Quarrying history of country park set to be revealed
THESE DAYS it is a popular country park, visited daily by hundreds of dog-walkers, joggers and families.
But many are unaware of its centuries-old history of quarrying chalk.
From the 13th century to the 1960s, what is now the Humber Bridge Country Park was mined for chalk – giving rise to its distinctive cliffs and its name Little Switzerland.
East Riding Council is now seeking views on its plans for The Humber Bridge Country Park Experience – a project that involves restoring the Whiting Mill, where chalk was once crushed, and improving public access around the popular park.
The project is seeking £724,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
It will involve laying a new path from the tourist information centre in the Humber Bridge car park down to the lower levels of the park and through enhanced underpasses to the foreshore area around Whiting Mill.
Cut into the quarry face, the “Chalk Walk” will have new information boards, as well as audio points, where people can listen in to stories and memories via their mobile phones.
Coun Richard Burton, cabinet portfolio holder for leisure, said there was “a great deal of untapped potential”, adding: “These exciting plans will help showcase the area in a visual way and allow people to explore the park’s history.”
Natural outcrops of chalk have been exploited at Hessle from the medieval period. The mill, which was built in 1806, was used to make whiting – a filler in putty and later used in the rubber, paint and plastics industry.
The area became part of the land acquired in the 1970s to build the Humber Bridge, at one time the longest single span suspension bridge in the world. The survey can be completed at https://www.surveymonkey. co.uk/r/PGK7RM2. Hard copies are available at the Hessle Centre and at the Humber Bridge Tourist Information Centre.