driffield navigation guide

The Canal, termed the Old Driffield Navigation, consisted of four timber floored locks, No.1, (Sheepwash) at Driffield, No. 2 at Whinhill, No. 3 at Wansford, and No. 4 at Snakeholme, exactly three miles from Driffield. The Navigation cut continued a further two miles to the junction with Frodingham Beck, and then followed the winding course of the River Hull to the junction with Aike Beck, the limit of the Commissioners jurisdiction. The works cost £13,000.

Trade in the early years did not develop as rapidly as had been hoped, and takings were insufficient to pay the 5% rate of interest on the original expenditure. Many of the problems to the development of traffic in these early years stemmed from the restrictions imposed by the Hull Bridge, near Tickton, and the shallow depth of the navigation due to silting. These factors, coupled with the short period of time either side of high tide that vessels could gain access to the Navigation through Snakeholme Lock, made the need for modification to the Navigation obvious. A further £2,000 was raised in 1776 to cover the cost of dredging down to Aike Beck. A proposal to build a further lock downstream of Snakeholme Lock, at Thornham Bottoms, to overcome the shallow depth of water at low tide, was also made. To save costs it was later decided to make the Lock at Snakeholme into a staircase pair to lift vessels over the sill of the former lock at low tide. This was completed in 1776. The problem at Hull Bridge still remained. In September 1777 proposals were made by the Commissioners that they should extend their jurisdiction down stream to Hull Bridge and convert the existing Stone Arch Bridge into a Wooden Swing Bridge. This proposal was opposed by the Beverley Corporation, the owners of the Bridge, and the suggestion shelved.

The problems of the Navigation did not stop the Merchants of Driffield from developing the terminal facilities of the Navigation. In 1785, the first major warehouse and Grainery were constructed on the Commissioners land beside the Canal Basin. in 1787, a further Warehouse was built by Richard and William Dunn, the Corn Merchants. 1790 saw the development of a further two Warehouses in Driffield and trade on the Navigation grew.

At the suggestion of the Commissioners William Chapman, of Newcastle, proposed a further plan for improving the Navigation on the 30th November 1796. This included a further Lock at Struncheon Hill. with a lock cut to avoid a rather large loop in the course of the River Hull. together with additional dredging, at an estimated cost of £5,635. Again nothing materialised due to the prohibitive costs involved.