HEDON OWES ITS EXISTENCE to the ancient waterways that linked it to the
River Humber. Hedon was settled as a haven – a safe harbour – for medieval sailors seeking refuge from the perils of the Humber. By the 13th Century Hedon was a wealthy place boasting the 11th largest port in England.
However those former glories are gone and the last remnants of the ancient harbour were land-filled in 1974.
BUT… Hedon is home to a growing group of dedicated visionaries with an ambition to restore and re-open the Haven. The Hedon Navigation Trust has been working over the last 12 years to build support for the Hedon Haven Restoration Project.
The ambition is to enable small boats to once again navigate the route from the Humber and moor at a new marina at the Haven. Using a lock or boat-lift system small boats would pass to and from a marina.
A caravan and wildlife park would complement the marina creating a visitor attraction that would attract people from across the region.
This is the vision of the Hedon Navigation Trust who have already commissioned an expert study that has confirmed the project’s feasibility.
The story of the progress and challenges faced by the project is celebrated at the Rebirth of the Haven exhibition at Hedon Museum every Wednesday and Saturday until March 3rd 2010. Please visit, show your support and give your donation towards a brochure.
We wish these Hedon visionaries well and offer our support and quote American anthropologist Margaret Mead:
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
The time for this project was 1974. Sadly, it is now far too late. I don’t believe that the people involved in this project have thought it through or that this is vialbe project. Consider:
– How much it would cost for two bridges (one for the bypass and one for Paull road), two locks (boat lifts), excavating the haven, and the rest?
– What would be the demand? The haven would only be accessible from the Humber at high tide and therefore would not be an alternative to a marina.
I think that the project should be limited to a fishing/boating lake in front of the Haven Arms and little more.