Waterside History & Heritage - Laurie Thorp

Thorne and district Local History Association
Occasional paper No 20: 1996

It would have been more appropriate if this account had been written by someone who had himself lived at Waterside, and known it in its heyday … but that was about a hundred and seventy years ago! So many people have helped me that it would be a problem to try to name everyone. Thank you all.

Laurie Thorp

Drawings adapted from Paintings in
Hull Museum by L Thorp.

Nineteenth Century maps which purport to show the region as it was before Vermuyden's drainage can easily be misleading. The shallow lakes known as 'meres' and the network of inter-connecting rivers were never as clearly defined as the neat engravings suggest.

The whole area across the levels from the Don to the Trent was waterlogged, with the extent of open water varying through the seasons, and depending on the rainfall, state of the rivers and probably the tides. The winter months brought wide spread flooding, while in summer much of the ground still remained so treacherous that the only safe means of transport was by small boats along the lodes – narrow watercourses through tall reedbeds. The level ground ensured that any water flow along these ways was minimal.

THE DRAINAGE

In the early 17th century, Vermuyden was engaged to drain and recover this 'waste' and to make it agriculturally productive. Vermuyden's engineers approached the problem of drainage in two ways. Firstly, they intercepted the rivers which had previously fed the Chace and Axholme, diverting them either eastward into the Trent, or north into the Aire (and after the digging of the Dutch River, into the Ouse). Massive floodbanks were thrown up along the riversides. In addition to holding back the water, the banks also provided bases for roads; the A614 north of Thorne still runs on top of the Don floodbank.

Secondly, the engineers planned drainage systems across the waste, some of the channels being newly dug, the others followed existing watercourses. As the ground was so level, the direction of the flow could be reversed in some places. At the points where these drainage dikes emptied into the Don or Trent, strong sluices were built into the floodbanks. This made it possible for the water level of the streams to be kept at a suitable depth for use by boats. Some of these sluices are shown on contemporary maps as 'sasses', which indicates that the sluice incorporated a form of pound lock. According to the notes on a map of 1633, the sasse at Thorne was 16feet wide and 50 feet long, almost the same size as the present canal lock.

The 1626 Articles of Agreement between Charles I and Vermuyden prescribed that he should leave 'some small parcels of land on each side of the said several rivers for receptacles of the sudden downfalls of waters'. The site of the present Waterside is within such 'floodwash' where the banks along the Don between Fishlake and Thorne leave the line of the river. Understandably, during the 17th century there were no houses on the riverside here.

IMPROVEMENTS TO THE DON

The Don was well stocked with fish, eels and wildfowl, but shallow stretches from Thorne and bridges downstream made it difficult to negotiate by sailing boats and so

unsuitable for commercial shipping. The situation changed in the second quarter of the 18th century, when improvements were made to the course of the river. The shallow stretches were replaced by man-made ‘cuts’, and new bridges with opening sections were erected. So cargo boats were able to ply between Doncaster and Hull, and Thorne benefitted from the passing trade. The wharf at Waterside appears on a surveyor’s map of 1768.

The changes to the river seemed to have lessened the danger or frequency of flooding, for houses began to be built along the river, and the substantial stone quay was constructed. In a list of properties which existed at Waterside and Hangman's Hill in 1784, 39 out of the 44 cottages are singled out as being 'built since 1741'. The trades of a majority of the householders are related to the quay – ten watermen, five ‘marriners’, ten carpenters (employed in shipbuilding) and a blockmaker.

SHIPBUILDING AT WATERSIDE

When shipbuilding was first undertaken at Waterside is not documented. In 1799, the boatyard of Joseph Atkinson was being offered for sale. His contemporary Thomas Steemson, who had previously had a yard across the river at Fishlake, was building sea-going vessels at Waterside, which included ships for the Government. Casson refers to a small frigate named Kingston, and others to a 24 gun warship, the Combatant, which was launched in 1804.

