Reuben Chappell - Master of the Masts
2026-07-16 - 2026-10-25 | Goole Museum and Gallery, Carlisle Street, Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire, DN14 5DS, United Kingdom
An exhibition of the works of Goole pierhead painter, Reuben Chappell. The extensive collection held at Goole Museum and Gallery is supplemented by loaned works from other collectors in the UK and Europe.

Waterways Heritage Festival and Flotilla of Vessels
2026-07-17 - 2026-07-20 | Goole Marina, Dutch Riverside, Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Save this weekend for a gathering of canal boats with entertainment, food and drink, to mark the 200th anniversary of the official opening of the Goole to Knottingley canal and the port and town of Goole. Boat owners are invited to register, using our expression of interest form, to participate in a flotilla of vessels which is planned to process around Goole docks on the afternoon of 18 July, watched by the public and reviewed by a group of VIPs.

History Exhibition - Junction, Goole
2026-08-18 10:00 - 2026-08-29 16:00 (Europe/London) | Junction Goole, Paradise Place, Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire, DN14 5DL, United Kingdom
This annual event at Junction, Goole is created through a collaboration between three local heritage organisations, Boothferry Local and Family History Group, Goole First World War Research Group and Yorkshire Waterways Heritage Society. It provides an opportunity for visitors to view old photographs from the town and port and is well known for creating an opportunity for folk to spot their relatives or themselves at school, work or play.
Note that the exhibition will only open in line with the opening times of Junction, so typically 10am to 2pm daily, Monday to Saturday.

Presentation to Howden Civic Society
2026-09-02 14:00 - 16:00 | Methodist Church Howden, 43 Hailgate, Howden, East Riding of Yorkshire, DN14 7SL, United Kingdom
Presentation: Goole in 1926 – Celebrating the first 100 years.
Looking back over one hundred years, we explore what was happening in and around Goole in 1926, the year of the centenary of the opening of the town and docks in 1826. Despite the economic depression hitting so many of the townspeople hard, a fabulous celebration of the 100th birthday was organised and delivered with admirable enthusiasm as can be seen from the many surviving photographs. Through newspaper reports, we examine the combined efforts of the many committees as they prepared to deliver a spectacle which would be reported as a tremendous success across the country.

Goole Hobbies Exhibition
2026-09-05 10:00 - 16:00 | The Courtyard, Boothferry Road, Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire, DN146AE, United Kingdom
Following the success of last year’s event, when over 50 clubs and societies were visited by over 400 attendees, Goole Civic Society are organising a repeat event, which is hoped to be an even bigger success. Yorkshire Waterways Heritage Society will be there and we would be delighted to meet friends old and new at our stand.

Presentation to the Society of Genealogists
2026-09-12 10:30 - 11:30 | Online via Zoom
Online Presentation: Yorkshire’s Watermen
The transportation of goods across pre motorway Yorkshire relied heavily on the watermen, often accompanied by their families, who piloted their well laden keels along the numerous canals and rivers of the county. David Scrimgeour shares his original research examining the extant Canal Boat Registers to see what extra insight they offer the family historian, illustrated with real examples from watermen families across the county.

Presentation to Pontefract and District Family History Society
2026-09-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Central Methodist Church Hall, Tanshelf Drive, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF8 1NB, United Kingdom
Presentation: Life and Death on Yorkshire’s Waterways
Drawing on his extensive research into 19th and early 20th century Yorkshire watermen families, David Scrimgeour will share what he has learned about the BMD facts so important to family historians. Illustrated with examples peculiar to life on the waterways this is not a presentation for the faint hearted. The happy events of births and marriages are outweighed by the many unnatural deaths associated with what was a very, very hazardous occupation for the watermen and their families.

Presentation to Pontefract and District Archaeology and History Society (PontArc)
2026-09-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Carleton Community Centre, Carleton Road, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF8 3RJ
Presentation: Yorkshire’s Watermen.
The transportation of goods across pre motorway Yorkshire relied heavily on the watermen, often accompanied by their families, who piloted their well laden keels along the numerous canals and rivers of the county. David Scrimgeour shares his original research examining the extant Canal Boat Registers to see what extra insight they offer the family historian, illustrated with real examples from watermen families across the county.

Presentation to Wakefield and District Family History Society
2026-12-05 10:30 - 12:00 | The Outwood Memorial Hall, Victoria Street, Outwood, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF1 2NE, United Kingdom
Presentation: Life and Death on Yorkshire’s Waterways.
Drawing on his extensive research into 19th and early 20th century Yorkshire watermen families, David Scrimgeour will share what he has learned about the BMD facts so important to family historians. Illustrated with examples peculiar to life on the waterways this is not a presentation for the faint hearted. The happy events of births and marriages are outweighed by the many unnatural deaths associated with what was a very, very hazardous occupation for the watermen and their families.
