Southcoates is an urban area in the eastern part of Kingston upon Hull, in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.

A named habitation at Southcoates dates to at least the 11th century,[note 1] during the medieval period the place was a small hamlet, associated with Drypool.

The urban growth of Hull expanded over Southcoates in the late 19th and early 20th century, and the place subsequently gave its name to council wards.

The southern part of the Southcoates area is adjacent to the Humber Estuary, and was originally wetlands; a large amount of land was reclaimed southwards on the foreshore during the construction of the Alexandra Dock in the 1880s; this land and adjacent areas are in predominantly industrial and dock use.

[14][15][16] In the early 14th century a road from Drypool (north-east) to Bilton Bridge via Summergangs was improved, and connected to 'Sutkotes' via a junction at a wayside cross.

[18] By the 1850s Drypool had become urbanised, and development was spreading along the Holderness Road; however Southcoates was still a small hamlet in an essentially rural environment.

[23] In 1853 the Victoria Dock Branch Line opened with a circular route from Paragon station to Victoria Dock – Southcoates railway station was built on the line,[map 2] but was over a mile south-west of the hamlet; the Hull and Holderness Railway which connected to the Victoria Dock branch, opened 1854, and ran approximately half a mile south of Southcoates, roughly parallel to the Humber towards Marfleet and Hedon.

[27][map 4][28] In a will and codicils of 1713 and 1717 Eleanor Scott had left 37 acres (15 ha) of land to be used charitably or the poor of Southcoates.

[29][30] In 1865 construction began of a new prison on Hedon Road on a 12 acres (4.9 ha) site,[map 5] replacing an earlier one at Kingston Street.

[37] By the 1880s "South Ings"; the area south of the Hull and Holderness railway line, and north of the new dock was beginning to be developed; Lee Smith Street was already in existence in 1850,[22] and by 1880 had been built upon (initially named "New Town"),[38] including a Wesleyan chapel (1866, from 1910 Lutheran),[39][map 10] a Primitive Methodist chapel (1877, replaced 1894),[39][map 11] the Cemetery, Prison and Sanatorium had also been established.

[map 15] By the late 1930s housing development extended beyond the former village north-eastwards, with only a few areas undeveloped, and a second large container factory had been established by the end of the first half of the 20th century.

[30] A temporary church (Rosmead Street) opened in 1919, but burnt down in 1923; and a permanent replacement 'St John the Evangelist' built 1925, damaged during the Hull Blitz (1941) and reopened in after repairs (1952).

Alexandra Dock was targeted on 15/16 April with bombs also falling on Hotham Street causing deaths.

A raid on 1 August 1942 targeted Alexandra Dock, resulting in deaths in the surrounding area including Southcoates; a 4,000-pound (1,800 kg) bomb fell on Grindell Street killing 23.

A raid on 14 July 1943 targeted the railway system – both Southcoates Lane bridge and nearby signal box were hit,[55] Both Estcourt Street School,[50] and the Methodist Chapel (Hedon Road) were destroyed during the bombing.