Three years later, Steemson moved to Paull, near Hull, and the Waterside yard was taken over by Gilderdale, Pearson and Co. Richard Pearson and his son William Hunt Pearson continued the tradition of building what seems surprisingly large vessels considering the narrowness of the Don – such as the 400 tons Fife of 1811 designed for the West India trade, and the Alexander of 310 tons, launched in 1814. Between that year and 1827, the Hull Shipping Register records another 35 vessels built by Richard Pearson. The yard was capable of building two 60 foot sloops at the same time, and in one year, 1816, five such sloops and a two masted brigantine are listed.

All these were timber hulled sailing ships, the rigging for them being manufactured locally. Waterside had its own 'ropewalk', at 400 yards much longer than that in Thorne. There were also 'raffyards' where the large timbers were stacked, a steaming house where the sawn members were shaped, sail lofts and tar sheds. At this time Richard Pearson lived at Waterside; the 1826 Fire Insurance records drew attention to the prospective danger – 'Mr Pearson's House is adjoining to a Shipyard, of which he is a partner & adjoining to his House is a range of low buildings, of Brick & Tile, in one of which at a distance of 200 yds from the House is deposited Pitch and Tar'. Six years later he was living at Field House on the North Field midway between Thorne and his works.

PASSENGER SERVICES

1812 was an important year in the history of shipping. On the Clyde a small paddle steamer, the Comet, for the first time successfully demonstrated the commercial possibilities of steam power. In October 1814, a similar vessel, the Caledonia, travelled at an average speed of 14mph along the Ouse and Humber between Hull and Burton Stather.

Less than two years later, a regular steam packet service was inaugurated between Hull and Waterside. This replaced the sailing boats such as the 'fishing boat of James Whitlam' of 1807 and his successors which had provided a daily service for a number of years. The steamer was the John Bull which left Thorne Quay each Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, returning from Hull the following day.

Few of the passengers came from Thorne itself; the majority arrived by coach. An advertisement in the Doncaster, Nottingham & Lincolnshire Gazette in October 1816 announced that 'William Iredale, in arrangement with the John Bull Steam boat will start a coach service, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from the Ram Inn, High Street, Doncaster, arriving at Waterside in time for the packet. Most days it will return in time for the coaches to Leeds, London, York, etc. Performed by Darley & Co.’

This was before the Darley family was making a name in brewing; in the 1822 Post Office Directory is the entry – William Darley, Bone Merchant and Ship Owner. The coach and packet venture was a success. The John Bull, which probably had been built in Gainsborough, was joined by the locally built Rockingham so that a daily service could be arranged in each direction between Thorne Quay and Hull.

An oil painting of the Rockingham in the Town Docks Museum, Hull, gives an idea of the layout. Over the heavy boiler, placed centrally in the hull for stability, the tall tubular stack rises vertically. The wheel boxes rise well above the bulwarks, themselves high enough to afford weather protection to the passengers. Seats for the hardy are placed on top of the saloon, and the top of the companion way down into the saloon can be seen. No windows are visible on the saloons in the painting. Upright pipes above them may well be stove chimneys. The foresail, the only one possible given the position of the boiler stack, is shown lowered. At the top of the mast is a vane in the form of a racehorse, possibly the famous Darley Arabian, sent to England from the Middle East in 1704 by Thomas Darley. To the rear of the boiler is a derrick for hoisting cargo, while the coggie-boat is suspended out of the water from the stern.

By 1821, the passenger catchment area had widened. The coach started its journey at the Bull and Mouth in Sheffield at 4am each weekday. The fares were – Sheffield to Hull 11/- for inside seats, 7/6 for outside seats on the coach. The Doncaster to Hull fares were 8/- and 5/-. Each fare included the Packet fare of 3/- for the Best Cabin or 2/6 for the forecabin. The 1 penny per mile for travel on the steamer compares well with the minimum cost of 3d per mile for the coach journey.

