**This entry is a work in progress, and will be updated in due course after further research**

Although this site was certainly used for building before the 1810s, and possibly by a Mr. Thomas Nicholson, the Hutchinson family are the most well-known occupiers, having owned it for much of the 19th century. A John Hutchinson was originally building over the river at North Sands but moved to this site at Panns Bank by 1814.

The docks were predominantly utilised for ship repair, but considerable building also took place, with at least 20 vessels registered. The first was Vesta, a brig constructed in 1814, which was used along the east coast until around 1859. It was registered at Colchester, London, then Scarborough and was later refitted as a schooner. Similar patterns followed, with his builds carrying general cargo from Britain to the continent and beyond.

Our first snapshot comes from the 1846 tithe maps, where we gain our initial insight into the dockyard. The Hutchinson portion features two teardrop-shaped docks and a third, more rudimentary one that appears to have fallen out of use a decade later. Further detail is provided by the 1857 survey, which shows the complex in great detail. The left two docks are in use, with an engine house between them, likely to open and close the gates. There is also a smithy, three warehouses, and a second smithy on site. Two cranes are also featured. By this time, the second John was certainly operating and doing so under his sole name.

John's sons, Ralph and William, were building at a neighboring slipway. He made his animosity toward them clear in a newspaper piece from 1849, when they named a ship after him without his approval or consent. Mail and payments were being made with his name included, despite their relationship having been severed for the previous 11 years. He was concerned this would disrupt his business, so he published a public statement separating his interests and ensuring everyone was aware they were distinct entities. He also stated that he had operated at this site independently for 36 years, verifying the use of this site since 1814.
The last ship built by John was the Helene, a brig that was again used for general cargo. He was 84 at this stage and likely retired thereafter. It was likely taken on by Austin from 1874, when the yard was modernized for iron working. Hutchinson's docks were infilled by the 1890s.

John died aged 89 on August 2, 1875, and his funeral was attended by many of the people for whom he had built ships—Ralph Stafford, William Snowball (the Town Clerk)—and featured his children, with whom he seldom associated as rival shipbuilders—Ralph and John.