Grimsby Dock Tower

If you can see it, then you're home

men and women

Goin’ down docks.

lumpers

Three bustling cafes on the docks, managed by formidable ladies who maintained order while ensuring the men were well-nourished with piping hot tea in white mugs and hot meal. The engineers, tirelessly ensuring the trawlers set sail with the tide and persevered throughout the arduous journeys. The predominantly female net braiders, meticulously crafting tight knots , sitting in rows, engaging in lively conversation, before returning home to care for their families many husbands ventured out to sea. Each of these individuals possesses a unique story, leaving behind a priceless legacy, an integral part of our cherished heritage. And amidst all this, not a kashbar in sight,

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Have you ever looked at a building and wondered about it, its past, who worked there, their families, what the area gained from this building, what about the families, the schools if any, what about where they went to, friends, family their community and what is left of the community

This is not about the town of Grimsby, this is about the community that grew up due to the Dock Tower. This allowed the docks to grow into the largest fishing port in the world. Because of this, a unique community of hardworking men and women arose, leaving a huge heritage that the memory of is fading fast.

This is a story of community and heritage, a tribute to the resilient souls who toiled on the docks, undertaking a myriad of tasks, predominantly manual labour. Trawlermen, who risked their lives in one of the world’s most perilous occupations. Lumpers, renowned for swiftly unloading holds brimming with fresh fish to meet market deadlines. The barrow boys, exemplifying immense strength as they effortlessly transported bulky kits of fish to the purchasers. And let us not overlook the unparalleled knife skills of the filleters, diligently working side by side, on the blustery and chilly pontoon.

The Tower that built a Town

Built between 1852 and 1856, it was designed by James William Wild and served as a hydraulic accumulator tower. It brought Grimsby into the (Victorian) modern world and opened up the town to modern shipping. The tower was the tallest building in the UK at that time. It now stands as a symbol of Grimsby’s heritage and should never be forgotten or hidden away from public access. Every single day for over 150 years, people have looked at the tower, and it’s a part of people’s lives. From everywhere you stand in Grimsby, you can see the tower. Even when visitors look towards it, it’s with pride and wonder.

The Grimsby Dock Tower was an innovative structure for its time, combining functional and architectural elements. Its primary function was to provide hydraulic power for the operation of lock gates and cranes at the nearby Royal Dock. The tower housed a large water tank at the top, which acted as a hydraulic accumulator. Water was pumped into the tower, and the pressure created could be used to operate machinery and equipment in the dockyard. At the start of WWII, it was decided that it would be taken down to stop the German bombers from using it as a marker for the bombing of the town, but the public outcry led to the decision against its removal. Local “gossip” at the time suggested that “Q-sites” or “Starfish sites,” a mock Grimsby docks, were built, complete with a tower, to confuse the German bombers. However, due to military information restrictions, it has been difficult to confirm this. There were times when access to the tower was unrestricted, and families used to receive the call that dads, sons, brothers, uncles, sisters, and daughters were on their way home. If the tide and time were right, people stood at the base of the tower waiting with excitement for the boat to pass through the lock gates. Hands waving, kisses being blown, and children shouting, this is no more. The docks are silent, no longer the sight of the docks filling with boats loaded with fish for a nation. Even if we had those days back, security restrictions make it almost impossible for the general public to gain access to stand next to the tower. The removal of heritage, which belongs to all, Grimsby docks have lost so much in the name of progress.

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