A rival feeder coach was announced the same year. This was Richard Wood's Rockingham Coach, which left the Reindeeer and Blackboy Inns at Doncaster at 7am. Users were assured that ‘Wood is not trying to run down the John Bull Coach. No racing. The horses keep good time’. Wood was already operating a road service to Hull, the coach being the Rodney, although that was discontinued in 1823 'in consequence of the decided preference given to the Steam Packet's'.

In 1822, the rivalry had been settled, the new coach operators now being Thomas Ashmore, John Lambert and William Russell of Sheffield, Richard Wood and James Wilson of Doncaster, and William Darley of Thorne.

'A PLACE OF CONSIDERABLE TRADE'

John Tomlinson, writing in 1881, described the scene as it had been sixty years earlier –
'At Thorne Waterside was a large shipbuilder's yard with capacious dry dock etc., while closely adjoining was a note-worthy rope-walk, surrounded by loft sails and tarsheds, which diffused around a pungent but not unwholesome odour. In my recollection, this entire district was pregnant with trade. I have seen two brigs at one time unloading goods from London, besides five or six smaller vessels in the coasting trade. There was a steam packet to and from Hull every day, with the necessary adjuncts of stage-coaches and carriers' waggons from Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield. Besides sailors and their families living here, a considerable number of hands were employed in the shipyard, rope-walk etc., with the inevitable accompaniment of tradesman, ostlers, porters and hangers-on'.

Baines Directory for 1822 describes Thorne as a 'small but brisk market town' and 'a place of considerable trade which is much improved by its navigation. There are on the banks of the river, at

the banks of the river, at the quay and at a place called Hangman Hill, ship builders' and raff merchants' yards and wharfs for the landing of merchandise'. Businessmen listed include – Ainley and Wade, sloop builders; Joseph Atkinson and son, sloop builders; Richard Pearson & Co, shipbuilders, owners, raff merchants and wharfongers; Raywood & Thickett, sailmakers; Whaley & Pearson, ropemakers; Chas Bradford Briggs, raff merchants; William Darley, bone merchant and ship-owner. Some of businesses, if not all, were at Waterside.

Locals, as well as travellers, made use of the three inns at the quay – 'The Neptune' whose landlord was Miles Aked, the 'John Bull' (Thomas Downing) and the ‘Rodney’ (kept by George Wright). The Directory informs us that 'a Ship from Pearson's Yard, Thorne Quay sails to and from Stainton’s Wharf, London every week while ‘six vessels’ travelled to and from Sheffield every week.

THE HEYDAY OF BOATBUILDING

Success in the early years of operating the packets seems to have led a group of Thorne businessmen and landowners to start operating paddle steamers on the costal run from Hull to London, using boats they would build themselves at Waterside. The backers were William Darley, Richard Pearson, Mr Whaley and three landowning families from Thorne and Stainforth the Marsdins, Coulmans and Bladworths. The name they adopted, The Hull Steam Packet Company, disguises their Thorne background.

A map of 1825 shows a dock opening into the Don a short distance upstream of the Quay, just beyond the row of houses which face the river. Although this must have been a large shipyard in its time, there is no trace left today. Nor are there any drawings or engravings to attempt a reconstruction of the site.

Their first paddle steamer was the 1821 Kingston of 120 tons. The wooden hull was 150ft 7ins long, with a beam of 20ft. The 60HP engines, by messrs Overton of Hull, gave an average speed of 7 and a half knots, so that a journey from the Humber to London took around 36 hours. The fares on the run were two guineas for the best cabin and included meals, or a guinea for the forecabin excluding provisions. The Kingston feature in two paintings by the Hull artist Thomas Binks (1799-1852). She is shown as having similar lines to the Rockingham but with two tall masts, each with furled fore-and-aft rigged sails.

