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Goole
Coordinates: 53.699217° N 0.869171° W
Population	17,600
OS grid reference	SE746231
Parish	Goole
Unitary authority	East Riding of Yorkshire
Ceremonial county	East Riding of Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	GOOLE
Postcode district	DN14
Dial code	01405
Police	Humberside
Fire	Humberside
Ambulance	Yorkshire
UK Parliament	Brigg and Goole
European Parliament	Yorkshire and the Humber
List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire

The Goole skyline showing the docks and the "salt and pepper pots" - the twin water towers

Goole is a town, civil parish and port located on the River Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, in northeast England. The population as of the 2001 census was 17,600.^[1]

Prior to the 1974 local government reform it was an urban district in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It was then in the Boothferry district of Humberside until that was abolished in 1996. Because Goole was historically in the West Riding, it was briefly considered to link it with the district of Selby, borough of Doncaster and even the new North East Lincolnshire Council instead.

The civil engineer Cornelius Vermuyden from The Netherlands diverted the River Don northward to the Ouse in 1627 to drain the marshland of Hatfield Chase at the behest of King Charles I. This also made the lower Don navigable for small barges so that coal from the southern Yorkshire coalfield was transported to "Gool" at the new mouth of the Don (or "Dutch River") for transfer to seagoing vessels.

The Aire and Calder Navigation opened their broad canal from Knottingley in the northern sector of the coalfield in 1826 together with two transhipment docks at Goole and a company-built town. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway built a line from Pontefract and Wakefield in 1848 and the North Eastern Railway connected with Doncaster and Hull in 1870. The prosperity from the coal and general cargo trade with the West Riding industrial area continued for 150 years after the opening of the canal. After a period of decline, these commodities were more than replaced by containers, the export of steel and the import of timber from north-eastern Europe. The two original 1826 docks, along with all six others built later, are still in full operation.

Glass and clothing are produced in Goole and it is the focus of an agricultural district. Its population of 19,951 returns six councillors to the East Riding Council and it is the western component of the Brigg and Goole parliamentary constituency.

In March 2006, the go-ahead was given by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council for a new £237.5 million Centreport development, although there was significant opposition from local residents. This will surround the Guardian Glass factory, at Junction 36 of the M62, to the west of the town. A new Tesco Distribution Centre is due to be built on this land bringing thousands of jobs to the Goole District.

• Informative guide to Goole
• Port of Goole
• Waterways Museum and Adventure Centre
• Goole AFC football team

1. ^ [1] Parish census

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