Goole Waterways Museum

Today we went to the Goole Waterways Museum. Located about 45 miles inland on the River Ouse (which flows into the Humber), we took a tour of the museum and went on the canals in a tugboat. Goole was famous for transfering coal from barges which came from upstream to larger ocean going vessels.


Coal was transported by use of tugboats which carried barges known as pans down the river to the harbor. There the pans went into a lift which raised the pan up and then tilted it, tipping the contents down a chute and into the holds of larger ocean going vessels. This method was so efficient it was used for 150 years. Here's a model of how the system worked and a remaining lift.




Goole remains one of the most important ports on the eastern coast of England.