A somewhat larger ship, the 164 tons Yorkshireman was launched at Waterside by Pearson on March 26th 1822, watched by a crowd estimated at 3000 spectators. The length was 30 feet, beam 38 feet and the two steam engines were rated at 40 horsepower each. The third vessel, a year later, was slightly longer and more powerful; it was named the Prince Frederick, and features in a painting by Binks and also on a large decorative tile produced by Royal Doulton. As only two ships were needed for the London service, Kingston was used to initiate a new route, across the channel to Antwerp.

After a break of seven years, two more large wooden-hulled paddle steamers were launched, this time to start a much longer run, across the North Sea to Hamburg. These were the Monarch in March 1830, and the Transit in February 1831, the latter being of 167 tons with two 80hp engines. It was described as the 'second largest packet boat built in Britain up to that time' – and launched into the narrow River Don! Three of the steamers, Yorkshireman, Prince Frederick and Transit were still in service in 1854.

But the limit had been reached. One account of the building of the Transit says that the lock gates had to be removed to allow the vessel to pass through. Whether these were the dry dock gates at Waterside or some along the journey is not clear. After this Pearson established a new boatyard on the banks of the Humber beyond Hull at Paull.

RIVAL PACKET SERVICES

Hull had other regular packet services using vessels similar to the John Bull and Rockingham. Selby steam packets Caledonia, Calder and Waterloo carried passengers from Leeds,

British Queen and Albion plied along the Trent from Gainsborough. Arrangements were made with the Selby boats to carry passengers when the Waterside boats were undergoing boiler replacement in December 1824. Some of these may have been built in Thorne; Calder certainly was.

On the other hand, the Trent boats were seen as a rival service. The Speedwell operated along the canal from Thorne to Keadby where passengers boarded the boats on their journey from Gainsborough. Another route avoided Thorne altogether, the ‘Paul Pry’ coach travelling via Sandtoft to West Butterwick to meet the Trent boats.

An advertisement drew attention to 'the great saving of time using the route, and ample elegance and accommodation of a Margate-type vessel – over the truly unpleasant delays always incurred by the old route by Thorne and Goole, with the disagreeable passage in a confined boat dragged between the high banks of the Dun and Dutch rivers, where the passengers (male and female), trunks, bundles, cockles and codfish are huddled together in beautiful disorder for a distance of 39 miles’.

Darley's reply was no doubt equally biased. Admitting that the packets were 'not so large', nevertheless asserted that 'for comfort, cleanliness, good living in the Cabins, civility and moderate charges, there are none superior, and Ladies must find great convenience in travelling by these packets for they have only to step from the shore to board, which cannot be the case at Butterwick or Keadby'. 'Good living' suggests some form of catering; the 1851 census lists two 'packet stewardesses' having rooms at the house of steamboat Captain Charles Crapper – Matilda Green and Susannah Humphrey.

Another description of the Thorne service in the mid-1830s notes that 'The water of the Don being less to be calculated upon [than the Knottingley canal] or rather being very variable as to depth, the steam packet which gets up to Thorne Wharf at full tide, is compelled to lie at or below the bridge [Newbridge] when the water is down, an ark being used to convey passengers from the coach to the vessel'.

Some of the blame for these problems must be placed on the timetabling of the river craft. Whereas they all left Hull at quarter-tide, thus enjoying greater depth of water for the next six hours, the advertised leaving times from Waterside coincided with the early morning arrival of the feeder coaches, which took no notice of the state of tide.

MID-CENTURY CHANGES

The steam packets still sailed, although competition on other routes had forced the operators to lower the fares. In 1834, those from Doncaster to Hull were half those which had been charged in 1821; 4 shillings inside the coach and the best cabin, 2 shillings and 6 pence outside and forecabin. After 36 years, the Thorne Steam Packet Company was dissolved, the last journey being made on October 30th 1852.

However it was not the end of the John Bull, for an advertisement in the Doncaster Gazette announced that a new service, to be operated by William Armitage & Co. would start from January 31st 1853, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, under the command of Captain Crapper. The service apparently lasted about three years, Captain Crapper then becoming Master of the ‘aquabus’ travelling to Goole, and later for a short time along the canal to Keadby.

