in the 1850s the area contained only the railway lines; the hamlet (farm) of dairy coates, located within the triangle of land formed by the junctions of the railway lines; a brick and tile works to the east; and further east, the houses dairy coates grange, and dairy coates lodge; the land was in agricultural use, and the only roads the east west "hessle and north ferriby turnpike" (later "hessle road"), and chalk lane, running north off it. the area was adjacent to the humber estuary bank, and the hull railway ran alongside the bank. much of the area was within the (detached) parish of north ferriby.