Paull (archaic Paul, Pall, Pawle, Pawel, Paulle, Paghel, Paghill, Paghil, Pagula[2]) is a village and civil parish in Holderness, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, lying on the north bank of the Humber Estuary, east of the watercourse known as Hedon Haven.

The western part of the civil parish of Paull centred on the village of Paull on the banks of the Humber Estuary and is bounded by the Hedon Haven watercourse to the west and north, and the Humber Estuary to the south; the north-eastern boundary of the parish is coincident with the Newton Garth, Haylands, Green's, Riggs, and South Ends & Thorney drains; the parish extends approximately 6 miles (10 km) south-east along the bank on a strip approximately 0.8 miles (1.3 km) wide and 6 miles (10 km) from Paull bordered to the north by the Sands and Keyingham drains, and the 'Old Channel', with the Ottringham Drain at the eastern boundary.

[3] The land in the civil parish is in agricultural use, and is low lying, mostly below 16 feet (5 m) above sea level, and extensively drained by canals and ditches.

[6] At Paull Holme Strays the flood protection banks have been cut (2004) to form an tidal mud flat based nature reserve.

[12] The place is typical of a medieval settlement in Holderness, occupying higher, and better drained ground in an area prone to flooding.

[8] In 1841, the church was described consisting of a tower, nave, chancel and north and south transepts, built of stone plus cobbles, with some brick repair work.

In 1542, as part of a review of coastal defences carried out by Henry VIII to prepare against possible war with France and Spain, a battery for twelve gunners was built at Paull.

[38] In September the fort was repaired and another erected near the Trent Falls, again attempting to control the Humber, but were destroyed by Parliamentary ships.

In 1819 after the end of the wars the land of 3 acres (1.2 ha) including barracks and buildings was sold by the Board of Ordnance.

[42][note 5] In the late 1880s a naval mine facility was built, adjacent west of the fort with access to the foreshore for the Humber Division Submarine Miners.

[41] In the early part of the 20th century and First World War the role of the fort was reduced due to the construction of new emplacements nearer to the mouth of the Humber, at Sunk Island and Stallingborough, better able to protect the port of Immingham.

[48] Post-Second World War military structures included a nuclear attack monitoring post on Holme Hill (Royal Observer Corps), used from 1962 to 1968.

A number of heraldic elements were present in the fabric, showing the connection to the Holme family, and, from rose emblems in the stone work, suggesting a date after Henry VII.

[53] A hospital was established at Newton Garth east of Paul by William le Gros in the reign of Henry II.

[62][63] In 1769 High Paul and the manor of Paghil was acquired from the Constable family by Benjamin Blaydes, merchant and shipbuilder of Hull, for £6,700.

[70] There was a wooden swing bridge across the Hedon Haven near to Pollard Clough on the far bank in the 1850s; this was no longer extant by the 20th century.

In 1967, an airfield was opened near to Oxgoddes farm, spearheaded by Neville Medforth of the East Yorkshire Aero Company.

Bristow Helicopters also used the site from 1969 to service North Sea oil rigs, and short haul operator Humber Airways from 1970 to its cessation of business in 1975.

[78] Lit by oil lamps, initially it displayed a fixed white light; in 1852 a red sector was added to help guide vessels around the nearby Skitter sandbank.

[79] In 1870 Paull lighthouse was replaced by two sets of leading lights, also established by Hull's Trinity House: one at Thorngumbald Clough and the other at Salt End.

[88] The position of the Humber coastline has been relatively fluid over several centuries due to flooding, storms, silting, human intervention, and the condition of Spurn Point.

The increased silting was exploited by humans; Cherry Cobb Sands was embanked in 1869/70, closing the north channel to the west.

The silting caused drainage problems in the land to the north and Keyingham fleet (or clow) was resited several times in 1730, and again c. 1772, when it became the jurisdiction of the Keyingham Drainage Authority; silting in the remnant of the north channel reduced the fleet's effectiveness and a new cut of the drain was made, based on one of two designs of Joseph Hodskinson, endorsed by William Chapman in 1797, and enabled by and act of Parliament in 1802.

By the 1840s the extent of Cherry Cobb Sands represented approximately 1,800 acres (730 ha); the soil newly reclaimed land was of very good agricultural quality.

[91] In the early 2000s the flood defences at Paull Holme Strays were re-aligned backwards to create a tidal lagoon.

Construction of the new defences was completed in 2002, and in 2003 the old flood banks were cut, creating a 200 acres (80 ha) nature reserve.

[92][93] The North Sea tidal surge 2013 caused damage to the defences near Paull;[94] 12 properties were flooded.