It was during this period – in 1847 – that another member of the Crapper family, young Thomas, left his home in Waterside to take up training in sanitary engineering in London. One wonders if it was seeing the coaches arriving and their London-bound passengers boarding the packets which fired his enthusiasm. Tradition has it that he was only eleven years old and that he walked to the capital. It is surprising that a family with such waterways connections could not have arranged transport aboard the coaster. Thomas achieved fame by inventing the syphon mechanism inside toilet cisterns which prevented water wastage. The company he eventually established in King’s Road, Chelsea was extremely successful, installing his patent systems throughout the city – even in the royal palaces. He was appointed, by royal warrant, Sanitary Engineer to His Majesty the King (Edward VII) and HRH the Prince of Wales (later George V). What made him choose the plumber’s trade is an unanswered problem; there was to be no piped water supply or sewage treatment plant anywhere in Thorne for another 65 years. The Annual MOH Report, as late as 1914 states that the Don served Waterside both as a place to discharge sewage, and as a source of water for domestic use.

The nationwide development of railways offered travellers an alternative service, which ended the supremacy of Packets, both at Thorne and elsewhere. With fares as cheap as those on the boats, rail travel was more reliable and much quicker. In 1856 a spur line was laid from the early South Yorkshire Railway route which ran alongside the canal from Doncaster. The spur ended at Waterside where a substantial Stationmaster's house was built. When the line was rerouted along the present one some ten years later, this link was abandoned. The present Waterside Road from the motorway roundabout follows the line of the old railway.

On September 1st 1865, a new company was formed; Makin Durham and Robert Shaw of Thorne, Henry Moore of Doncaster and John Foster of Rotherham became partners to trade in 'linseed and rape cakes, and also in bones, guano and other manures'. Warehouses in Doncaster and Worksop, already owned by Moore, were to be rented, and supplied from a mill to be built at Low Hills, a short distance downstream from Waterside. Durham had previously bought the nine cottages and inn on the site, valued at £2000, and he became principal shareholder in the scheme, investing £5000; the others put in amounts ranging from £1500 to £2500.

The 1877 Post Office Directory refers to it simply as 'Durham & Co' adding to their list of products 'corn, clover and other grass seeds, and agricultural salts'. The general layout is shown on the 1883 map of the 'Late Makin Durham's Estate’ where Low Hill formed Lot 14.

THE LEAN YEARS

Visitors in the last quarter of the 19th century are united in lamenting the downtrodden state of the village. John Tomlinson says –
'The palmy days have passed away. Between the oil-mill and the rope-walk, of 50 dwellings, seven are in process of demolition, half the others are untenanted and wasted by neglect. At Thorne Quay two (licensed public houses), the Rodney and the Neptune, are disestablished and in ruins: one, the Steam Packet, still exists but with scarcely a remnant of its former prestige. Early in 1881, the Seed-crushing mill, capable of finding employment for 50 hands, was not entirely lifeless but the anxious workers did not number five. It seems as if trade or the energy to compete with trade, had finally vanished'.

A few years later, a description in Wrigley's Almanac reinforces Tomlinson's feelings – ‘Anyone having visited Thorne Waterside about the year 1820 and again in 1884, would scarcely recognise it as the same place. Then it was a scene of life and activity, now it is simply a deserted village. Four public houses and two 'jerry shops' were much patronised; now only two, (the Ship and John Bull) get a very little custom now and then. The cottages were crowded with occupants, now scores of houses are unoccupied, all the glass in the windows is broken, and in many cases boards occupy the places where doors and windows formerly were; visitors may pass rows of houses facing the river, where, out of a dozen or more, only one shows any signs of life; the rest are desolate-looking indeed.

