Ferriby Road, Hessle - 01482 640 852 humberbridge.tic@eastriding.gov.uk

Hessle is a town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, situated 5 miles (8 km) west of Kingston upon Hull city centre. Geographically it is part of a larger urban area which consists of the city of Kingston upon Hull, the town of Hessle and a number of other villages but is not part of the city. It is on the north bank of the Humber Estuary where the Humber Bridge crosses. According to the 2011 UK census, Hessle parish had a population of 15,000, an increase on the 2001 UK census figure of 14,767.

The centre of Hessle is called "Hessle Square" or "The Square" for short. There are many shops and a small bus station - which was refitted in 2007. Hessle All Saints Church is located just off the Square and was designated in 1967 by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. Hessle Town Hall was built in 1897 and is situated at the top of South Lane. Hessle Police Station is next door to the town hall at the top of South Lane and the corner of Ferriby Road.

The Upper School site of Hessle High School situated on Heads Lane is centred around a building donated to the Education Authority by Algernon Barkworth, a survivor of the Titanic disaster. Its education standards remain moderate to high, with it having a Specialist Science College status and achieving some of the best results in the county. Despite having specialist Science status the school has a considerable reputation in the area for its music making. In the late 1960s and 70s a considerable number of students from the school were admitted to Music colleges and ex-students are to be found, now, in all areas of the music profession. In the 13th century Joan Stuteville from this ancient settlement introduced the custom of ladies riding side-saddle on horses.

In more modern times, it has been a centre for shipbuilding. Before 1897, there was a shipyard building wooden boats, but it was then bought by Henry Scarr who moved there from Beverley, where he had previously been in partnership with his brother Joseph. Scarr produced iron and steel ships until 1932, when the yard was taken over by Richard Dunston. It was the largest shipyard in Hessle, building vessels such as Loch Riddon, a roll-on/roll-off ferry launched in 1986, and one of four built for Caledonian MacBrayne for use in the Hebrides. The company went into liquidation in 1987 and was bought by Damen Shipyards Group in the same year. Dunston's was closed down in 1994. The location is now used as offices, car sales buildings and a dock for scrap metal and other materials for dispatch to other areas, or to be recycled. Richard Dunston's ship repairs still exists further east along the Humber Estuary, with activity remaining high.

Chalk-quarrying was a major industry at Hessle into the 20th century and quarries can still be seen in the west of the town, the largest being the Humber Bridge Country Park, which is a popular tourist attraction. Part of it is known as Little Switzerland (Little Switz or Switzy for short).

Hessle is twinned with the French town of Bourg-de-Thizy.

Transport to and from Hessle is convenient, with good access to main roads such as the A15, A63 & M62 (via the A63). It also has a railway station with hourly services to and from Hull and to destinations such as Doncaster and York.

Hessle is at the start of the Yorkshire Wolds Way, a long-distance footpath and designated National Trail, which crosses the Yorkshire Wolds and ends at Filey.