Barton Upon Humber ~ A Day Out ~ Visitors Guide
This week saw your host out on his travels every single day ! Plenty more to come !
This one is all about the Historic Lincolnshire Town of Barton Upon Humber - a place of hidden gems !
Barton is situated on the South Bank of the Humber Estuary, right beside the Humber Bridge, and has a rich history, much of which is still on display today.
Nineteenth century cottages, buildings and shops are scattered all over the place and it appears, to me on first impression at least, that Barton has retained far more of its period buildings than many other towns in Lincolnshire - very commendable and a better place it is for it.
The picture on the left is Kings Garth Mill which was built around 1810 for Thomas Marris and if that’s not historic enough it sits smack on top of an Anglo-Saxon burial ground !
It is now part of the The Old Mill Pub - don’t cringe - the whole set up looks very nicely done, I didn’t go in but it certainly looks like a place I’d happily eat and drink in.
To the right you’ll see something that just caught my eye, a letter box I know but a GR one which I believe is George V and dates 1910-1936. Whilst far from being an expert, I think these are fairly unusual in as much as I don’t normally tend to see them.
Further down you’ll see a stamp dispenser as well, again I don’t recall seeing one before.
I’m not sure whether it’s contemporaneous with the letter box but it gave the appearance of being so.
There are a couple of churches in Barton Upon Humber and one in particular I was very keen to see.
St Peter’s actually has a Saxon tower and is quite fabulous, so much so it will be the subject of a separate article.
The town is steeped in Saxon history, which, given the location makes absolute sense - the invaders first port of call - quite literally.
The fact that they have not destroyed the town’s heritage means the layout is not particularly cohesive so keep going around corners and down streets as things keep opening up before you.
It seems very much a town of two parts, as so many are nowadays, most parts a flourishing though there are quite a few buildings empty, many of which are beautiful period buildings which are now beginning to decay - a shame but a reality of the current situation I guess.
Regulars will be well aware of my frequent lamentations about modern buildings, architecture, design and how those in the past put us in the present to shame - well . . .
It’s not all bad news - take a look below
Barton Waters’ Edge Visitor Centre
This superbly stylish modern construction is not only impressive to look at but a great facility as well. Set in an 86-acre Country Park showcases the wildlife and the Areas of Special Scientific Interest on the Humber estuary.
A fabulous facility and deserving of as many visitors and as much support as possible.
From the very modern to the very old. Walking passed I was immediately struck by the building below, more so when I saw the date plaque - 1715 !
That’s very early I thought and indeed it is - subsequently I found out it’s the oldest building in the area.
Waterside Inn, now called Waterside House, is, at the time of writing, up for sale with and asking price of £275,000
Waterside House - Waterside Inn
I came across the Waterside Inn on my way to the special viewing area for The Humber Bridge. I thought I couldn’t visit without bringing you a picture which shows just what we as a country are in fact capable of when we pull our fingers out !
It’s a spectacular view and the shot does not do it justice but I hope you appreciate the effort I went to in order to take the photograph for you !
The viewing area is very well sign posted from the town centre but it’s a reasonable walk. If you’re elderly or infirm, or for that matter just fat and idle, you may want to drive.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my trip and shall not hesitate to return. Barton Upon Humber has even more to offer I’m sure and is well worth a trip if you are in the area
River Spanningly Yours
Rod
Little Brother said,
July 17, 2009 @ 10:32 pm
Rod,
Awesome mate! Remember a visit of mine a year or so back, think you captured it in a better light than I did though!
LB
Rod said,
July 18, 2009 @ 7:53 am
LB,
thanks for that - a wide angle for the bridge would have been handy though !
Cheers
Rod
John Ratcliffe said,
October 14, 2009 @ 1:49 pm
I attended Barton Grammar School on Caistor Road in the mid-70s.
Sadly, the school was demolished to make way for new homes.
Shame on you, planners.
Rod said,
October 14, 2009 @ 5:55 pm
John,
the planners in Lincolnshire have much to answer for - just look at what the heritage they’ve allowed to be bulldozed - you couldn’t imagine such things happening in the home counties.
The truly annoying thing is that Lincolnshire is awash with land - we don’t need to make space !
It genuinely is a disgrace
All the best
Rod
bryro said,
December 31, 2009 @ 8:03 pm
After the death of my grandfather, William Russell in 1904, his wife Florence Catherine, ran their pub in Hull for a few years but was tenant of the Waterside Inn around 1909 when her son was drowned in the Humber. She wasn’t there in 1911 because the census of that year shows it was being run by a gent who gloried in the name of Theophilus Whatling.
I called at Waterside House in September when I was in the area and was made most welcome bt the present owners, who arwe now selling up.
Len Copsey said,
March 16, 2010 @ 10:46 pm
Hi Rod, There was a Gunsite at Barton-on-Humber looked after by caretakers Husband & Wife, there was only one Gun left, a 3.7in bore Anti Aircraft Mobile Gun stored inside a large barn or shed, my job was to replace the seals in the hydraulic recuperator which slows & smooths the recoil after the Gun has fired there were lots of spares with it and i found a set of seals which were made of leather, they had to be soft in hot oil before they could be fitted to the piston, this was when i was at Sutton-on-Hull and in 3 Maintenance Unit RA, circa 1948. Len.
Rod said,
March 17, 2010 @ 8:03 am
Len,
that’s fascinating, not just the information but the detail, takes me back a little as well - I’ve changed rather a lot of hydraulic seals myself - though sadly not leather ones.
I think this summer I may try and visit all the gunsites around this area that have any visible remains and get them photographed and written up as individual posts.
This really is fantastic stuff to read, and to get on record Len, can’t tell you how much I enjoy and appreciate it
Kind regards
Rod
JOY said,
May 26, 2010 @ 10:23 pm
Lovely picture of Waterside Inn my husband has just been researching his family history and found one of his ancestors working at the inn in 1841!
Rod said,
May 27, 2010 @ 6:30 am
Hi Joy
thanks for the comment and welcome to the site - hope your husband finds something interesting in his research, we’d always be pleased to hear anything of interest here.
Walked passed the Inn again this week strangely
All the best
Rod
pat said,
April 29, 2011 @ 5:46 pm
Really liked the comment on Garths mill.William Marris was my great great grandfather and i am visiting Barton
for the first time in June hoping to take some pictures to bring my research to life.I hope to find out where he lived.
He heped to establish a volunteer army called the Barton Volunteers to defend England during the Napoleonic
war. Your info will be really useful for our 2 days in Barton