Doorsteps are grass grown, rank vegetation fills up the spouts, and tufts of grass appear on the window sills. Large warehouses standing on the bank of the river and on the quay, are gradually falling into ruin and decay. The landing stage, which formerly used to present a busy scene on the arrival of the stagecoach from Sheffield and the departure of the packet for Hull, is now grass grown and desolate like the rest of this once thriving village. The rope manufactory, where from twelve to fifteen men and boys used to work, is given up in solitude; the rope shed, warehouses, etc., now lies a confused mass of broken rafters, bricks, mortar, wheels and other machinery connected with the manufacture of ropes. The river Don itself seems as if it, too, shared in the same fate as the Quay; very rare indeed is a vessel of any description seen on its waters, and then only a keel or canal boat; and year by year it appears to have become narrower and narrower, until at the present time it is little more than half its original width opposite this once flourishing, but now 'deserted village'.

Great change has come over thee,
Thorne Waterside!
No vessels approach thee,
At flow of the tide.
No traveller comes near thee to tread on thy pier;
The tavern's forsaken, all void of good cheer.
No coachman cries 'heigh-up', nor cracketh his whip,
The crane is ne'er used to unburthen the ship;
Thy houses are empty, and gone to decay,
Thy sons and thy daughters have moved far away.
A few remain in thee,
Whatever betide;
They love and they cling to thee
Fair Waterside!

THE NEW WATERSIDE

As the 19th Century came to its close, the immigrants who arrived from the low countries to work on the peat moors required cheap accommodation. The vacant properties at Waterside were brought back into use.

It is the village of the 1920s and 1930s which is now remembered with affection by those who spent their youth there. With no industry of its own, beyond the cake-mill, it developed a community spirit which set it apart from the rest of Thorne. Wrigley’s Almanac for 1928 lists the householders-

Another list, written down by a former resident, records the 1930 population – and these additional names –
Quay Rd: 4A James Wilson, 7 George Blanshard, 8 Tommy White
Quayside: 16A Joe Lister, 18 Jack Ward, 24 Georgina Jackson, 26 Tom Phillipson, 28 Jim Whaley
Waterside (The Row): 1 Arthur Martin, 2 John Ashurst, 3 William Richards, 8 Alfred Elden, 17 Thomas Bradley, 19 Frank Rodway, 20 Stephen Howe, 21 George Carter, 22 Fred Jackson, 23 John Sutton, 26 Charlie Jones.

When we reach the 1930s and 40s, there are several now living in Thorne who remember the Waterside of their youth. As far as I know, most of their memories have not yet been written down. The Local History Society would be pleased to publish an Occasional Paper of this kind.

The Mill, after changes of ownership (eg Chambers & Co in 1931) later became the workshops for The Ouse Catchment with smithy and carpenters' shops.

The River Don was given a straighter course in the early 1940s and diverted out of sight of Waterside, leaving an isolated stretch alongside the Quay. At first fresh water was allowed in through a culvert, and the youngsters made use of it as a swimming pool. The culvert is no longer used and the now stagnant pool is a tip for garden refuse!

Another story is of the finding of old packet boat tickets when a warehouse roof was repaired: where are they?

Many mention the Mission and its predecessor.

THE WESLEYANS AT WATERSIDE

A variety of churches and chapels were within easy walking distance of Thorne Quay; nevertheless the Wesleyans built a small chapel and schoolroom in the village. Part of the simple brick building still stands, with a pair of arched windows in the side walls. Small diamond panes are held in cast iron frames.

No records seem to have survived; the proportion of Waterside children in the Thorne registers in the 1970s suggests it was well attended at that time. The Circuit Plan for 1885 lists the preachers who led the 2.30pm Sunday services, Rev G E Sheers of Thorne, four local preachers – J S Callis and F H Calam (both 'on trial') J Nicholson and G H Staniland. It is said that Mrs Staniland played a prominent part in campaigning for the building of the chapel.

