible metal plaque on the bridge carries the name of the Hull borough engineer Joseph Fox Sharp, who also designed East Park.

Fox’s design for the new bridge was ground-breaking as it included what was believed to the first counterbalancing system of its kind in the form of a large cast iron box situated at the western end of the structure which covered the turning machinery. Initially, the bridge was opened and closed by hand with four men employed to move the 240 ton-load load. It took them two minutes to complete a full opening for river traffic and closure

Another striking feature of Fox’s design were the two huge cast iron cylinders sunk into the river creating the bridge’s pier. Each cylinder was sunk 18ft below the river bed into a dry hard bed of boulder clay. They were then filled with cement concrete with each one being weighted with a 96-ton load before being left in a stationary position for 24 hours to let the concrete set.

Consent from the government’s Board of Trade to build the bridge was actually secured by Hull’s Local Health and Urban Sanitary Board on condition that the bridge was completed in three years. That deadline was met however fast forward just over 150 years and a visit to Chapman Street today reveals a sorry sight.

Sadly, the bridge has been closed to motorists for the last – checks notes – SIX years after it was declared unsafe for heavy vehicles and at risk of collapse. Pedestrians and cyclists can still use it, albeit using the same narrow walkway. As you might imagine, being mothballed this long has not only left it covered in graffiti but has also left many wondering whether it will ever re-open.

Last October the city council appointed specialist civil engineering consultants  Mason Clark Associates to develop the scope of a future design and build project. That followed earlier work by another firm of consultants hired to carry our feasibility studies as well as coming up with a concept design.

As part of the current contract, Mason Clark is also liaising with the likes of the Environment Agency, the Marine Management Organisation, Historic England and the council’s planning department before working up a full new technical design aimed at bringing the bridge back into use. That design will then have to go through an approval process

The big remaining questions are when is the bridge likely to re-open and how much will it all cost? As yet, there isn’t an exact date for the bridge to swing back into action. However, the council’s recently-approved three-year capital highways programme suggests it’s likely to be some time during the 2028/9 financial year. That’s because funding allocations for the scheme have been set aside for the next three years –  £500,000 for the current financial year, £3.9m next year and £4m in the following year.

Angus Young

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