New Holland Refreshment Rooms
& New Holland Pier Refreshment Rooms

Amongst the facilities associated with the New Holland railway station, was a licensed ‘refreshment rooms’ that held a full alehouse licence according to the licensing registers at the Grimsby archives. They appear to have been in operation from the early 1890s until the 1930s based on evidence in the trade directories, and were maintained by the Railway Company throughout. However, the 1851 census recorded Mary Spurr, as a 33 years old licensed victualler at the New Holland Station, and so more-likely, they were in operation soon after the opening of the station in 1848, and the Yarborough Arms in 1851.

Following the demise of the ferry service in 1981, as the Humber Bridge made crossing the estuary more efficient (but less fun), the station and refreshment rooms were closed, and demolished soon after. These were not the original buildings however, as they had been rebuilt in the 1920s.

In addition to the on-land station refreshment rooms, there were separate licensed premises on the pier itself, catering for passengers waiting for the ferry to Hull at the New Holland Pier Station. These were maintained and operated concurrently with the premises listed above, and were mentioned as early as 1870 (in the Lincolnshire Chronicle). The licence of these rooms and the above mentioned appear to have been held in conjunction with that of the Yarborough Hotel. Some of the station buildings on the pier appear to survive, but it is extremely unlikely that any of the refreshment room buildings remain.

An excellent description of the New Holland stations can be found on the disused-stations.org website.