The chapel is shown on the Ordnance Survey map in 1853 but the date of its building is uncertain, as is also the date when it ceased to be used for worship. A special meeting to consider 'conditions at Waterside' was held on May 26th 1927. The minutes record that 'activities had for the most part been held (By kind permission of Mrs Raby) in their houses. The friends at Waterside were anxious to erect a building in which to carry on their work. The meeting was informed that an offer of a suitable piece of land situated in Quay Road had been made by Mr. Pattrick at a rent of £5 p.a. for a 7 year lease and in the event of his wanting to sell the land, first option of purchase. The estimate of Mr Gilbert Porter of Stainforth for erection of a wooden building 30ft by 16ft for £72 be accepted. No separate Trust should be formed – a committee from the Wesleyan Chapel at Thorne to be responsible for the buying of the hut’

By September it was announced that 'erection is now completed and building furnished'. A grant of £10 had been made for furniture. Shortly afterwards 'the organ now in use' was bought from Mr Wrigley for £10.

In February 1928, Mr Wrigley, who had been appointed as Leader of the Class Meeting a year earlier, reported that there were now 17 members and 50 in the Sunday School, with nine teachers and officers. As to the financial situation, there had been a balance of income over expenditure of 1 shilling and 2 pence. That year four delegates attended meetings of the Thorne Free Church Council – Mr Wrigley, Mr Smith (who was replaced by Mr Richards the following year), Mrs Shipley and Mrs Davey. Although by 1933 Mr Wrigley was living in Union Street, Thorne, he was still representing Waterside in the FCC, being last mentioned in their minutes in 1939. His work with local youngsters is still remembered in the village.

Although Waterside Mission was only small, it entered as many decorated carts each Whitsuntide as the much bigger chapels in the town centre. Evelyn Holt (nee Pattrick) remembers making hundreds of paper flowers for the carts, and that 'the prizes for the best were usually voted Waterside First, Second and Third'.

INNS, PUBLIC HOUSES AND JERRY SHOPS

By the early 1820s, there were already three inns in the small community. Through the years of prosperity, there were no changes in the landlords; Thomas Downing was at the 'John Bull', Miles Akidd (or Aked) at the 'Neptune' and Robert Tomlinson at the 'Rodney'.

About a quarter of a mile north of the Quay was the 'Ship'; its location is given variously in contemporary Directories as Hangman's Hill, Waterside, Thorne Quay or Low Hill. It had a succession of landlords; Samuel Ainley, John Hodgson, and then Mr. James Cundeth from around 1834 for a longer period.

Around 1846 there are new owners at the ‘John Bull’ and the 'Rodney', respectively William Colbridge and Charles Crapper. It seems as though the two Packet Captains, anticipating the run-down of traffic along the Don, had taken up land-based occupations. From 1848 the 'Neptune' is missing from the lists of Inns and Taverns: it seems to have closed. However, in the next Directory, published in 1851, a new name appears, the 'Bay Horse' run by E Parkinson. It is marked on the 1853 Ordnance Survey map, in the area that is now the car park behind the 'John Bull'. There are no later mentions of it. Was it perhaps that the 'Neptune' had been given a new name?

Besides these inns, a number of the householders near the Quay sold beer, largely on an informal basis in Jerry Shops, among them David Johnson (1834) and Richard Webster (1846-58). Some of these outlets may have been given names; both the 'Don' and 'Wharf Tavern' are quoted by elderly 19th Century writers, remembering their youth. The 'Don' is shown on the 1853 map but does not appear in any Directory.

The next Directory is of 1858. Only the 'John Bull' and the 'Ship' are listed, an indication of the diminished prosperity of the community. Despite its isolated site, the 'Ship' remained in business well into the 20th Century, Tom Tock being remembered as its landlord. By its very name, the only surviving inn is a reminder of the start of Waterside's period of fame – the little John Bull steam packet.

Published by Thorne Local History Society
Supported by Thorne Moorends Regeneration Partnership 2014