‘The Dejeuner at Great Grimsby’ held prior to the opening of the Royal Dock in 1852

An original print from The Lady’s Newspaper; Saturday, March 27, 1852. On 18th March 1852, the banquet was held in a large lock pit and water was admitted on 22nd March 1852. The new dock opened on 27th May 1852. Queen Victoria and Albert, Prince Consort visited Grimsby on 14th October 1854. A request for the the new dock to be named Royal Dock in honour of the visit was given, and accepted. A large number of gentlemen well known in the railway world attended the very elegant dejeuner. The Earl of Yarborough presided. The weather throughout the day was mild and pleasant. Note: 60,000 trees were used to build the docks, equivalent to a forest of 2,000 acres. Some of the large oak trees came from the Black Forest in Germany.