Humber Estuary

The Humber is a broad tidal estuary linking the rivers of Yorkshire and the East Midlands to the North Sea. Its waters pass Hull and open to the sea between the Lincolnshire shore and the long spit of Spurn Head. At the junction of the Humber and the River Hull, a medieval port grew under the patronage of Meaux Abbey. Wool from inland estates passed through it to northern Europe, while timber arrived from the Baltic; smaller boats carried cargo onward to towns on the rivers beyond the estuary.